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Trans and Autistic: Getting my hair cut
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Cancer services accessibility report
The What I Would like to Say project has been running since April 2022 and we’ve been able to speak to some amazing Disabled and Neurodivergent people about their experiences with cancer services in the UK ranging from accessing information and screening, to treatment, recovery and aftercare. Through creative arts we were able to share…
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The truth about ‘challenging behaviour’
Cw: bullying, mention of abuse, mental health, substance use and death. Challenging behaviour refers to a range of intense and frequent behaviours that threaten the quality of life and / or the physical safety of the person and those around them, behaviours can include aggression, verbal abuse and bullying (Imray, 2017). Challenging behaviour is socially…
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Where my OCD and Autism overlaps
It can be difficult to tell Autistic and OCD experiences apart! Some may wonder why this matters, but to manage OCD intrusive thoughts and compulsions it’s of utmost importance to understand how these two neurodivergences clash but also how they overlap. I have summarised my main experiences of being an Autistic OCDer: Autistic experiences:HyperfocusSensory differencesSocial…
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Internal conflict in queer spaces
There’s an awareness day and month for pretty much every identity, disability and living circumstance. For trans and gender diverse people we have Trans Awareness Week and Trans Day of Visibility just in case you weren’t aware that we exist! Then we have Trans Day of Mourning. So, our three trans community moments in the…
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Autistic and OCD: left adrift
I started working with Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent and disabled young people when I was about 23. When I started doing home visits with families I kept thinking “I do that. I completely and utterly understand what you mean when you say something utterly outrageous, or what other people might see as peculiar.” And the…
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Community psychology and models of disability
Community psychology examines and supports people’s attitudes, actions and thoughts within the social contexts of their lives, supporting marginalised groups to challenge systems, institutions and legislations which oppress and discriminate (Orford, 2008). Additionally, community psychology (CP) can contribute to the understanding of social issues for both professionals and participants by framing people within their local…
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Unusual Medicines by David Gray-Hammond: book review
When I first heard that David Gray-Hammond was releasing a new book: Unusual medicine: Essays on Autistic identity and drug addiction, I knew it was going to be an important and affirming read. David’s previous writing is powerful and meaningful to me and many other Autistic people who have experienced addiction and substance use. …
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Child-centred play therapy for Autistic children and young people
Child-centred play therapy (CCPT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention used to support children to explore and express their thoughts, emotions and experiences through play. During these sessions, children are allowed to free-play with very few limits imposed upon them, allowing the therapist to observe the child’s decisions, choices and play style (Landreth, 2012). Play therapy is…
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“You’re asking permission to be yourself”: Autistic adults’ experiences of accessing gender identity healthcare
Earlier today Steven Kapp shared this at the Spring Symposium of the University of Portsmouth’s Quality of Life, Health, and Well-Being Research Group. So, I thought I’d share it here too! (Especially as our full work is about to be published!) “You’re asking permission to be yourself”: Autistic adults’ experiences of accessing gender identity healthcareHarley Bruce, Katie…