Girls Using Walking Sticks

This makes me think people are using autism and adhd as a way to absolve any responsibility of their life choices. That could be why there’s been such an uptick in diagnoses.

That's a very patronizing & ignorant view of autism & very inappropriate of the company to sponsor that if that's the case.

I think she is just a silly & naive young woman rather than anything malicious - like a Dylan Mulvaney but for disability.

Exactly that.

I think disability pride & the rise of the 'sickfluencers' on social media are feeding off this.

Young vulnerable women usually with autism & high anxiety who struggle to fit in find their tribes online & find something that is forbidden for society to question - changing sex, using a walking stick or emotional support animal.

They are then unable to function outside of their tribe as they embrace the sick or disabled role. They genuinely convince themselves they are incapable of work, independence etc. I think that is incredibly sad for them & not good for society as a whole

Oh my word, is nobody picking up on the fact that she's making this post and using ADHD-related hashtags because the reason she couldn't choose just one stick is, y'know, because she's ADHD? Has problems with impulse control (overshopping) and wanting all of the lovely bright coloured sticks (dopamine hit) BECAUSE SHE HAS ADHD?

The fact that she's an ambulant wheelchair user is almost irrelevant, even though she's tagged it, because obviously why on earth would she be buying walking sticks just because she is AuDHD? Clearly she has mobility issues; that's not something she needs to mention or explain in the post.

It's about the fact that ADHDers (including AuDHDers) struggle to understand the idea of only buying as much of the lovely pretty thing as you really need, rather than as many as you want. When there are so many of the lovely pretty things available, it's pretty much a compulsion to have as many of them as possible. ADHDers frequently end up in serious debt as a result of compulsive shopping to feed the constant need for a dopamine hit.

The things she's bought here just happens to be sparkly walking sticks. It could also have been Squishmallows, or bright colourful clothes, or Loungefly handbags, or colourful Crocs, or anything else that ADHDers tend to build collections of. FFS people, this Instagram post is really about ADHD, not about mobility aids. That's just what she happens to have bought this time, and not been able to just choose one colour. Which is why she hasn't explained her mobility issues but has still bothered to tag herself as, for example, an ambulatory wheelchair user.

Another very long, but detailed, report into a study of Thimerosol and its suggested links to neurological conditions. Thimerosal is a Mercury compound, and is present, or has been present in several childhood vaccines.

Immunization Safety ReviewThimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Neurodevelopmental Disorders ( National Library of Medicine)

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223724/

Autism is also, of course, a neurological, developmental condition.

"Autism is legally considered a disability in the UK under the Equality Act 2010. This means that autistic individuals are protected from discrimination and have a right to reasonable adjustments in various settings like education, employment, and accessing services. Even if an autistic person doesn't personally identify as disabled, they may still meet the legal definition of disability"

I found these three studies into the reported side effects of Covid vaccines - in which 'Functional Disorders' seem emphasised. A functional disorder is not rooted in physical disease or any obvious structural problem which can be detected by doctors or the usual testing procedures; instead they seems to stem from neurological systems and disruptions to them:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38165067/

https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/11/1144

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240565022300045X

Quite!

"I am what I say I am. Only I get to define and label my reality. Nobody has a right to query or ask questions. It is phobic to do so"

The interesting thing is the nature of identity formation; how it is formed; what people form their identity around, and the implications this has for other people and for society.

I have no problems with the fancy sticks at all - 8 think they are a great idea for disabled community. The only reason I know about them is because I was looking to purchase one - didn't in the end as not worth the £100 price & the design is not suitable for the specific disability.

But deliberately marketing walking sticks to the Audhd community doesn't sit right.

I don't think it is the same as marketing designer glasses with clear/non prescription lenses.

Non prescription glasses as a fashion accessory is not a problem. I think the stick as a fashion accessory is more complex as these girls are genuinely believing that it is something they need & cannot cope with the world without. That's not healthy.

I think it's easy to see from this thread why this could be a much more appealing category to identify into for young women now rather than gender identity.

Gender identity is getting a lot of push-back, and has some bad associations, and NoDebate is now over.

Whereas we all know there are really people who are disabled, sometimes it's not clear why and it's a bit rude to ask for no good reason, and none of that is tied to some dodgy ideology.

And there is a whole cohort willing to try and enforce NoDebate which no longer exists with trans issues.

Many of these kids aren't in fact disabled - which they absolutely can identify in to, as this thread clearly shows, people are not allowed to dispute their claims on this. Many likely believe their fairly standard teen and human problems amount to disability, or at least they can convince themselves for a while.

And yes, it's a relief, because it allows them to escape the quite serious mental discomfort they have around being middle class white oppressors.

@Wrongthingsthanks, not something I had thought of. This girl pretty much runs, so the stick must really help her. I have joint problems myself. It does seem the tik tok thing is catching on with it becoming cool to have a stick

“Is that right for a company to heavily target a vulnerable group? They are expensive but don't offer anything over cheaper sticks other than the glitter, colours, light up, glow in the dark etc.”

Companies who make and sell desirable disability aids are allowed to market their good to their audience.

Basic versions of things are always cheaper, to make and to buy - that’s why the NHS ones are uniform grey - to keep cost down.

Disabled people are allowed to want the aids they use every day, often for life, to look nice and to reflect their personality.

If it helps, consider aids as equivalent to eye glasses. Is it right for spec savers to market fancy designer frames to people who don’t see well? yes. So this is fine too.

Sticks used for balance and stability can, and do, speed up walking, and prevent or reduce limping. That’s actually kind of the whole point of using a stick.

Limp reduction is a major reason physios advise using sticks or crutches early. Once a limp becomes habitual it’s harder to correct, and sustained limping causes skeletal damage over time, as well as making you much more prone to falls.

Spread the word on this to help society do better on understanding disability and use of mobility aids - every little bit helps reduce the stares, questions and wondering that makes it so hard to accept it when you’re young and get advised to use an aid.

Yes I think those are plausible reasons

My mum for example who is now in her 70s has had rheumatoid arthritis since young adulthood & battled without using a stick or blue badge when she would have benefitted from them because of how it was seen. In that respect it is definitely positive.

The rise in women and girls with Audhd does ring alarm bells for me though. I remember raising the link with autism & Trans especially FTM but was shouted down & accused of hate at the time. That has turned out to be proven. There are obviously links with EDS/POTS/Fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue in young autistic women but something must be driving the decline in physical health in young women other than reduced stigma - the rise in PIP claims, the numbers out of work etc (and yes I believe these are genuinely disabled people)

I run a group for women who have neurodiversity and/or mental health struggles. It's been running for over 20 years. It was rare to see someone with a stick but now about a third of young women bring one. Neosticks are the must have brand. Is that right for a company to heavily target a vulnerable group? They are expensive but don't offer anything over cheaper sticks other than the glitter, colours, light up, glow in the dark etc.

I’ve seen this too, the young girl I see a lot doesn’t limp and in fact is very speedy I had wondered what it was about!

But they’re not completely irrelevant hashtags at all - that’s just the angle you want to push. They’re hashtags related to the condition she mentions in the post, and to her disability status.

And I think you know perfectly well that posting an individual on this board is likely to send more people to that profile to go dig for more “evidence” that she’s somehow contributing to this supposed concerning trend.

I do think there's been a breaking down of stigma and disabled people are finally being out there and proud. Also there is better diagnosis so people who may have struggled and stayed indoors are now finding their communities and feeling more positive about themselves. Id much rather have a nice sparkly stick and young people have always had coloured hair/ accessories etc. I'm sure most of us on here had some pretty tragic fashion choices when young! It's what young people do, they're finding their personalities. There are many illnesses and conditions where using a stick would be helpful. And people will always gravitate to identities and group, e.g. women on here have a GC identity and gravitate to the same events and conferences etc.

She posted it herself!

Literally on several social media platforms.

It's hardly sharing private content!

I don't know how anyone can tell if someone else is disabled. What does that mean anyway?

E.g., if it takes me five years to get a diagnosis that then meets the criteria for collecting a disability benefit, when do I become disabled? Is it from the time I first notice the symptoms that are later diagnosed as a disabling condition? When symptoms start bothering me significantly? When I first seek a diagnosis? When I finally get a diagnosis? When I get approved for benefits?

I think many people would say that I wasn't disabled until I got my diagnosis (at least during the time I was still seeking one). But I might be even more disabled before my diagnosis if the diagnosis helps me cope with the disability (e.g., through physiotherapy, meds, proper walking or other aids, etc.)

But why on earth have a list of completely irrelevant hashtags.

Audhd women are the ones who are suddenly using walking sticks & there's nothing wrong with exploring what the possible reasons are.

No of course she doesn't have to but it is definitely bizarre to list a load of irrelevant disabilities. Why be secretive about a physical disability then shout out your Audhd to the world.

Plus putting them as hashtags in sponsored content gives maximum exposure of the advert to people who engage with those hashtags

Very odd to deliberately market a sparkly plastic stick to Audhd women when until recently there wasnt a link to mobility problems.

What do you suggest as the reason for Audhd women increasingly using pretty sticks? I am genuinely interested.

Is it the breaking down of stigma & them looking pretty & sparkly meaning women feel better about using a stick that they had previously struggled without? Is it an actual increase in sickness & disability in young women & young women with Audhd in particular?

So much this. I’m gobsmacked at this being turfed up as “evidence”

Brands like to have hashtags on sponsored posts to get traffic from audiences that like to buy their products. Surprise!

Love to see #AmbulatoryWheelchairUser in there. It’s a concept far too few of the general public are familiar with. Along with the concept of bright young things and fashionable women having disabilities that benefit from having a stick!

There are quite a few disabled hashtags in that ad, along with the ADHD ones. She's in a wheelchair, she doesn't need to tell you her disability. And all the talk about people having identities, is there something wrong with that? Does everyone have to fit some social norm now?