LGBT+ hitching their cause to autism and neurodiversity

[PostingForTheFirstTime]

Sorry, I don't know how to provide a token.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lgbt-and-autism-project-postponed-after-ad-included-10-year-olds-hv68kkwgz

"The youth consultation project — called “Exploring Intersectionality” — was organised by Galway Autism Partnership and a volunteer group called Amach! LGBT Galway. It was funded under the LGBTI+ capacity building initiative by Tusla and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

The project documentation said it was aimed at promoting awareness within family support services of the issues faced by young people aged 10-24 who were autistic or neurodivergent and gay or trans."

The Times is reporting on it because the promotional literature advertised an age range 10 - 24, when the Galway Autism Partnership agreed to 16 - 24. It is being spun as a genuine mistake.

Some of those who self ID as autistic are the most vocal and even police the words and behaviour of those with an actual diagnosis in online groups etc so they take control of the narrative.

YY, the "neurodiverse" movement is about acceptance but has skewed toward self-diagnosis. So, you get people who are self-diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, sensory processing issues, trauma etc.

It's become another situation where acceptance and understanding is a one-way street, with no reciprocation (ironically a feature of ASD, but also a feature of abusive dynamics).

There was something dodgy going on with a survey in NUIG perhaps 18months ago. I know there was another poster here who linked to it, though the name escapes me now. I wonder if it's the same researchers/ department?

I think this shows up a weakness in Tusla, which is that the staff are primarily social workers, with limited experience or ability in recognising differential diagnosis e.g. trauma responses that can be and are misdiagnosed as ASD.
They really should not be funding capacity building in this particular sector without clinical support.... but of course that appears to run contrary to the "acceptance without question" agenda.
I mean no disrespect to SW, but it is not their core competency.

They really should not be funding capacity building in this particular sector without clinical support...

Clinicians and clinical researchers are being demonised. The autistic SM forums are pushing against medical understanding of autism - just look at how they turned on the Spectrum 10k study.

It is all about 'lived experience' but only the correct one.

Latching on and appropriating arguments and often turning them on the groups that came up with them is standard.

First LGB
Then came feminism
And then. Racism, people with DSDs, more?

Any and all long standing issues/ orgs etc that have worked and fought and thought and had ideas and etc that have relevance to that movement. Are up for grabs.

Intersectionality is an excellent example.

I hate that autistic people are being preyed on and are being exploited by the radical elements of the trans movement. Just so many vulnerable children and adults.

I agree. It's so infuriating.

"Latching on and appropriating arguments and often turning them on the groups that came up with them is standard."

That's DARVOing on a group scale, isn't it?

It all comes back to power dynamics, in my opinion. Who has it, and who is prepared to manipulate and exploit in order to get it. Something that TUSLA should be massively aware of and familiar with.

My children are autistic. I wouldn’t want this type of crap anywhere near my kids. A lady I met through a Sen group has two children who are autistic - both teens. They now both have new names and have come out as the opposite sex. I had to grit my teeth not to ask on Facebook if “Jasmin” as a transwoman would be using the female toilets at high school. So many gushing comments about how wonderful it was. Preying on vulnerable children/adults IMO.

It's become another situation where acceptance and understanding is a one-way street, with no reciprocation (ironically a feature of ASD, but also a feature of abusive dynamics).

I have definitely noticed this well it slapped me full on in the face when I posted a comment on SM I had massive amounts of abuse from Autistic adults in fairness I'd already read some warnings from SEN parents.

Apparently talking about your concerns and how your child is vunerable to abuse and that she is being let down by the education system so may not be able to function in the adult word makes me a terrible parent who is holding her back and she'd be better off without me.

Eventually I just deleted my comment as two of these adults just wouldn't stop.

It's scary as it will be exactly what happens if concerns were raised about gender ideology and Autism.

What really pisses me off is all the focus on gender ideology and the T and all the people bending over backwards and spending £££ yet they do fuck all to be inclusive or understand neurodiversity, I'm sure not fact checked 10% of the population is autistic.

@Bluebell246

Some of those who self ID as autistic are the most vocal and even police the words and behaviour of those with an actual diagnosis in online groups etc so they take control of the narrative.

Good grief. That's horrible. I have autism (actually diagnosed and everything) and stay away from online autism groups. Glad I do.

Reminds me of when having ADHD was a ‘thing’- so many kids prescribed drugs like sweeties. It became a bit of a ‘special badge’ for some didn’t it. Ditto Indigo children (remember that?)

Mental health does need more attention in general , but also sorely needed are treatment protocols based on empirical evidence. Ethical research should not be stifled.

It is my opinion as a diagnosed autistic person that while we are all under the mental health umbrella, each disorder still also deserves their own separate initiatives. We have different needs. Just like the more physical diseases and disorders do.

I have been made aware over the years that some people think I am lesser and perhaps even disposable because of my autism. I have also dealt with my own suicidal ideation. I don't expect people without autism to completely convert the entire world and deny reality to make it suit us though. Instead, without infringing on anyone's rights or undermining safeguarding in the process, we can cooperate to devise and implement strategies to better the lives of the mentally ill.

Autism is a neurological disorder not a mental health condition.

Yes keep well away from the online groups, as I found out there is so very aggressive and vocal activists.

I got what you were saying Pookah I think it's hard to separate Mental health and neurology when they are so closely tied. Especially when some people say Mental but mean of the mind which is neurological.

I do find it interesting the overlap between all neurological disorders so Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia. Certainly more studies need to be done around that area particularly as we know there's an overlap between Autism and all of them. Also if you have a child with autism one of their siblings is much more likely to have ADHD.

I'm dyslexic and luckily it's only auditory processing that is majorly affected never ask me to take notes in a meeting but my daughter is autistic are they some how linked?

But back to the OPs point I think it's worth any parent keeping a strong eye on any groups their Autistic child is in as particularly as we know predators look for "easy prey" and have gone to great lengths to hide their true nature.

@Pookah83

Mental health does need more attention in general , but also sorely needed are treatment protocols based on empirical evidence. Ethical research should not be stifled.

It is my opinion as a diagnosed autistic person that while we are all under the mental health umbrella, each disorder still also deserves their own separate initiatives. We have different needs. Just like the more physical diseases and disorders do.

I have been made aware over the years that some people think I am lesser and perhaps even disposable because of my autism. I have also dealt with my own suicidal ideation. I don't expect people without autism to completely convert the entire world and deny reality to make it suit us though. Instead, without infringing on anyone's rights or undermining safeguarding in the process, we can cooperate to devise and implement strategies to better the lives of the mentally ill.

I've come to think that it's not just that more attention needs to be paid to things like mental health, or the needs of people with autism, etc. It's a very particular kind of attention.

In particular, funding for research and grass roots organisations that help people in useful ways really need to be improved.

But the kind of public awareness and pushing to get people educated that you see is much more of a two-edged sword. It doesn't seem like it should be. Helping people better understand the issues, and also you need awareness to get funding allocated or given.

But somehow with almost all of these campaigns, there seems to be a really dark side that comes out of them at times. People latch on to them, or start wanting to spend the money on not so useful ways, in some cases they become a political tool, people start to self diagnose.

I can't decide if it's always been like this, or it comes out of more recent political and social trends.

That's really interesting. Can you be more specific about funding for grass roots groups, research, education?

What would you like to see?

People latch on to them, or start wanting to spend the money on not so useful ways, in some cases they become a political tool, people start to self diagnose.

Funding is always a political tool. A good example is the funding of women's organisations in Scotland being conditional on the supporting the governments antiwomen agenda. But even where if is less obvious than that it is still a mechanism to achieve political ends. And groups change their direction to access those funds. Large organisations do so in a corporate way to tender for large grants in areas they have no prior experience. But grassroots groups change too - indeed it can take relatively small amounts of funding to capture a grassroots groups and suddenly you have people proclaiming a lived experience narrative which matches your goals and silencing of those who don't.

Apologies, it is my opinion (based on studying in this field) that the psychological and neurological aren't really that separate. My autism, depression and social anxiety are disorders of my brain. It is in all likelihood structural and chemical.

In one study they have used neuroimaging and are able to see the regions in the brain affected by a neurological disorder vs a psychiatric one. Neuroimaging can see both, even if they are in different regions of the brain. I fail to see the true distinction other than specialities of doctors and the approach to treatment. Autistics are also mainly seen by psychiatrists. I will add some links relating to my beliefs on this.

ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.8.1261
jnnp.bmj.com/content/76/suppl_1/i31
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3101504/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26045351/
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1123428/
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4629069/

@AlfonsoTheMango

Autism is a neurological disorder not a mental health condition.

Just reading Pookah's post. I think it is an interesting argument. Certainly there is a link between autism and mental illness which I am not convinced can be easily dismiss by 'the world not being accommodating enough'. But statements like Alfonso's whether they mean them that way or not, shut down conversations and discussions and dismiss other people's 'lived experience'.

Can anyone enlighten me on ADHD? A friend recently told me he had been diagnosed with it. He's around 40years old. I've always felt he was mildly depressed. I looked up ADHD but it didn't describe him at all. I'm confused and a lost as to how to support him?

I strongly suspect I am autistic. Not self identifying, but trying to save for a private assessment as it is almost impossible to be assessed through the HSE as an adult woman in Ireland.

I've joined a few Facebook groups, some for autistic women, some more general and quite frankly am horrified by the level of identity politics and language policing. And the shouty self-iding nonbinary individuals who cry oppression if anyone disagrees evening politely with them or asks them to clarify anything they say. I actually saw a transwoman bullied out of one of these groups for telling some of them to cop themselves on.

I joined them to learn from the experiences of other autistic people (women in particular) but it has become apparent that if I don't see autism as an all encompassing identity -as predefined by them-that there is no place for me there.

I'm a 49 year old asexual woman BTW. I don't force myself in LGB or T spaces. I hope I am welcome to post here.

You're very welcome here as far as I am concerned! Thank you for your contribution!

Thanks, I'm very relieved to have found this and the other thread on autism here. It was getting to the point that I wasn't even sure if I wanted to proceed with assessment and a potential diagnosis, if those were the kind of communities I would be expected to involved with. I have a good friend with two autistic kids of her own who has been nothing but supportive of me, when I told her that I planned to be assessed. The attitudes to parents from some of those self-iding autistic 'advocates' just appall me. But maybe that is a discussion for the other thread.

What does autism have to do with gender dysphoria, or homosexuality?