Before I log off for the festive period, I wanted to share this exciting news!

@dyspraxiamagazine has published my recent OT article. If you haven’t read Dyspraxia Magazine it is currently free and you can access it here: https://lnkd.in/e45F7S7t

The magazine runs awareness campaigns and promotes peer-reviewed research among other supportive activities. This support is much needed considering the loss of the Dyspraxia Foundation, which closed in 2024, after supporting the dyspraxic community for over 30 years.

#Dyspraxia #DCD #Neurodiversity #Advocate #Article #DyspraxiaFoundation #DyspraxiaAcrossTheLifeSpan #DecemberAwards #OccupationalTherapy #BeyondBikeRiding #SensoryIntegration

“Blamed Instead of Helped” – Uncovering How Parents of Autistic Children Experience Parental Blame

William Gomes
Published Nov 20, 2024

A Ground-Breaking Study Sheds Light on a Pervasive Problem and Provides Recommendations for Change

The “Autism and Parental Blame Project” is an important collaborative research initiative that investigated the experiences of parents of autistic children who have faced blame, criticism and judgement from professionals and society when seeking help and support for their child’s needs. The project was commissioned by NHS England (Midlands) and involved West Midlands ADASS, the University of Birmingham, and parents of autistic children.

The research is ground-breaking in its scope, involving a systematic literature review, survey of 685 parents, and two focus groups. The findings reveal the widespread and detrimental impact of parental blame across education, health and social care services. Parents describe their knowledge being dismissed, facing accusations of fabricating their child’s difficulties, and fearing their parenting is under scrutiny when they ask for help.

As you know, Axia sincerely values peoples interests, hence we try to do film reviews, game reviews and book reviews and so on, and we welcome Guest Reviews, the most recent of which was from Helen on Lynne Jones excellent book “Paws For Assistance”.

Thank you as always to the Anime Amigos, Calvin, Reece, Ren and Eliot for their diligence and hard work producing film and game reviews. Thank you as well to Amy for her time spent proof reading, and to Clare for typing Calvin’s audio recordings he uses to create his reviews.

Steve Silberman, writer on the Grateful Dead and autism, dies at 66

Steve Silberman, a journalist who championed autism rights and wrote for the Grateful Dead, died Wednesday night. He was 66.

Silberman’s husband, Keith Karraker, announced the death Thursday in a post on Bluesky. The couple lived in San Francisco.

“It’s my very sad duty to inform you all that @stevesilberman.bsky.social, my wonderful husband and best friend, passed away last night,” Keith wrote. “I’ll have more info later. For now, please take a moment to remember his kindness, humor, wisdom, and love.”

Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things?: A Comedian’s Guide to Autism
Hardcover – 18 July 2024

by Pierre Novellie 

Comedian Pierre Novellie was on stage when a heckler suggested he was autistic. Usually, this disruption would be water off a duck’s back but two things made this heckler different: first, he was himself autistic. Second, he turned out to be absolutely right.

This random encounter led to a diagnosis of autism at the age of 31 that unravelled his world, explained his struggles and answered questions that had bothered him for his entire life.

At once a hilarious and insightful journey through autism and neurodivergence, an entertaining explainer for the uninitiated and observational comedy for the neurodiverse, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever asked themselves: why can’t I just enjoy things?

You may remember at a recent PDSG, Hillary Newhall described designing an autism friendly garden to be created for the RHS Flower Show in Tatton Park.

Joe and I visited on Thursday. The garden is sensational, and the Judges awarded it Bronze.
There is also a “peoples choice” vote which you can find here.
Below are a selection of Photos taken yesterday by Joe.

Hello everyone,

Please note that our admin office will be closed today, 24th June, between the hours of 1.30 and 3.30 due to staff training. Please bear with us during this time as the phones will not be manned.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Hosts Patricia Wu, Jessica Reyes, and guest therapist Steph Jones discuss how therapy can better serve autistic individuals.

Understanding Autism

Jones highlights the need for recognizing autism in therapy to improve support and outcomes.

Customized Approaches

The importance of tailoring therapy to meet the specific needs of autistic individuals.

Supportive Environments

Creating therapy spaces that consider sensory and communication preferences to help autistic clients feel safe and understood.

The The National Autistic Society’s ambassador, Chris Packham, describes what he loves about their garden at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show. Click HERE to watch the video on Linkedin.

At our next Post-Diagnostic Support Group meeting, after a brief description of who the “Axia Collective” are, and Ren leads with his presentation regarding Reasonable Adjustments, Hilary (a member of our PDSG), will give us an update on her garden which is being shown in July at RHS Tatton park.

https://lnkd.in/e7Dxi6qc

Neurodiverse Love with Mona Kay – Interview with Sarah Hendrickx

Join Mona Kay as she focuses on increasing understanding of the strengths, differences, and challenges in mixed neurotype relationships. Whether you’re autistic, neurotypical or allistic, this podcast is for you! Knowing how your neurology may impact your communication style, emotional and social needs, processing speeds, sensory needs and sexual and physical intimacy desires is critical, especially in your romantic relationships. Listen in and learn about other’s lived experiences, lessons learned, and strategies for understanding how neurological differences can impact your relationship.

Research participants needed

Sleep in Adults with ADHD: Exploring Strategies for Navigating Difficulty Sleeping.

Up to 80% of adults with ADHD report some kind of difficulty sleeping (e.g., restless legs, delayed sleep onset, daytime sleepiness). Despite how common it is, there’s a lack of guidance on how to manage sleep which is specific to adults with ADHD. We want to hear from adults with ADHD about their experiences with sleep problems and sleep management techniques. Our aim is to report on these experiences and use them to inform the development of sleep management approaches which are driven by lived experiences of ADHD.

We’re looking for participants who’d be willing to share their experience in an online survey and optional follow-up online discussion with the researchers. To find out more and sign up, people can visit our study web page here: https://sleepinadhd.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/ or email us at sleep-in-adhd-study@bristol.ac.uk

This study has sought and received ethical approval from the Faculty Research Ethics Committee at the University of Bristol with ref. #: 17961

The number of autistic people dying by suicide year after year is a national scandal.

Today, following the inquest of Caitlyn Scott-Lee, a 16-year-old autistic girl who chose to end her own life, we have written an open letter to the Government to highlight the increased risk of suicide that autistic people face.

Our letter, signed by fellow campaigners, academic researchers, bereaved parents, our ambassadors, The National Autistic Society, PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, Tellmi, Samaritans and YoungMinds to call for urgent action to tackle the issue.

Visit our website to find out more and get involved: