Remembering Judy who passed away a year ago this day. We miss you.
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Back in 2019 I had the opportunity to interview the legendary disability civil rights activist, Judy Heumann, for UC Berkeley's "The Daily Californian". Post: https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2022/12/collaboration-cooperation.html
Other posts on Judy in this blog can be found at https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/search?q=heumann
Plain Language Version for Lay Reader
The "cocktail party effect" is the brain's ability to focus on one sound, like a conversation, while ignoring other noises around us. Imagine you're at a busy party with many people talking. You can still listen to and talk with one person without getting distracted by the background noise. This skill involves parts of the brain that handle hearing and attention. The term was first used by scientist Colin Cherry in the 1950s.
At a noisy event, like a party, you can focus on what one person is saying even though many other conversations are happening at the same time. This shows how we can pick out specific sounds in a noisy place. Scientists study this to understand how our attention and hearing systems work together.
For autistics, the cocktail party effect can work differently because of how they process sounds and focus their attention. Here are some key points:
Understanding these differences is important to help autistic people feel more comfortable in noisy places. Schools, workplaces, and social settings can use this knowledge to create better environments that consider their sensory needs.
Versions of this article: Academic/Scientific Audience, Plain Language for Lay Reader
Articles on other topics in #PlainSpeak
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/giving-voice/202402/the-spectrum-of-loss-grief-through-the-autistic-lens
As a daughter who lost her dad at 15, and a mother who's spent two decades raising an autistic son, I have spent way too much time thinking about grief and about autism. I haven't often seen them talked about together - though I've watched my son experience the loss of his three grandparents, and address sorrow - both his own and that of the people around him - in ways that are both typical and amazingly unique.
"Nana must be feeling lonely without Papa."
"I think Papa must be in God's sunshine."
"She was MY grandma - and I loved her."
"Mom - your dad died 40 years ago - that's a long time!"
"It's December 28th, Mom, are you feeling sad today?"
"I just realized that "funeral" has the word "fun" in it!"
A year or so after the death of both of his grandmothers, James began to implode - an onset of OCD, anxiety and depression that took over and dominated our lives for almost two years. I've often wondered if the experience of losing two women he loved - and who adored, understood and valued him - was part of what set his implosion in motion.
I'm grateful for this piece that just popped up on my feed - thank you Hari Srinivasan for sharing your insights on the experience of grief through the lens of autism.
