AuDHDy - trained palaeontologist/geologist - Autistic MH & Trauma Researcher with lived experiences - Artist - I can be ‘difficult’ when gaslit & over injustice
Dear Mr Sunak
@RishiSunak
This is my father, whose deathbed was attended by me by text June 2020 & 9 of us at funeral grandchildren in car park because we followed Covid restrictions. In his & my families name I demand a thoroughly transparent & accountable enquiry.
#CovidEnquiry
Me: You need autistic people presenting
Conf organiser: We have autism experts
Me: you need autistic people
CO: We have autism researchers
Me: you need autistic people
CO: we have autism parents
Me: you need autistic people
CO: We don’t like you saying that so ignoring you
Why do so many autistic people have mental health issues?
Expert: because you have social communication issues
Expert: because it goes with autism just accept it
Expert: because you have a deficit in understanding your sensitivity
Me: no! we’re mostly treated like S***
If schools are safe as PM declares
Why are they shut in London?
So therefore
If schools are not safe in London
Why are they open in other tier4 areas?
Dissonance here
virus is not regional
This will be their biggest I feel crime so far against all of us
#CloseAllSchools
“Would you rather go to the theatre or a museum”
Which theatre?
which museum?
what show?
or is it just a visit?
can I go in the museum?
can I go in the theatre?
what sort of museum?
how far away is it?
how far away is the theatre?
opening times?
Do I pay?
#AutisticQuotient
Autism is not trauma
Trauma is not autism
Autistic people may suffer from trauma
Traumatised people may well be autistic too
This has been a public information tweet
Thank you for attending
#TraumaTrend
#AutisticPeople
#MyPTSDDay
Don’t accept autism
Accept autistic people
Don’t understand autism
Understand autistic people
Don’t do stuff for autism
Do stuff for autistic people
Don’t think of us as autism
Think of us as autistic people
We’re not
#autism
We’re living breathing human
#autistic
people
Scientist: seems really strange
#autistic
people have a high incidence of mental health issues
Autistic: not surprising seeing we are misunderstood bullied oppressed & most of you it seems want to make us extinct & don’t listen to us
Scientist: seems really strange etc
😱
Older
#autistic
people can:
Experience deep loneliness
Have poor mental health
Struggle with people
Sensory overload
Need support
Shutdown
Self harm
Mask
Cry
#autistic
children
become autistic adults
#AutisticLifespan
Been drawing for the first time in 15 years my trauma & MH issues as corvids - this is my view of my imposter syndrome - challenging my PTSD too - thank you for the follow & all you do - fellow artist
@Coldwar_Steve
#MyPTSDDay
#CovidCorvids
So autistic people are brilliant at finding patterns especially useful in science+art & were praised for it
but when it comes to us finding eugenic patterns in
#Autismresearch
it’s called a conspiracy theory
I feel this is massive
#cognitivedissonance
do you?
#StopSpectrum10K
I’m not an ‘autism is my superpower’ sort of autistic person
I’m not a superhuman
I’m simply different
Things I can do non autistic people can’t
Things I can’t do non autistic can
It’s called diversity
It’s called
#Neurodiversity
Academic: why do autistic people get depressed?
Autistic person 1: Have u seen the way we are treated & made to feel?
AP 2: have u seen the poor futures we’re offered?
AP 3: u seen the way people speak about us & ignore us?
Academic: why do autistic people get depressed?
I do not support any organisations that do research:
Into how to prevent
#autistic
people from being born
Into using genetics to ‘edit
#autism
out’
Into any ‘cures for autism’
That uses the word ‘diseased or deficit’ to describe autistic people
if you agree - say so
ADHD is going 2the microwave with a cold cup of tea as you forgot to drink it even though it was next 2you only 2find another cup of tea you had put in the microwave to heat up as you forgot 2drink it earlier in the day but forgotten so made a new one 😬
#ADHD
#xNeurodivergent
Autism Researcher: autism is a series of deficits including rigid thinking
Autistic: err that’s not true
AR: yes it is
A: our lived experiences say it’s not
AR: yes it is
A: be open to talk with us?
AR: no
A: your not going to change your mind?
AR: Nope
#AutisticIrony
1.
#autism
is not a mental health illness
But
being an
#autistic
person you may have poor mental health & issues due to the way you’ve been treated all your life, how well you’ve masked & if you’ve been supported to feel you belong or not
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek2018
Other: you were born with autism?
Me: no I wasn’t - it’s not my twin!
Other: but you live with autism
Me: no I don’t who told you that?
Other: but it says here????
Me: err no I live with my wife & 2 cats
Other: so you fall on the spectrum then?
Me: only if I trip over it
Why are autistic people often so scared?
Because we’re so good at pattern recognition & we’ve been abused many times
We can read the signs
We can see it coming
We can predict it even when others can’t
We’re not doom merchants or fatalist we just read the NT runes of hurt
Thank you 4 everyone’s kind comments
I’m sorry to hear of all the other stories of people who lost a parent or a sister or another relative in similar circumstances
we deserve better
I’d love to say thank you to everyone personally but I’m overwhelmed by response at moment x
Listen
You can’t pray autism out of me
You can’t CBT autism out of me
You can’t beat autism out of me
You can’t bully autism out of me
You can’t take autism out of me
You can’t treat autism out of me
You can’t mindfully banish autism out of me
You just continue to hurt me
Organisation: we’ve just written a autism policy
Autistic person: great, which Autistic people helped you?
O: we did it ourselves
AP: then you don’t have an Autistic policy you have an outsiders policy towards autistic people
O: why?
AP: that’s exactly why
#AutisticBriefs
So
...if autistic people don’t have ‘theory of mind’
Why would autistic people be getting so upset knowing & thinking that non-autistic people think we don’t have TOM
Why would we care if we thought they thought this & would we think it mattered?
#AutisticBriefs
#TheoryOfMind
Autistic ADHD people is there any anti anxiety med that doesn’t give you dreadful side effects that make life worse than if you hadn’t taken it ?
🙏
#askingAutistics
#ADHD
#Autistic
Dad instilled in me a love of rocks
Dad instilled in me a love of plants
Dad instilled in me a love of stars
Dad instilled in me a love of gardening
Dad instilled in me a love of difference
Dad instilled in me a love of truth
I’m utterly bereft he’s gone
What do I do now?
So
Sometimes I can articulate what I need
But
I’m often told because I can articulate my needs I obviously don’t need the need I’m asking for
or that I’m functioning well enough not to need my need
Or I can’t be autistic as AP don’t know what they need
I need this to stop
It’s never
#InappropriatePlay
for an
#Autistic
person 2 line things up
As a child I lined toys up 2 note differences & classify
As a stratigrapher I lined up
#geological
exposures & compared time
As a palaeontologist I lined fossils up to do both
I still line up my food :)
Please can we have Autistic safe places run by autistic people dotted round the country as refuges where we can go with no questions asked when we’re in utter distress & don’t know where to turn
Please
#AutisticTrauma
Today I held my wonderful darling Mr Horace in my arms in a beautiful blue blanket as he left on a final journey
Utterly bereft & devastated
2012-2021
#CatsOfTwitter
#CatResearcher
#PawCircle
Can we have a research project that collects the DMA of non-autistic people to see what makes them so
#neuroarrogant
please
Asking for a few friends
#ActuallyAutistic
Struggling very badly today but managed to draw belatedly from 4-5pm with one of the new fine tipped ‘hoarded’ biros & they are fecking marvellous - so a small ‘scruffy rook’ sketch
#BetrayalTrauma
#CovidCorvids
#Corvids
#Rook
#Biro
Boss: I’ve done autism training & your not like the autistic people we’ve been trained on, you sure your autistic’
Me: was the training written & delivered by an autistic person?
B: no does it matter?
Me: you just proved it does
#AutismTrainingShift
not
#ShiftyAutismTraining
I’m often asked if I regret being autistic because of abuse I received & if I could be non-autistic would I
I say no
I can’t do anything about the abuse & trauma I received in my past but we can do something about stopping abuse & trauma the next
#autistic
generations may face
William 47 is researching
#autistic
mice - here he is having a break with his favourite mouse model - he calls his mouse friend autistic but uses ‘people with autism’ in his academic papers - his mouse friend keeps silent even though he prefers ‘mouse with autism’
#CatResearchers
Quick colour pencil sketch of a kookaburra done late this afternoon - when I stopped the panic sets in - so tired
I don’t like working in colour :(
Prefer monochrome :)
#synaesthesia
#ITasteColours
#Kookaburra
‘risk of
#autism
’ ?
There is risk
to
#autistic
people from
Abuse
Neglect
Lack of respect
Genetic treatment
Genetic prevention
Ignorance
Lack of support
Ideological interests
Lack or understanding
Innapropreate healthcare
Gossip
Rumour
Stereotyping
Traditionalism
Conformity
I’m 2 depressed to get out of bed
Ashamed Im tweeting this
Not done this for many many many years
I Can’t talk outloud
And Hoping saying this and by shaming myself I will snap me out of it
Autistic people shouldn’t work for free
Autistic people shouldn’t write for free
Autistic people shouldn’t advise for free
Why are we expected to do it for free
After all those we often do it for get paid so why shouldn’t we
#AutisticCultureShift
#AutisticEmancipation
Run for autism
Save for autism
Autism has talent
Autism needs this
Contribute for autism
Autism has this
Autism has that
Do this for autism
Do that for autism
Autism blah blah
.
.
.
Seems you may have
forgotten autistic people?
#AutisticCultureShift
#AllAutistics
Autistic people are 8x more likely 2 die by suicide
Why?
Because society is still hostile?
Because of misunderstanding stereotyping & myth?
Talk of autism prevention?
Imposed trauma & PTSD?
We need 2b treated with kindness not ABA or a cure
#KindnessCounts
2
#AllAutistics
Don’t use April
to raise awareness
of
#autism
Use
January February
March April
May June
July August
September
October November
& December
Work with
#actuallyautistic
people
to raise authentic understanding
towards
#autistic
people
Let me tell you a short story about a bag
I like bags
I’m choosy about my bags
I use a small rucksack every day
I also have personification
#synaesthesia
so objects have personality to me & become ‘friends’
So I get ‘close’ to the objects I use & wear (1)
#AllAutistics
Oh so you are
#ActuallyAutistic
What’s your Savantism?
Can you do a Rubik cube in one second?
Maths - can you count the matches if I threw them on the floor?
Tell me how many minutes since 3/4/1945
So
What is your special skill?
“Surviving - especially people’s attitudes”
An
autistic
child’s life
is as valuable
as anyone else’s
An
autistic
child’s life
is as valuable
as anyone else’s
An
autistic
child’s life
is as valuable
as anyone else’s
An
autistic
child’s life
is as valuable
as anyone else’s
An
autistic
child’s
life
is
valuable
Drew for first time in a month on Wednesday- everything simply seems rucked up - worst year of my life - woken in pain again from where I fell over a few weeks ago - elbows and knees - struggling to keep going - struggling to see a need to keep going :(
Autistic people’s lives are not ‘a business opportunity’
Autistic people’s lives are not ‘a business opportunity’
Autistic people’s lives are not ‘a business opportunity’
Autistic people’s lives are not ‘a business opportunity’
Autistic people are not ‘a business opportunity’
When you defend bullying by gaslighting victims or saying ‘well they’re a wonderful person & never been awful to me’ I feel you’re derailing & gaslighting the victim
I feel your just as culpable as the abuser
in fact I feel you’re an abuser & a bully too
#BullyingAwarenessWeek
Trauma isn’t a life lesson you need to learn
Trauma doesn’t make you stronger
Trauma isn’t character building
Trauma isn’t a rite of passage
Trauma isn’t compulsory
Trauma isn’t inevitable
Trauma isn’t an asset
Trauma is trauma
Trauma ties you
Trauma is hell
#MyPTSDDay
We autistic people can say things for years & years about
#autistic
experience, harm & solutions
& are often simply ignored
then a non-autistic person says the same thing as if it’s revolutionary & is believed
How is this possible?
It just shows a societal systemic disrespect
Any other
#ActuallyAutistic
person find it difficult to ask for help?
I don’t mean just with ‘little stuff’
I mean the really heavy duty things where you really need it
@fascinatorfun
@DavidDavisMP
Seems like one says ‘We didn’t see this coming so couldn’t do anything to prepare’
Resign - because you seem unable to do the job
Seems like another says ‘We did see this coming but didn’t do anything to prepare’
Resign - because you seem unable to do the job
#Afhganistan
I can’t believe
I literally sat on the edge of the Grand Canyon
I survived a mini tornado caught out in the open
I watched a great white shark swim under a boat in the med
Hundreds of Millions of people have seen something I created
I’m going to be a grandad for 2nd time :)
I’m humming this song as its triggered & plays in my head way to much these days
‘If you tolerate this then your children will be next’
:(
@dgurdasani1
@DMinghella
The
@BBCNews
feel they can get away with blatantly misinforming the pubic - Just imagine a piece on risk to children that doesn't talk about the 33,000 children living with long COVID, of whom 9000 have had this for *more than a year*.
Shame on you.
I will never conform
to a non-autistics version of who I should be
I am who I should be
&
I will fight
for other
#autistic
people’s right
to be themselves as long as I’m able or draw breath
#ActuallyAutistic
‘I prefer to do things with others rather than on my own’
What things?
with who?
where?
During team sports?
board games?
I don’t want people in my home?
how many others?
do I know them?
are they friendly?
day or nighttime?
would they be in the bathroom too?
#AutisticQuotient
Why is the talked about ‘mismatch in communications’ between
#autistic
& non-autistic people always seemingly blamed on the autistic person??
I feel it obviously doesn’t occur to them they may be communicating in a poor way & not understanding ours plus assuming it’s wrong
@thewordfactory
No sorry the surveys questionairs show most autistic people wish to be called
#autisticpeople
‘With autism’ is harmful as it implies it’s something to separate - curable - a bad extra
I’m proud to be autistic & fully human
I’m a person ‘with PTSD’ which can go please
I’m not treatment resistant
I’m resistant to treatment that’s offered as a token one size fits all & then I’m blamed & gaslit when it never stood a chance of working
#MentalHealthMatters
Hey autistic creatives
You may not be able to feel this today thru the fog or pain but
Your fecking brilliant
You have a place here
You have purpose
Keep going
Keep making
Keep staying
Jon
#AutisticCultureShift
5 point plan to support autistic people
1: listen to autistic people
2: listen to autistic people
3: listen to autistic people
4: listen to autistic people
5: listen to autistic people
#AutisticBriefs
I find it exceptionally disturbing parents can give research projects their autistic children’s DNA without them themselves giving permission it seems
Anyone else?
Keep hearing stories of autistic people emailing for help & being asked to ring
WHAT PART OF
‘AUTISTIC PEOPLE HAVE DIFFICULTY USING THE PHONE’
do non-autistic people not understand
More
#AutisticUnderstanding
please
@autism
are you telling people because it’s v important?
This week listen to autistic people
Don’t celebrate autism
Celebrate autistic people
Don’t support autism
Support autistic people
Don’t promote autism
Promote autistic people
Don’t spread autism awareness
Spread acceptance of autistic people
#AutisticAcceptanceWeek
A reminder
If your not autistic you don’t get to tell us what autistic culture is or should be
If your not autistic you don’t get to tell us what the rules around autistic culture are or should be
If your not autistic you don’t get to write our narrative
#NoHonoraryAutistics
We lost our beautiful boy aged 9 to cancer November & miss him every day - he was my PTSD support cat
The thought of people filming & abusing a cat is utterly devastating
I feel rescue the cats prosecute him & life ban him from owning
@NickyAACampbell
#ZoumaOut
@RSPCA_official
What sort of
#autism
research is positive to you?
What sort of autism research would you like to see funded & undertaken?
And would you like to see more
#autistic
researchers with experiences & narratives of being autistic & the issues that need to change?
#AutisticResearchers