Neurotransmitters Flow in this Autism Mind

Media Mention

The need for global solutions. Disability is not an american phenomena.

Creativity is the language of the heart

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplation one line a day. #MentalHealth.

Imagination is the foundation of creativity

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplating, one line a day. #MentalHealth.

Creativity is the art of bringing things to life

Contemplation one line a day. #MentalHealth.

Severe Weather Nashville - Spring Edition

Nashville sure has a lot of severe weather alerts.
This is a running tab for Spring Mar 30- Jun 20

(see here for winter)

Neuro-verse

My mind sings verses that caress the senses, transforming my world into a synesthetic tapestry of words.
My brain, a maestro of emotions, conducts a raaga of imagery, metaphor, and laya, serenading the sensory symphony with poetic canvas.

Neurotransmitters thread words with grace, enchanting the sensory realm with refrains that waltz through the mind like melodic raagas.
Neurons engage in taal, harmonizing synapses with the hues of perception, painting poetry that captivates the optic cortex and cochlear nerve.

Dynamic neuroplasticity conducts a jugalbandi of words that sculpts multidimensional space, leaving the synapses swaying to the rhythm of words.
Neural artistry entwines poetry and swara, every ERP, illuminating kaleidoscopic realms.

from Indian Classical Music: Raaga (musical scale), Laya (rhythm), Taal (beat), Swara (musical note),

Jugalbandi (collaborative improvisation).

ERP: Event Related Potential - neuroscience measure (using EEG) to assess the electrical activity of the brain in response to specific events or stimuli.

Kindness is not a weakness its a superpower

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplation one line a day. #MentalHealth.

CATI - Comprehensive Autism Trait Inventory

The Comprehensive Autism Trait Inventory (CATI) is a new measure of autistic traits that reflects our current understanding of autism and includes subscales for social camouflage and sensory sensitivity.
The 42 items are divided into 6 subscales of "Social Interactions,” “Communication,” "Social Camouflage,” "Cognitive Rigidity,” "Repetitive Behaviours,” and "Sensory Sensitivity” (each with 7 items).
It is free to use.

[Related Posts on CATI]

Psychometrics

(English et al., 2021) is a first validation paper that has included 3 separate studies.

The CATI showed convergent validity and superior internal reliability compared to existing measures like the AQ and BAPQ
The CATI provides a comprehensive assessment of trait dimensions associated with autism, potentially eliminating the need for multiple measures, and has the potential to improve research on autistic traits in the general population.

The English et al (2021) article discusses the need for a new measure of autistic traits that reflects our current understanding of autism. The article describes the development and validation of the CATI, comparing it to existing measures such as the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). The CATI demonstrates convergent validity, superior internal reliability, and greater predictive ability for classifying autism compared to the other measures. It is also the first measure to have dedicated subscales for social camouflage and sensory sensitivity. The authors conclude that the CATI provides a reliable and comprehensive assessment of autistic traits, addressing the limitations of existing measures

(Meng & Xuan, 2023) - A Mandarin Chinese translation of CATI that was recently validated (although only 35 of the 42 items made it into that version, likely due to issues with the model fit of the translated measure). The Chinese group also derived a 24-item short form of the Chinese CATI which appears to have good psychometrics as well.

References
English, M.C.W., Gignac, G.E., Visser, T.A.W. et al. The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI): development and validation of a new measure of autistic traits in the general population. Molecular Autism 12, 37 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00445-7

Meng F, Xuan B. Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2023 Jun 15;16:2213-2223. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S411599. PMID: 37342828; PMCID: PMC10278863.

Joy is the music that fills our soul and lifts us up

Contemplation, one line a Day.

Creativity is the key to unlocking the doors of the unknown

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplation one line a day. #MentalHealth.

ASSERT ECHO @Vandy

I have been a participant in the Assert (All Stakeholders Engage in Research Together) project this semester, run by Prof Beth Malow's Sleep Lab. https://www.vumc.org/sleep-in-autism/assert-resources

Its been a good experience, listening to everyone's perspective and being able to contribute, though I could not make last few sessions as it clashed with the new meetings at my new lab rotation.

The disability rights mantra has long centered around Nothing about us without us. And I am glad that to see this idea trickling down with respect to research which will (hopefully) lead us to solutions. And this effort is at happening at many places now - at universities and research centers.

If you are an autistic, please do consider getting involved by emailing assert@vumc.org. It is important that our voices are heard.

Nothing about us, without us.

The phrase "Nothing about us without us" (NAUWU) gained prominence in the 1980s as disability rights movement began to gain momentum and assert the rights of disabled individuals. It resonated with the broader social justice movements that advocated for marginalized communities to have control over their own destinies and be actively involved in decision-making processes.

NAUWU represents a powerful demand for inclusivity, equal participation, and the recognition of disabled individuals as the experts of their own lives. It encapsulates the ongoing struggle for disability rights and the importance of centering the voices and experiences of disabled people in all matters that concern them.

NAUWU is grounded in the principle of self-advocacy and the belief that the disabled should have a voice and agency in shaping policies, laws, and programs that directly impact them. It emphasizes the importance of including the perspectives and experiences of disabled individuals in all aspects of disability-related discussions, rather than making decisions on their behalf without their input or representation.

Origins of the phrase NAUWU:

My friend and fellow autistic Rebecca Eli-Long states "I've been told that it entered US disability rights spaces via South African activists. At least that's what's reported in James Charlton's book, Nothing About Us Without US"

While it is challenging to attribute the phrase to a specific individual, it has been embraced and popularized by disability rights activists, organizations, and scholars worldwide.

The slogan has become a rallying cry for disability rights advocates, reinforcing the core principle of empowerment, self-determination, and the right to be heard and respected.

One notable event associated with the early use of the phrase is the International Year of Disabled Persons, which was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1981. This declaration helped to bring global attention to disability rights and led to increased advocacy efforts by disabled individuals and organizations.

Context of Autism Research

Recent years have seen some movement in discussion groups led by university and private research labs to hear inputs from all stakeholders, which includes autistics, family members, professionals (therapists, medical professionals, caretakers etc), with a long term view that such participatory research will lead to meaningful research and meaningful solutions.

The good part is that finally there is some acknowledgement of the principle of NAUWU.

Good beginning, but only the beginning. Let's not celebrate just yet. There are still miles to go.

Why? Because the idea of "Nothing About Us Without Us" is 40 years old (in the 1980s) and it has taken all the way till the 2020's to see movement towards even acknowledging our voices.

Is it going to take another 40 years to see the next step of our voices translating into research and actual translatable solutions on the ground (instead of sitting as academic theory).

And will those solutions address everyone's needs or continue to focus on a narrow band of autistics, which means the rest of us continue to slip through those cracks and get left behind.

What is the timeline? Is it even going to happen in my life time?

Honestly in the the 2.5 decades I've been around, I have not seen much in terms of translatable autism solutions. We are still being peddled therapies and theories that work for a narrow band, but applied to all.

After all, there is a ton of profits, fame and power for select groups in the autism space, so there is competition to becoming the loudest voice and the sole authoritative voice in the autism space, even if it means demeaning others.

The irony being no one is an autism expert, as no one knows still enough about autism to be an expert.

There is the occasional token nod to NAUWU to brush that argument out of the way.

The result is not just the lack of solutions but continued exclusion and a poor quality of life and access to opportunities for the remaining autistics. To the add to the confusion, the autism community seems to be divided into polarized camps and folks like me who desperately need translatable solutions are not getting them.