For those on the spectrum the range of mourning is even wider and complex
Hari, This is a VERY important piece. When our Dad died in 2017 (he was an amazing autism advocate), both my brothers on the spectrum dealt with his death very differently, and yes of course, they are very different from each other. Brother 1, who has profound IDD, had a very delayed mourning. He may have thought his father was going to come back. Finally a year+ after Dad's death, we had an additional memorial. This one reality hit him. He stopped eating, drinking, tons of crying ... it took around 6 weeks for the extreme mourning issues for him to subside. Brother 2 never once wanted to be seen shedding a tear. That had and has been very tough for all of the remaining siblings (there are six of us) and my mother to watch. So yeah, everyone of us handles grief differently. For those on the spectrum the range of mourning is even wider and complex. Thank you for sharing your wise insight and I am so sorry for your loss of both of your grandparents.
Helping Autistics adapt their approach to grief is crucial
"Understanding & helping autistics adapt their approach to grief is crucial, allowing them to process loss in a way that respects their unique experiences & needs." @HariSri108
Memories
This memory popped up in my feed today.
This was my first semester at The Daily Californian, when I wrote a weekly column with editors Chantelle and Dohee.
Understudied experiences of autistics
Hari, You’re doing a truly spectacular job thoughtfully articulating so many understudied experiences that leaves expert and novice reader alike more informed, more grounded, and moved.
FCAI Fellow Publishes Article in Psychology Today regarding grief in the autistic community
FCAI NISE Fellow Publishes Article in Psychology Today Regarding Grief in the Autistic Community
Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering Fellow Hari Srinivasan has published a new article in Psychology Today about the impact of grief on the autistic community.In this article, Hari discusses his own moving experiences with grief after the recent loss of both of his grandparents and how grief as an emotion can impact the autistic community in very different ways.
As well as being a Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering Fellow, Hari is a Ph.D. neuroscience student at Vanderbilt University, a graduate of UC Berkeley, a PD Soros Fellow, a Fellow at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, a non-federal member of NIH’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, and on various boards including Duke University’s ACE and The Brain Foundation.He is a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project.
You can read the full article here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/giving-voice/202402/the-spectrum-of-loss-grief-through-the-autistic-lens
Understanding Mental Time Travel and Autism
A PlainSpeak Plain Language version for Lay Reader
What is Mental Time Travel (MTT)?
MTT is our brain's amazing ability to think back to past events or imagine what might happen in the future. For example, you might think back to a fun birthday party or imagine what your next vacation will be like. MTT helps us move through time in our minds, so we can remember, plan, and dream.
How Do Scientists Measure MTT?
Scientists have a way to measure this ability called the MTT Task. In this task, people are given words like "graduation" or "vacation" and asked to either remember something from their own life or imagine something in the future. For example, you might think of your own graduation day in the past or imagine what a future vacation could be like.
MTT and Autism: What Do We Know?
Scientists are starting to learn that autistics might think about the past and future a little differently. Some autistics might find it hard to remember specific personal events or to imagine detailed future plans. This could be because of differences in how their brains work when recalling memories or imagining the future.
But it's important to remember that everyone with autism is different. Some may find these tasks easy, while others may find them more challenging. By studying how autistics use MTT, scientists hope to learn more about how they think about time and how we can better support them.
Future research could look at
- How Autistics Remember: Understanding how autistics remember personal events and how this might be different from others.
- Imagination and Planning: Learning more about how autistics imagine the future and plan for it.
- Brain Studies: Using special brain scans to see how the parts of the brain involved in MTT might work differently in autistics.
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Versions of this post: [MTT PlainSpeak For the Lay Reader], [MTT For the Academic/Science Reader], [A Simple Definition of MTT]
Spectrum of Loss
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/giving-voice/202402/the-spectrum-of-loss-grief-through-the-autistic-lens
Spring 2024 DCC Art Exhibition
Disability Cultural Center at UC Berkeley.
I had 2 poems with accompanying art exhibited
Kinda cool!!
I'm going to miss this, but if you are in Berkeley that time, do give it a peek.
Spring 2024 DCC Art Exhibition! The Art Panelist Committee selected your art to be displayed in the art gallery from the first week of March to the second week of May 2024. Congratulations on being accepted into the art exhibition!
the Art Exhibition Opening is March 7th from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Disability Cultural Community Center in the Hearst Field Annex (HFA) D-25 Berkeley CA 94720.
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