PSA: Chanukah is a minor holiday and all we do is light candles. It's well-meaning to offer to cancel meetings and such, but it's also frustrating coming from organizations that don't ever acknowledge Shabbat or the major holidays when we ARE forbidden to work. 1/

I currently have a few slots for urgent needs and can accommodate a few with non-urgent needs in the next few weeks.

I'm used to families having a school or provider freak out that they're mentioning a condition that's been suggested but not 100% formally diagnosed. But this is a new one; school livid that kid claims to have anxiety because no formal diagnosis on file. Self report is 5000% valid for anxiety. 1/

With alt

More than a million people in MA rely on SNAP — mostly children, seniors, and people with disabilities.   None of them will get the help they need on November 1 if Donald Trump refuses to act.    The money is there. The hunger is real. Cutting off SNAP is a choice — and it’s the wrong one.

a trans girl in vermont was kicked off her swimming team and committed suicide and at the very same time, the discourse in d.c. today is about whether the democratic party should’ve abandoned her sooner in order to win votes a day in an american life

We hope this one does everyone justice: paperpile.com/shared/sJ6WH...

How can autistic people recover from short-turn autistic burnout? @mx-joyner.bsky.social has very specific, tried-and-true strategies that might help you or your autistic loved one, at TPGA (and yes this includes kids and adults with high support needs). thinkingautismguide.com/2025/10/we-g...

For many with interoception difficulties, these signals all register simply as "something is wrong." "I'm a little dehydrated" or "I need to use the restroom" or "my sleeves are too tight" all feel the same. Having appendicitis or a stress fracture might also feel the same as these things. 1/

"When you're open about [your child's autism] diagnosis, not only will they have an answer as to why they behave the way that they do, but they'll be more accepting of themselves." TY @autiebiographical.bsky.social, image description in post. www.facebook.com/autiebiograp... #autism #autistic

I want more people to care that SNAP benefits are being cut off on November 1. 40% of SNAP beneficiaries are children. This is callous and vile.

Normalize saying "please put away electronic devices unless being used for a disability, and please silence electronic devices to the extent possible." People shouldn't need to explain they have it out because they are using a magnifier, insulin pump, AAC, hearing device controls, and so forth. 1/

Please share. I’ve got several places that have confirmed they can prescribe and a few that can serve as the primary care provider. Several Fenway patients confirm they’ve still gotten no communication beyond the original portal message.

Transhealth has released a statement in response to Fenway Health’s decision to stop gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19. Read our statement at transhealth.org/transhealth-remains-committed-and-open-for-care

10/17, 4 PM. Outside Fenway Community Health. We stand together and make it clear that we will not abandon our trans youth and young adults. We do not bend a knee to the unlawful threats of wannabe tyrants. This is Boston. We do not comply in advance.

Boston - THIS IS TOMORROW! Let’s get out there and let Fenway Health know how we feel about their cowardly abandonment of one of the most vulnerable trans populations!

Hi Erika, We are accepting new patients 21 & under for both gender-affirming primary care and specialty care- in-person and telehealth. We are about to open specialty gender-affirming care for adults as well. & we offer surgical letters. For more info folks should visit transhealth.org/new-patients

www.trueuclinic.com - All telehealth - All private pay - Confirmed they will see minors with parental consent - Confirmed they will do obgyn hormonal meds

www.syzygyhealth.org/faq - Prescribes HRT ages 16+ - Telehealth available - Takes Masshealth and most others - Prescribes a range of obgyn meds and should be able to do progesterone etc. but I haven't confirmed - Does not appear to do blockers/younger kids

Posting here as I find places that can get minors in quickly for refills of blockers or HRT (as well as not-for-gender obgyn medications that Fenway is refusing to prescribe to minors any longer). Finding queer-friendly PCPs with openings is proving harder, but working on that as well.

I have a couple of other practices that will do telehealth visits to write bridge prescriptions. Masshealth and most everything else accepted. They don’t want to be listed publicly but schedule a consult through my practice website and I can get you referred ASAP.

Posting here as I find places that can get minors in quickly for refills of blockers or HRT (as well as not-for-gender obgyn medications that Fenway is refusing to prescribe to minors any longer). Finding queer-friendly PCPs with openings is proving harder, but working on that as well.

With an email on Indigenous Peoples' Day and no ideas about resources besides "We'll call you soon" to say what? where will they go? abrupt d/c of these meds can result in severe side effects, including suicide & also things like premature osteoporosis these are prescription medications, fellas!

Update: @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social's office is on it. #medsky prescribers licensed in MA, please let his office know and let me know if you can squeeze some kids in for refills ASAP (or if you're a trans-friendly/neurodivergent-friendly primary care provider who can take some kids on longer term).

Finally, someone from the city speaks up after two days. Proud to have supported @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social and looking forward to his office assisting us with emergency coordination.

So @boslgbtq.bsky.social @mayorwu.boston.gov @wutrain.bsky.social why is there no coordinated emergency response? A bunch of us providers are trying to get kids into places, but the health centers don't believe the news that Fenway bailed, or they're afraid to prescribe now that Fenway won't.

Reposting in case anyone who suddenly is without gender-affirming care needs a letter ASAP to get in elsewhere.

Let them know what you think. Gov. Healey: 617-725-4005 AG Campbell: 617-727-2200 Fenway: 617-267-0900 cis Bostonians specifically, we need you to step up. I'm already seeing my local trans circles raise hell about this, but we need you, too. I wrote a phone script. Use it and spread it:

1. In a major capitulation to Trump, Fenway Health, a center ostensibly dedicated to LGBTQ+ healthcare, has ended its trans care program under 19. It could have fought for its patients. It chose instead to roll over. Community members are devastated. Subscribe to support our journalism.

I was on the board of Fenway and I warned the then CEO in 2023 that this would happen. This was cowardly capitulation sacrificing trans youth.

Who is organizing to get kids connected with care? I have a bunch of trans teen clients and Fenway isn’t helping. I can see kids for anything within my scope can do sliding scale and all insurance but Masshealth, but not a prescriber. Fine to DM.

Can we talk about the inherently ableist nature of "respite care?" I'm of course not referring to substitute carers for those who need 24/7 skilled care. I mean the programs for disabled teens/adults that are only offered in a model of all-day or several-day dropoff "because it's also respite." 1/

Fellow people who do inclusion trainings: Please emphasize that you don't wait to be inclusive until after someone has corrected your incorrect assumptions. If you've been corrected, you've done harm. 1/

many studies discuss how Autistic people often have a different affect, facial expression, body movements as compared to peers. Here’s one: “autistic people demonstrate divergent facial emotional expressivity that relates to the less favorable impressions they receive from non-autistic observers”

Still banging my head against the wall with taking Masshealth/connector, but have some slots available for consults, letters, etc. for kids and adults with employer-sponsored insurance.

This is helpful to make the case but I've grown wary of how transgender people's rights specifically are primarily defended from the standpoint of pathology. KOSA and bills like it are bad because they threaten to deny us our freedom of speech, full stop.

"There is no 'autism epidemic.' Autism is a developmental difference that has existed as long as human beings have." -ASAN executive director @colinkillick.bsky.social. Spread the word: Tylenol does not cause autism. But reproduction sure does! www.usatoday.com/story/opinio... #neurodiversity

“Being both Black and autistic means constantly navigating systems that weren’t built for you, all while the world debates your humanity on cable news.” By @ayannasanaa.bsky.social: open.substack.com/pub/phenomen... #AutisticWhileBlack #autism #autistic

Can we talk about the inherently ableist nature of "respite care?" I'm of course not referring to substitute carers for those who need 24/7 skilled care. I mean the programs for disabled teens/adults that are only offered in a model of all-day or several-day dropoff "because it's also respite." 1/

Teen group is full/overloaded/waitlist for next time. Tween group is now able to run and can take one or two more kids.

Teen group is mostly full; can probably take one more. Tween group needs at least one more person to run.

Teen group has mostly filled, tween group is still looking for players. Can slide cost as low as anyone needs me to.

This is succinct, clearly spelled out, and neurodivergent-friendly. I needed this the other day when I was explaining the CDC list and vaccine website to my 18-24 LGBTQ adulting group. (Going to email it to them now…)

These groups are up and running once again. We have a couple of wonderful queer neurodivergent young people excited to run campaigns they have created. Please feel free to share in your spaces in order to ensure we have enough people to play. blog.erikashira.com/2025/09/lgbt...

Curious whether any of my family policing research/policy folks have done anything looking at reporting policies of research studies. Just spoke with someone from a very impressive and much-needed study around training healthcare providers to be competent with trans kids. 1/

Intersex people have always existed. How they first started to find each other, build community and forge a movement against medical erasure is a story that’s mostly gone untold. A new book aims to change that.

>60% of adult-diagnosed Autistic people reported having suicidal ideation non-autistic adults reported rates of 4.8% for SI & 0.7% for suicidal attempts Therefore, data suggests that autistic adults are 25x more likely to make a suicide attempt than non-autistic adults TWENTY-FIVE TIMES! #AutRes