Posts by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
(DIR) Post #ATxL5j2zJd0EVZkFl2 by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-03-21T16:06:03Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
While it's always good to see society make *any* effort at all to provide mental healthcare, I just don't know what to do with the "if you need some help, just ask" messaging I see everywhere. For some folks, that's good advice, and if they seek help they can find it. But for a lot of us, it's not that easy.If you're #neurodivergent, finding #therapy that actually helps can be nigh impossible. I have been looking for *years* for a therapist who can help me understand how my brain works and what to do about it. I hear this from a lot of other #autistic and #adhd folk, and I assume it's the same or worse for others with even less common divergencies.And suicide hotlines are not a solution. You can't leave people to endure a lifetime of suffering and then fix it with a phone call. We need systems of care and support that actually reduce the causes of suffering, and don't just try to make us stoic enough not to be bothered by it.Far too often, poor mental health is a reflection of how fucked up your life is through no fault of your own. People need help fixing their lives, not platitudes and cookie-cutter therapy.
(DIR) Post #AUDTGYoPANOHLBPUfI by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-04-01T15:36:13Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Good paper that captures a thing all #autistic people understand intuitively: Allistic people mistakenly assume deception when they can't easily interpret autistic affect and social cues."Autistic Adults May Be Erroneously Perceived as Deceptive and Lacking Credibility" - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-021-04963-4The paper has a pretty good discussion of things, but it's main failing is how it ignores the #DoubleEmpathyProblem entirely. The experiment design used only NT judges, so it's easy to frame the conclusion as something that autistic people are doing wrong. The study only had NTs judge autistics and NTs, but should also have had autistic judges do the same.> We hypothesized that autistic adults may be erroneously judged as deceptive or lacking credibility due to demonstrating unexpected and atypical behaviors.Judged by whom? Once again, psych researchers fail to acknowledge their own biases and assume their own perspective is the normal one.[hat-tip to @roryreckons for the find]@actuallyautistic #autism #psychology
(DIR) Post #AVbh5wbwvOjVWif15E by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-05-12T18:59:36Z
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People love the idea of a #SwissArmyKnife. Who doesn't want a convenient tool that can do a bit of everything? The problem, and I'm not the first to say this, is that every tool on a Swiss Army Knife is the worst version of that tool you will ever use. I used to carry a SAK with me when I was young, but every time I tried to use it was an exercise in frustration along with a substantial risk of self-injury. Now I keep a very simple multi-tool on my key ring that is far more convenient and does three things very well and I use it all the time.I think about this every time I see Elon talk about his dream for X, "the everything app". I expect X will do a dozen or two things and it will suck at every single one of them, and, like a SAK, will also include a substantial risk of self-injury.
(DIR) Post #AVbh5yIAfu6IjxQFX6 by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-05-12T19:38:07Z
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Speaking of multi-tools, MinuteEarth brings us a head-scratcher today: did ancient humans have their own SAKs? https://youtu.be/srPz0VpW4Rk
(DIR) Post #AVsQeTTeiWau1HQN28 by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-05-20T15:41:14Z
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I'm not going to link to it, but Sabine Hossenfelder just posted a youtube video titled "Why is everyone suddenly autistic?" If you don't know who that is, she's a famous theoretical physicist who does a lot of science explaining and usually says everyone is wrong. A few weeks ago she did a video about whether being trans was a teenage fad, and it was pretty bad. But this video about autism is truly terrible.She starts by invoking Simon Baron-Cohen. His name is virtually the first thing she says. (SBC is a well-known villain in the autistic community.) Then she talks about the DSM symptoms, and does her usual science skeptic thing for a while. Eventually she gets around to branding the neurodiversity movement as being extremist, defends AutismSpeaks as a charitable organization and Google/Alphabet's MSSNG genetic analysis project as obviously not eugenics (she's wrong), and sides with ABA providers that autistic children need to be abused to behave. And through it all, she didn't forget her signature-brand stupid jokes that are barely amusing when she's punching up but come off as kind of evil when she's making fun of autistic children.This is Hossenfelder at her worst. She "just wanted to learn about the symptoms of autism" and ended up in a field where she has no expertise, but decided her generic science chops would make up for that. It's weird that a science communicator who is known for tearing down bad science got fooled by bad science, but not really surprising. Mumble mumble Dunning-Kruger mumble.#autistic #misinformation #BadScience #SabineHossenfelder
(DIR) Post #AVsQeUmpqhWw53PCZE by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-05-20T16:40:07Z
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Since it keeps coming up, yes, her video on trans teens and healthcare was also bad (though this one on autism is far worse, IMO). I won't link to it, but @rebeccawatson did a good response video that I'll recommend: https://youtu.be/r6Kau7bO3Fw
(DIR) Post #AVypLx0kLoFTuvvSvw by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-05-23T20:41:12Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@hannah @cinebox I have never been more grateful for the Constitutional requirement that POTUS and VPOTUS must be natural born citizens.
(DIR) Post #AXhWalF76Ickk3K3hw by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-07-14T18:43:53Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
I think some of us #ActuallyAutistic folk need to get together and write a book: "The Care and Feeding of Autistic Friends: A Guidebook For The Well-Intentioned But Clueless NTs Who Inadvertently Make Our Lives Hell But Want to Do Better".Alternate title ideas: "Weird is not Wrong", "Body Language is an Ableist Myth", "How to Hear What Someone Says Without Making Eye Contact", "Double Empathy For Dummies"
(DIR) Post #AXhWamkLVfCXPCwW1o by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-07-14T19:36:07Z
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A few chapter ideas:- I meant what I actually said, not what you mistakenly insist I said.- If I have to go out of my way to ask for special treatment every time, then do all the work of figuring out how to accommodate people like me so you don't have to, it's not really accessible.- If I said I can't eat it, then I can't eat it.- Use your words. Really, you can just tell us what you mean.- We can definitely hear, smell, and feel things you are oblivious to, and sometimes it's a big problem.- Maybe you could just *try* making an effort to meet us halfway, instead of always demanding we do 100% of the work to communicate on your terms.- We don't want to be like you. We want you to like us as we are, which you'd see is pretty awesome if you'd just stop trying to force us to conform to your expectations.- You don't have to wait for us to tell you we're Autistic. You could be kind to everyone you think is weird, no matter the reason.
(DIR) Post #AXj9ERJUbjZLvog6AC by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-07-15T03:08:13Z
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society: Be yourself!#autistic person: (exists)society: No, not like that.
(DIR) Post #AYQdLbT1rFBPB0ceg4 by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-07-27T16:34:34Z
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Oh, you want some medicine for your #ADHD? Here, pee in this cup to prove you're not a drug addict, sign this legal document to promise you won't sell your prescription to some other addict under penalty of something or other, then wait an indefinite amount of time for your pharmacy to be able to obtain the pills since there's a huge shortage. Also, you have to work all this out as if you already have the meds and can function normally. 🫠
(DIR) Post #AYQdLcl93NGhBU6dYO by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-08-02T19:36:07Z
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In case you are curious, here's the mandatory drug test I had to submit to in order to get my #ADHD medicine here in California. Of course there was never a worry about not passing the test, but I'm still pissed I had to do it (no pun intended). It's so infuriating that the system assumes I'm a lying addict and makes me jump through all these hoops.image: drug screen urine test report that shows negative detection of amphetamine, barbituate, opiates, methadone, benzodiazepines, cocaine, oxycodone, fentanyl, and heroin
(DIR) Post #AYQeUv4oQ5HqYRIkrI by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-08-05T18:30:27Z
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@mephisto Oh thanks, I obviously never considered that because I try not to think about things at all before posting my opinions. Good thing I had you to explain it.
(DIR) Post #AYo70a7lpIY3KblXtI by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-08-17T02:08:07Z
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@killyourfm If you enjoyed Subspace Rhapsody, I suggest "How Much For Just The Planet?" by John M Ford. it's the TOS musical episode that might have been
(DIR) Post #AZMqNaGoYHtZkvya5A by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-09-02T20:10:28Z
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The website I find myself wishing for most often would be a bunch of audio or video clips of all the public figures pronouncing their own names.
(DIR) Post #AbscC2LqO8bX3dUd6G by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-11-16T22:09:44Z
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Is there a term for that kind of #autistic meltdown where you hold it all inside and pretend like nothing is wrong because not behaving properly would have terrible consequences so you somehow mostly manage it but then you really pay for it later? #ActuallyAutistic #AskingAutistics
(DIR) Post #Absd4mwjMilXCsr0ng by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-11-17T00:02:45Z
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@mephisto I had to look that up but I kinda like it
(DIR) Post #Ac6TFevxDWpKDHTUQq by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-11-22T21:48:26Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
If you are hosting a holiday gathering where #autistic or #ADHD folk will attend (or anyone else who would benefit), please consider setting up a chill room as a quiet space where they can go to escape the sensory onslaught and draining socializing. You can ask people what they might like in a chill room, but snacks, family photo albums, coffee table books, plushies, puzzles, playing cards, comic books, fidget toys, and lego bricks are all reasonable things to try. And it doesn't have to be a solo space – a quiet, out-of-the-way spot to sit and have a conversation is also nice. Protip: If there is an aquarium in the home, use that to anchor the chill space. Nothing beats a good fish tank for chilling out, though a window with a picturesque view is a close second.If you're someone who would love to have a chill room available at someone else's holiday gathering, try asking them to set one up, or maybe offer to help set it up if that's not too much trouble. Sometimes all you have to do is ask.Good luck with your holidays, make an effort to include the people whose needs usually get overlooked, and don't let anyone make you feel bad for not being able to keep up with the neurotypical social norms.AFTERTHOUGHT: It's cool how many people are into this idea. If you end up having a chill room, maybe take a photo and come back here and share it, or post it with a #ChillRoom hashtag, and spread some inspiration. Chill rooms, not meltdowns!
(DIR) Post #AcJ8rR2Tkn5K8oB3JI by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-11-29T18:33:56Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
How do we get someone like Rebecca Watson to debunk #ABA and expose the billion dollar industry based on junk science psychology that abuses #autistic kids until they conform to neurotypical social norms at the cost of their own mental health and well-being?ABA tldr: ABA is #AppliedBehaviorAnalysis and is gay conversion therapy for #autism. That's not just a metaphor - they are the very same thing used for different socially unacceptable "conditions". Both ABA and conversion therapy were created by the same person, Ivar Lovass, and use the same methods. Those training methods are so terrible they are literally not legal to use on dogs, and conversion therapy itself is illegal in many countries and US states. If any reasonable standards were applied, ABA would also be illegal.I have tried to get journalists of all stripes interested in doing an ABA exposé, but even the ones who get interested never seem to be able to make it a priority. It's easy to deprioritize ABA reporting when there's no market for it, and even stories about routine physical abuse and electric shock torture of autistic kids at #JudgeRotenbergCenter don't break through, so I get why journalists don't bother. But we desperately need reporting on ABA that debunks the current mythology that it is helpful and justifies it being the only therapy for autistic kids that medical insurance will cover.An ABA exposé segment by John Oliver could change everything, but he'll never do it because he's buddies with Jon Stewart who is a supporter of ABA and raises millions of dollars for ABA promoters like AutismSpeaks. (Surprise, Jon Stewart has an autistic son. It's often the autism parents who drink the ABA kool-aid because it lets them get their kids under control, and they don't know any better. Which is why we need reporting on it.)We have four months until April, the dreaded Autism Awareness Month. Wouldn't it be nice if next year the month was about banning ABA instead of raising money for it? Anyone know anyone with a platform who is up for helping millions of autistic kids avoid a childhood of medically-approved abuse?@actuallyautistic
(DIR) Post #AcikeQl528HzJdVKr2 by joshsusser@neurodifferent.me
2023-12-11T17:41:52Z
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@avdi The career path for developers always seems to end in becoming a manager. I assume this makes it hard to convince developers to support the idea of unions. They think of themselves as future managers, the same way most poor Americans think of themselves as temporarily embarassed millionaires.