[Misc] Autism - Neurodiversity

[Thunder Bolt]

I don't know. I wish I did.

I remember going to speech therapy as a teenager, and one of the questions was 'Are you left-handed?'. So they knew the link 45 years ago.

Around that time, I read of four cases of stammerers who had been in road traffic accidents in the US, in the 1960s. In all four cases, the victim had to have half their brain removed. You can guess the rest. Their stammers disappeared overnight.

Obviously, this is not a recommendation for stammerers to have half their brain removed. Results could be unpredictable.
But it is interesting nonetheless......

Some therapists have theorised that stammerers have two speech centres, one in each hemisphere, and both are competing for control. From my experience at the sharp end of stammering, it rings true.

I have never stammered once when I sing. Or when I whisper. The reason could be that we use a different part of the brain for these functions.

Were you forced to use your right hand at school? I thought that teachers had moved on from that before the 70s.
King George V was a famous stammerer which is the whole premise of the film the King's Speech. He was beaten by tutors until he used his right hand.

 

[Eric the meek]

My granddaughter was diagnosed at university in her second year, and now has a 2:1 in Classical history, studying her Masters.

Maybe it takes an intelligent person, in a face-to-face 1 to 1 conversation to spot it.

I'm guessing that she is intelligent herself, so has learned to mask it well.

 

[Eric the meek]

Were you forced to use your right hand at school? I thought that teachers had moved on from that before the 70s.
King George V was a famous stammerer which is the whole premise of the film the King's Speech. He was beaten by tutors until he used his right hand.

No, nothing like that happened to me. I heard the story obviously, but I was not treated badly or differently (I think) at school.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Maybe it takes an intelligent person, in a face-to-face 1 to 1 conversation to spot it.

I'm guessing that she is intelligent herself, so has learned to mask it well.

Quite possibly and if passing exams is a sign of intelligence, then she is very intelligent.

 

[Zeberdi]

Ironically, I have been told that my adhd wasn't real because 'everyone is getting diagnosed these days'.

Personally I think it's brilliant that we are learning to understand our brains better.

I often wonder sometimes if we as a society are looking at neurotypical v neurodivergence in an unhelpful way seeing them as ‘either or’ brain characteristics but rather that everyone is on the one spectrum in varying degrees?

I know with my process of diagnosis, the support is only really available when neurodivergent symptoms impact significantly on day to day living as mine do - at times I certainly fall below ‘high functioning ‘ with frequent meltdowns - I received immediate support even before a formal diagnosis - the initial telephone assessment from point of referral by the GP was only a few weeks.

So even if there are years to formal diagnosis, those on the waiting list as adults are nonetheless triaged if further support is needed as it was for me.

Not so sure whether children can also get access to additional support whilst on the waiting list for a formal diagnosis but it is worth pursuing interim support on the basis of the initial phone assessment and through the GP referral.

 

[Eric the meek]

That is really interesting, I have heard that about singing. I would imagine they are getting closer and closer to finding out the link.

My understanding is that our knowledge of the brain is improving at quite a rate these days.

Yes, that is my understanding.

Years from now, we will be able to do a brain scan, perform a series of actions, capture the results, pinpoint and isolate any issues, and go in and correct any issues with no risk.

I'm fully expecting there to be no Palace supporters or Reform voters in the medium term.

 

[Curious Orange]

I often wonder sometimes if we as a society are looking at neurotypical v neurodivergence in an unhelpful way seeing them as ‘either or’ brain characteristics but rather that everyone is on the one spectrum in varying degrees?

I think society has known that everyone is different for a long, long time. I just don't think we obsessed about it as much in the past.

There is nowt so strange as folk, as the saying goes.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

My US-based friend describes herself as 'neurospicy'. Dem Yanks sure do love dem labels

 

[Guinness Boy]

Thanks for the bounce, I have scanned through the thread and is excellent for Autism knowledge and support.
But neourodivesity has many segmentations and Dyslexia and ADHD are two of the biggest ones, but they are all very important to understand.

I feel we need two threads Dyslexia and ADHD ones if our voices are to be heard of even cared about. They maybe many watchers that have never post for fear of being riduculed, this would open up a whole new engagement.

For example, you could not just have a politics thread, you need a Tory, labour, etc threads, as all will be a jumble especially hard for a dyslexic person to wade through multiple post to find the relevant post within.

Do you have any objection for me to start these threads off?

I’ve seen the other threads.

Anyone can start a thread within reason, though there are some obvious exceptions.

No one can tell the mods what they should and should not do.

What happens to those threads depends on what’s posted in them.

 

[Eric the meek]

I often wonder sometimes if we as a society are looking at neurotypical v neurodivergence in an unhelpful way seeing them as ‘either or’ brain characteristics but rather that everyone is on the one spectrum in varying degrees?

I know with my process of diagnosis, the support is only really available when neurodivergent symptoms impact significantly on day to day living as mine do - at times I certainly fall below ‘high functioning ‘ with frequent meltdowns - I received immediate support even before a formal diagnosis - the initial telephone assessment from point of referral by the GP was only a few weeks.

So even if there are years to formal diagnosis, those on the waiting list as adults are nonetheless triaged if further support is needed as it was for me.

Not so sure whether children can also get access to additional support whilst on the waiting list for a formal diagnosis but it is worth pursuing interim support on the basis of the initial phone assessment and through the GP referral.

Our NHS has finite resources Zeb, so it manifests itself in clinical decisions being made, such as:

1. high-functioning autism only being diagnosed by non-NHS staff at university, where interested parties have the time and inclination to pursue a diagnosis.
2. support for neurodivergent patients only available if symptoms impact on day-to-day-living.
3. my mate has cancer, but cannot have more chemo as it might kill him before the cancer does. His oncologist has signed him off.

I wouldn't like to make those decisions. But I understand them.