1/2 The echo of the empty room taught me a lot about the absence of connection - the ache for someone to see me, not just manage me. Now, years later and in a different phase of my life, I wonder... "What if the biggest intervention are those rare moments of genuine connection?" ... because ...

🧵1/3 Solitary confinement/enforced isolation isn't just about being alone in a room. It's a systematic assault on the human spirit. It's about being unseen, unheard, and disbelieved #SolitaryConfinement #HumanRights

1/2 🎥 New Video Alert: Addressing the 3rd 'Bugbear' of PBS 🎥 In this instalment we can explore how relying on labels like 'challenging behaviour' can inadvertently define ppl, risking stereotypes and overlooking personhood.

Check out the 2nd video in the 5-part mini series about PBS bugbears! In just 93 seconds, I share why rigid behaviour plans can harm relationships, the impact of this and how to co-develop support. #SupportWithRespect #PersonCenteredCare

1/4 I’m excited to share that my book, Autistic and Expecting: Practical support for parents to be, and health and social care practitioners, has been listed on The Reading Agency’s Reading Well for Families 2025 list!

✊🏽 Reclaiming walking... it's not agitation! In hospital, I was often chemically restrained for pacing. Walking, pacing, and movement aren’t usuallys signs of agitation or challenging behaviour... sometimes its the most effective form of self-care. #SensoryJustice

This is the first of a series of videos entitled, "My 5 most common bug bears about PBS... " I cover the impact and practical solutions in 90 seconds! #PBS #behaviourism

🧵 1/3 I wrote this poem yesterday to confront the feeling of the void (caused by repeated exposure to seclusion and long-term isolation).

After so much relational trauma it can be difficult to trust. Some ideas for how it might be nurtured 👇

1/2 When I was put in seclusion and LTS, I longed for human contact - because being safely connected to others is essential for humans mental and emotional well-being. Isolation may feel safer and some argue it is therapeutic... but for who?

1/2 We have had insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of autism and its relationship to anxiety & trauma for ages. Autistic ppl often experience & show anxiety differently - a disconnection between our self-reported fears and actual behavioural manifestations

🧵1/8 🚨 The ethical & legal implications of implementing invasive surveillance systems like #Oxevision in 'hospitals' are profound. While they are marketed as safety measures, they significantly undermined the therapeutic environment. Here is what I noticed:

1/3 Being in Africa, under the warmth of the sun, feels like pure freedom - a reminder that life 'can be' vibrant and full of hope. Escaping the brutality of the MH system, seeking solace and healing, I found more than refuge; I found connection, belonging, and a loving community

1/3 🚨 A 12-year-old autistic pupil brutally restrained face down in a 'calming room' AKA solitary confinement, at school has been deemed "unlawful" by restraint expert Eric Baskind - no shit. The boy was held by 5 staff members #endsolitaryconfinement www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

1/3 🏥 Some say that until involuntary hospitalisation and treatment are abolished, MH legislation will continue to act as the gatekeeper for deprivation of liberty into psychiatric settings... ⚖️ But what about criminal justice pathways based perceived dangerousness/'necessity'...:

1/5 The biggest professional decision I've made is sharing my personal experiences of being detained and restrained under the Mental Health Act. This choice wasn’t made lightly; once shared, these deeply personal stories can’t be taken back. #MentalHealth #Advocacy

1/4 Proud to co-deliver today with Georgia Pavlopoulos for #annafreud about ways to support (and prevent future trauma) for autistic people. We talked about:

Lovely write-up by @jordan-briggs.bsky.social of our recent event on autism and learning disability in the #MHBill. With @rightfullives.bsky.social @aquinnunbroken.bsky.social @lisaperry.bsky.social @doughtystreet.bsky.social insights.doughtystreet.co.uk/post/102k68x...

1/5 Ending #solitaryconfinement foregrounds listening to lived experiences of enforced isolation so vital to respecting ppl's human rights, dignity and well-being and advancing proactive care & support. Our paper suggests: #MentalHealth #HumanRights www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

A reminder that #Patient11, uncovered yet another national scandal regarding sexual abuse in NHS England MH trusts and has now been nominated for the @amnestyuk.bsky.social awards 2025. Here were the key findings from #patient11: 1/9

Really pleased to have collaborated with such brilliant thought leaders to critique the idea that enforced isolation (LTS) can be therapeutic. Our new paper suggest solitary confinement has no place in modern health care. 1/4 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Subscribe to #AnnaFreud newsletter to be the first to see new animation with @aquinnunbroken.bsky.social We are passionate about neuro-diversity informed practice and we are asking professionals to un-think and re-think about seclusion and long term segregation www.annafreud.org/training/hea...

#patient11 based on my story of violence (especially sexual violence) in psychiatric 'warehouses' has been shortlisted for the @amnestyuk.bsky.social International Media Awards. Thanks Robert Mulhern (Sky) & Rebecca Thomas (The Independent) Listen to patient-11 here: news.sky.com/story/patien...

@aquinnunbroken.bsky.social Finished "UNbroken". One of the best books I've ever read. You have helped me a great deal. You are an incredible, inspiring person. Thank you.

Liberty, security and a right to a home are fundamental rights enshrined in law eg Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Yet, these are threatened by the reduction in disability benefits and because coercive practices have become normalized 1/4 #CRPD

Welfare 'reform' messaging is stigmatising ppl as unworthy burdens on society; those who are unaffected or who do not critically assess such government claims are likely to accept this... Support is a fundamental human right, not a privilege for those allegedly misusing taxpayers' money.

Dunno about anyone else but I am getting some hate on the basis of AuDHD, likely thanks to @UKLabour whose 'welfare' policy fails to acknowledge barriers faced by ppl unable to work due to disability. @UKLabour rhetoric is fostering hate & division, betraying vulnerable ppl #SupportNotPunish

@aquinnunbroken.bsky.social Currently reading "UNbroken". Amazing book. 👍

The narrative that these cuts will incentivise work ignores the reality faced by disabled ppl. We already battle significant barriers to employment & risk more hardship when support systems are gone. Instead of reinforcing lifelong inequalities, listen! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

In a dramatic shift, the abolition of NHS England aims to bring the management of our health service back under "democratic control." But lets be honest wont streamline services, it'll add more political layers that complicate decision-making? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

Cutting benefits while claiming it will help disabled ppl find work is a cruel irony. While 400k disabled ppl face nearly £5,000 cuts/year, only 3% might gain employment. This isn’t reform—it’s fiscal negligence. #EndAusterity 1/3 www.theguardian.com/politics/aud...

Now we are talking about 'the most disabled' in an attempt to divide the community re: welfare cuts, that disregard unique needs and will exacerbate existing inequalities #WelfareReform #DisabilityRights 1/2

Please take a few minutes to watch this video by @aquinnunbroken.bsky.social . Always powerful and deeply moving. How can you help break the cycle of restrictive practices, misunderstanding and distress?

Sat in yet another meeting where a harmful narrative persists that autistic ppl prefer LTS/solitary confinement because it’s "quiet." The reality is that many have been forced into isolation as a response to a world that feels unsafe and overwhelming due to poor support .1.

1/4 Talking to ministers yesterday about the unimaginable experience of enforced isolation. The absence of sight, sound, and touch distorts perception, leading to anxiety & confusion. It strips away the basic human need for connection & interaction. #SolitaryConfinement

My daughter created this image to depict how she felt going to school as a dual heritage autistic person... and why, in the end, she refused to attend. Heartbreaking. #EBSA

Giving evidence to the JCHR today about the MH Bill. Here is hoping for positive amendments that will help the autism and learning disability communities.

My first post here definitely has to be Tendril Theory, because when I made this in 2015 I had no idea how often it would be ripped off. Tell your friends and your enemies to tag me please 😂