Research increasingly shows that autism is not a single spectrum but a constellation of traits that vary independently. What research calls traits, Stimpunks understands as patterns that emerge through the interaction of: •minds •relationships •environments •systems stimpunks.org/patterns/tra...

More evidence on why the “severity” levels for autism are not fit for purpose and why the DSM-5 says they should not be used for eligibility for nor provision of services. Autistic people’s functioning varies by support, context, etc; “severity” levels have no consensus, are not applied consistently

Heartening to see the Commissioner's acknowledgement of unmet needs being a key factor here. We live in a very different world now to pre-Covid and disadvantaged families have been through so much. Support not sanctions should be the focus going forward - punishing parents is not the way.

Delighted to share this new article, led by doctoral researcher Lucie Eadon, on whether active learning approaches in higher education are enabling or disabling for autistic learners #autres journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Last chance to participate in this important research. Survey closes end March

A major study has found that specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) like dyslexia are not being identified equally among school pupils in England. www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/latest-news/2026/02/specific-learning-difficulties-identification/

Despite all the chatter, social media bans for teens lack evidence! New paper out in Nature Health. (1) Harms from social media are real & serious. (2) We need regulatory action but bans are not nuanced, do not empower youth, & are not supported by evidence. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

And here it is: the SEND reform plan, and why - for all its good intentions - it threatens a terrifying loss of rights, just when the worst imaginable govt might be newly in power www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Perhaps a minor point given the scale of the Send system’s out of control costs, but these were the sorts of “hidden” things that went first when councils began cutting budgets post 2010. It’s taken 15 years, but the consequences of local govt cuts are increasingly a national problem

I see DfE have adopted a similar "three shifts" approach to #SENDreforms that DHSC used for the NHS 10 Year Plan

The drive to reduce the number of EHCPs is not a surprise - the devil will be in the detail of how the proposed 'Individual Support Plans' are developed and delivered. This could get quite messy where schools and parents are not in agreement over support needs, as happens a lot now.

The leaks show no understanding of autism/ADHD being dynamic disabilities - neurodivergent kids with spiky profiles are not "predictable" or can be easily put into neat little categories when their day-to-day needs can vary widely (even hour by hour). There can be no arbitrary threshold for support.

This is causing so much anxiety for SEND parents - the government should be carefully managing comms around something this significant yet here we are with another leak and no further context. 1/2

LAST CHANCE TO APPLY! As we head into half term holidays across the region over the next couple of weeks, our Arts and Creativity Advisor Martin Wilson MBE is reminding primary schools and arts organisations to apply for the 2025-26 Chris Drinkwater Creative Health in Primary Schools Awards. 🧵

I don't even need to read this to know it will be yet another lazily ignorant, ill-informed, un-researched hit job on neurodiversity. It is all so tedious.

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📚Taskmaster Book Club @alexhorne.bsky.social introduces a 90-minute Taskmaster Club session where young people tackle book-inspired tasks in teams—designed to promote reading for pleasure. Perfect for #WorldBookDay and the #YearOfReading taskmastereducation.com/buy-resources #Taskmaster #goallin

Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning. Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.

I was struck, seeing this on the tube, by the contemporary resonance of Auden"s Epitaph on a Tyrant in this phase of the global projection of Trump’s sociopathic narcissism

I have had to remove a few FB comments from people who demanded to know why Aliya Rahman, the autistic woman who was pulled from her car by ICE in Minneapolis, didn’t “just follow instructions.” These comments, unfortunately, reveal lack of understanding about being autistic. Here is why. 1/

This is the worst example ever of a woman having to appease a fragile egotistical man to her own detriment in order to try and get the minimum she deserves

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...

Casual reminder that the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel hoax designed to convince poor people from all walks of life that the injustices they face are a result of their own actions, rather than an oppressive system rigged against them.

A great blog by @annmemmott.bsky.social for families Making the holidays enjoyable for everyone "Autistic young people deserve to enjoy family gatherings and festive events, in ways that aren't painful, humiliating, exhausting" Read here: www.autismcentral.org.uk/news/blog-ma...

This is problematic and upsetting in so many ways.

Oh, and just as a by the way, for a purely personal opinion. Try living in a society where you're constantly told you don't/shouldn't exist for one reason or another, or have your life experiences either dismissed out of hand or full on ignored, and then see how important your identity is to you. 4/

Things have got that bad in NHS organisational change land that an ICB colleague is taking 900 years of leave just to get away from it.

"Human psychology is complicated. Politics and power, by contrast, tend to be crass, cruel and prone to coming up with completely the wrong questions."

Every child gets a participation medal at school sports day vibes

I've never seen anything get down voted so much or so quickly on the BBC site , he's making great numbers as he'd like to say

Actually jaw-dropping stuff

Perhaps worth acknowledging that there are approx 4.5 MILLION children living in poverty in the UK - around 170,000 in the North East alone. Good that govt is patting itself on the back for helping some of them over the next 4 years. I guess the other 4 million can just wait longer.

1. There's going to be a lot of talk about over or under diagnosis and the conversation is going to be a mess. This is because how ADHD and ASD are defined has shifted. An ADHD diagnosis today isn't the same thing as an ADHD diagnosis ten years ago.

Children are being pulled into the youth justice system because their early health, education and care needs are not being addressed, according to a new Child of the North report edited by @vp-centre.bsky.social researchers. Read more 👇 vulnerabilitypolicing.org.uk/news/childre...

The government’s new public engagement campaign on SEND has been labelled a 'futile tick-box exercise' by parents, as ministers seek to reassure the sector they are listening

Considering Streeting's well stated belief autism, ADHD etc, along with mental health issues, are "overdiagnosed", I won't hold my breath for this doing anything other than being used to cut support, along with opportunities for diagnosis, for people who need it. #r4today www.bbc.com/news/article...

Streeting to next launch inquiry into “over-diagnosis” of left-handedness. “Never used to be like this,” he insists.

This is going to be interesting to watch from a critical perspective. Particularly within the wider context of the impacts of the pandemic, poverty, and political messaging around disability. How will children and young people and families be centred in the review? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This makes me a little nervous, especially if they are coming at it from a standpoint of looking for evidence of over-diagnosis. Hopefully will be a good thing if carried out rigorously with the right organisations and lived experience voices involved. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Join our free Autism Central webinar on 19 Dec with Pete Wharmby on the ‘brain motorway’, where we explore more about monotropism, flow states, self-regulation and stress management: www.autismcentral.org.uk/events/brain...

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I find this sort of local "news" website article fascinating, like it's just telling people who live in the North East and already know that Alnwick exists, then Google some facts about the castle and copy a review of the garden off Trip Advisor and hit publish, job done. Who is this for exactly?

My 50 most-used words on Bluesky this year suggest I have been on my soapbox a lot

A timely reminder that any of us are one accident away from needing to navigate the labyrinth of a broken system not fit for purpose - remember this if you ever think disabled people are getting too many benefits.

once more I am begging everyone to do policy based on evidence, not on vibes from the loudest-shouting pressure groups. What the NHS is leaning towards - targeted screening for those most at risk - is the right way to do this. Blanket screening with an unreliable test causes harm.

1/ On health inequalities for autistic people the @hlautismactcom.parliament.uk report credited the success of the Oliver McGowan Training to coproduction and delivery, but still many autistic people struggle to access healthcare.

I am here for drama school kids doing politics better than any PPE graduate ever has

1/ The @hlautismactcom.parliament.uk report notes that the rise in public awareness of autism has not led to better understanding and acceptance of autistic people. bit.ly/HoLAutActReports Many autistic people have avoided going out because of worries about how others will treat them.

🚨 ♾ Our report out yesterday calls on HM Government to deliver an effective new autism strategy. Open this link committees.parliament.uk/committee/77... to view the following: - Full report - Easy Read report - Report summary with conclusions and recommendations - Shorthand