Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
Trigger warning: mentions of suicide. Movember began in Australia in 2003, when two men were talking in a pub in Melbourne. The first year was simply a challenge to see if they could convince other friends to grow a moustache. 30 Mo Bros grew their facial hair; it was not a fundraising exercise. A year later it involved almost 480 people, and raised around $54,000. Within 10 years they’d raised over $685 million for men’s[…]
A lot is said about “impulse control” particularly in relation to neurodivergencies such as ADHD. Strategies for improving the ability to control reflex reactions and impulsive behaviours are taught, and hopefully implemented. Methods for pausing, urge surfing, and breathing through feelings are taught. CBT and DBT are learned. But what happens when you’re early in your journey and haven’t reached the step of being guided on this yet? When your child hasn’t found the approach[…]
TRIGGER WARNING: mentions miscarriage, still-birth and termination October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Down Syndrome is considered a neurodivergence, as a consistent trait is that their brains work differently to the neurotypical expectation. The brain structure of most Down Syndrome people is noticeably different to the average human brain. All people with Down Syndrome experience some degree of cognitive delay, with most having a mild to moderate intellectual disability. It is said to be the[…]
October is Mental Health Awareness Month, and October 10th is World Mental Health Day. In NSW, the theme for this year’s event is “Let’s Talk About It”. Neurodivergent people are more likely to experience mental health conditions including mood disorders and anxiety. There is no clear evidence as to how much of this is biological or genetic, and how much is resultant of the difficulties of living as a neurodivergent person in a neuronormative society.[…]
TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of self-harm and suicide. Like many differences that have been listed in the DSM without objective review for a very long time, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is not what it sounds like. While the name implies that the condition is a flaw in a person’s personality, the disorder is actually a complex response to trauma. There is a push to reconsider the name, if only to prevent additional complications caused by negative[…]
October is International AAC Awareness Month. AAC is Augmentative and Alternative Communication. While some people think that AAC is synonymous with speech-generating tablets, it is a literal term: it covers any communication method that is an alternative to speaking with the mouth. There are a lot of assumptions made about people who utilise AAC that aren’t (always, or entirely) accurate. Here are a handful… If You Can Communicate You Don’t Need AAC Some people believe[…]
