Nichol Goldstein’s Post

"Is a career in Tech different if you are on the autism spectrum? Aren't all geeks a little bit introverted and socially awkward?" If you are interested in those questions, join me tomorrow for the livestream of “How to human” about Tech on the autism spectrum! #DreamingIsBelieving

I see a lot of posts with the puzzle piece representing Autism. From whose view point? The neurotypical's? It still doesn't feel right no matter how much exposure I get to this symbol. What's up with the puzzle pieces? Do we see neurotypicals as puzzles to solve? Nope. Neurotypicals are "whole". They do not need to be put together. Many organizations have moved away from the puzzle piece as a symbol to combinations of colors in shapes of the infinity and other signs to show the diversity of the autistic community who are still waiting to be accepted as people with rights to not be disected into problems to be solved by specialists who know "better" than the autistics what the autistics know or should know. The hurtful history of the puzzle piece representing autism upset many autistics. So before we grab a ball, key chain, plushy, etc. printed with puzzle pieces, let's ask the autistics if they want to be represented by a puzzle piece during the Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month. It's their right to represent themselves to be accepted and create awareness in the manner they would like to.

As we celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, here are a few thoughts from my end: 🎗 Not all differences are disabilities. The Autistic population are known for their immense creativity and dedications to their special interests. Yes, that may cause difficulty in other domains, but that makes them different, not disabled.🧩 🎗 Just because one doesn't appear Autistic, doesn't mean they aren't. Each and every person on the Spectrum faces some or the other challenge in their daily life. Fun fact, people with Level 1 Autism Spectrum are also known for their abilities to camouflage themselves/ mask by adopting socially acceptable behaviour through observation. Not all Autistic people are visibly Autistic.🧩 🎗 Not all Autistic people have the same challenges. Challenges depend from person to person, level to level and culture to culture.🧩 🎗 People with Autism are not Intellectually Disabled. It might be a comorbidity, but it is not in the diagnostic criteria. Most people with Autism have an Average or Above Average Intelligence. In fact, some people on the Spectrum are even Intellectually Gifted. 🧩 🎗 Level 1 ASD generally goes undetected until adulthood or until a reasonably big stressor disrupts the support systems and warrants a diagnosis.🧩 🎗 1 in 10 are Neurodivergents, and 1 in 100 are on the Spectrum. 🧩 🎗 Recently, the Autistic community changed their preference from a blue ribbon to a gold ribbon: Au = Gold! 🧩 🎗 Each and every person deserves inclusivity, whether they are on the spectrum or not! 🧩 Last, but not the least... maybe even a bit controversial and neurospicy: 🎗If you're on the Spectrum, you're Autistic. No, not everyone is on the Spectrum. Its a Spectrum of Autism, ranging from mild to severe. (((Its called Autism Spectrum for a reason))). 🧩 🎗 Let's embrace the Neurodiversity and create an inclusive space for everyone. 🧩 - Divya Vachhani 🎗🧩🎗 #AutismAcceptanceMonth Team Mind

Building on Autism Awareness Month - Let's Make Inclusion an Everyday Habit April is behind us, but Autism Acceptance shouldn't be. The past month saw a massive surge in important conversations, but true inclusion requires year-round effort. Here's a look back… Increased Activity in April: Social media engagement surrounding autism skyrockets in April, with a 76% increase in tweets containing autism-related hashtags compared to the monthly average (Source: Brandwatch April 2024 Report). Similarly, Facebook posts with autism keywords see a 42% jump in interactions (Source: Sprout Social Autism Awareness Month Insights). This data highlights the power of collective focus. But how do we sustain this momentum beyond a single month? What action can we take to promote ongoing inclusion… Educate Yourself: 🔸Explore resources from reputable organisations like the National Autistic Society (I have tagged some resources in the comments too) 🔸Research the diverse presentations of autism and the unique experiences of autistic individuals. 🔸Learn about sensory sensitivities and how communication styles can differ. 🔸Explore the nuances of intersectionality and how experiences can be so different depending on these intersections; e.g. being an ethnic minority and autistic. Challenge Biases: 🔸Recognise unconscious biases that may limit your understanding of autism. 🔸Actively seek out diverse perspectives to broaden your knowledge base and have conversations with people who share resources. Be an Ally: 🔸Advocate for inclusive workplaces, schools, and communities. 🔸Offer support and understanding to autistic colleagues, classmates, or neighbors. Amplify Autistic and other Neurodivergent Voices: 🔸Share content created by autistic individuals on social media or within your network. 🔸Seek out autistic perspectives in meetings and discussions to gain valuable insights. By taking these steps, we can bridge the gap between awareness and acceptance. Let's make every month Autism Acceptance Month, building a world where everyone thrives all the time. What action do you think we need to take to make inclusion a priority all year round? Share your thoughts in the comments below ⤵️ #autismacceptance #Inclusion #Neurodiversity #neuroinclusion #diversityandinclusion #autism * Image taken from Bristol Autism Support Support Image ID: The image is a sign with flowers and the text "autism acceptance: different, not less." It features a floral pattern and design.

🌏 Today is World Autism Understanding Day, which kicks off a whole month of enhancing understanding autism, autistic people, and autistic experiences. 🕸️ So let’s begin at the beginning… when we talk about the Autism Spectrum, it’s not a linear spectrum from ‘mildly autistic to severely autistic’. Consider the image below… the ‘spectrum’ is more like plotting yourself on a web where you might sit closer to sensory processing and executive function than you do social awareness. But this is still too simple an analogy because it doesn’t take into consideration whether those areas are ones of strength or challenge, or whether you prefer to avoid or seek in those areas (think light or sound sensitivity for example). 🔉Another analogy I like to use for the spectrum is a mixing desk, like those used at a concert. Imagine that the areas in the image below are all channels on the mixing desk that start at zero. Some areas are turned up to 5 (increased sensitivity) and some are turned down to -8 (decreased sensitivity). Also consider that areas like sensory processing can be further broken down into sub-channels of things like visual sensitivity, proprioceptive sensitivity, auditory sensitivity etc. 👤 Whilst all autistic people present with combinations of these traits (and some others too), if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. 🎉 Once all of this is on your radar, it’s easy to see and celebrate the uniqueness of each individual with autism, appreciate the strengths and gifts that people with autism bring to our schools, communities and the world, and be better placed to support us when and where we need it. 🙋🏽♀️ I’ll be posting throughout April with more ‘Autism understanding’ topics. What would you like to learn more about? #waud2024 #worldautismunderstandingday #autism #neurodiversity

A personal note from Debbie Simon Pacholder: April 2 is a date that inspires me. The first World Autism Awareness Day was on April 2, 2008. On that same morning, our twin girls were born. The synchronicity of these two events was remarkably uplifting, as our older son has autism and is nonverbal. Back then, my wildest visions saw my daughters finding a medical breakthrough for autism treatment. But the extraordinary bond our children would always share seemed no less significant. When Matthew was diagnosed with autism in 2005, the landscape of awareness was limited. Information and resources were scarce. The unfamiliar journey for families of children with autism was lonely and worrisome: what would the future hold for our children? After our girls were born, a shift began. Families began connecting. The "Light it Up Blue" campaign launched. Autism Awareness Day became Autism Awareness Month. An understanding that individuals with autism each face their own set of challenges started to emerge. Acceptance of neurodiversity was growing. Diversity takes many forms. It is not limited to approval of one’s gender, race, or nationality. Celebrating diversity means much more than acceptance. It is not simply the number of languages spoken that is important, but the messages sent through grander acts of inclusion. Now, people are joining forces to expand the definition of diversity to integrate neurodiverse individuals into the workplace. Some small businesses are employing individuals with autism and are even opening for that purpose. Companies are offering employment programs and accommodations to support individuals with autism in fulfilling their potential – yet meeting them at their own level. Organizations are forming to continue to spread awareness and to facilitate placement. Recent studies have shown that workplaces who hire neurodiverse staff exceed the productivity of those that do not. This evolution is reassuring that the growing number of individuals with autism will each find their place. My inspiration for this 17th World Autism Awareness Day is to honor the progress being made to recognize neurodiversity and the unique perspective it brings. If your company or business employs individuals with autism or has a plan to do so, I hope you will share below. #autismawareness #inclusion #neurodiversity #worldautismawarenessday2024 #autism

According to the United Nations, 80% of adults on the autism spectrum are unemployed or underemployed. Difficulties begin at the school stage because the educational system is often inaccessible and non-inclusive and carries over into other areas of daily life. Therefore, on World Autism Awareness month, Globant seeks to raise our voices against this gap and use technology to impact society positively. #WorldAutismAwarenessDay #InclusionMatters #BeKindToYourPeers #BeKindToHumanity

April 2 is a date that inspires me. The first World Autism Awareness Day was on April 2, 2008. On that same morning, our twin girls were born. The synchronicity of these two events was remarkably uplifting, as our older son has autism and is nonverbal.  Back then, my wildest visions saw my daughters finding a medical breakthrough for autism treatment. But the extraordinary bond our children would always share seemed no less significant. When Matthew was diagnosed with autism in 2005, the landscape of awareness was limited. Information and resources were scarce.  The unfamiliar journey for families of children with autism was lonely and worrisome: what would the future hold for our children?  After our girls were born, a shift began. Families began connecting. The “Light it Up Blue” campaign launched. Autism Awareness Day became Autism Awareness Month. An understanding that individuals with autism each face their own set of challenges started to emerge. Acceptance of neurodiversity was growing.  Diversity takes many forms. It is not limited to approval of one’s gender, race, or nationality. Celebrating diversity means much more than acceptance. It is not simply the number of languages spoken that is important, but the messages sent through grander acts of inclusion. Now, people are joining forces to expand the definition of diversity to integrate neurodiverse individuals into the workplace. Some small businesses are employing individuals with autism and are even opening for that purpose. Companies are offering employment programs and accommodations to support individuals with autism in fulfilling their potential – yet meeting them at their own level. Organizations are forming to continue to spread awareness and to facilitate placement. Recent studies have shown that workplaces who hire neurodiverse staff exceed the productivity of those that do not. This evolution is reassuring that the growing number of individuals with autism will each find their place. My inspiration for this 17th World Autism Awareness Day is to honor the progress being made to recognize neurodiversity and the unique perspective it brings. If your company or business employs individuals with autism or has a plan to do so, I hope you will share below.  #autismawareness #neurodiversity #inclusion #worldautismawarenessday2024 #autism

I just spent 10 minutes reading threads and comments in a HUGE autism parent support group and all I want to do is cry for the families in there. Most autism parent support groups are just filled with hundreds of threads and comments where they just share sad stories of their children smearing poop on the walls, ceilings, playing with it like play-doh, and threads of parents laughing about how they have pantries full of Mac-n-cheese or double freezers full of the same chicken nuggets and frozen french fries their children eat 3x/ day for years on end so that they never run out… I hate to say it but most “autism parent support” groups are just places where people complain about their daily life (or laugh about it) and then hundreds of other parents tell them it’s normal for children with autism to do that, and that they deal with it too. No answers, no solutions, just “lift you head up, go get new sheets, clean the walls off, get used to it,” type-of-support. If you would like to be a part of something different, and join an autism parent support group that is filled with success stories of their picky eaters eating healthier foods for the first time, becoming potty trained in 2 weeks on The GAPS Diet, children who were previously nonverbal now speaking and communicating, and so much more! If you’re looking for real support and REAL SOLUTIONS to improving your children’s behaviors and to reduce their pain + suffering (and yours too) - here’s the group you really want to join - SpectrumABLE