Neurotransmitters Flow in this Autism Mind

Chipper Ahoy

View from my bedroom window this morning

A woodpecker chipping away at a tree stump.

The red tuft on his head bobbing up and down.

Wood chips and sawdust scattered around.

Perchance, a nest or insect snacks in stump cracks?

Chipper Ahoy!!

A neat oval hole in the tree stump.

6' (depth) x 6" (long) x 4.5" (wide)

Chipper mate!

What further plans have you in mind?

Zippity zop, the woodpecker bops

With flibbertigibbet in his chops
feathers shimmer, beak goes knock-knock

As he dances on a tick-tocking clock

Cool mornings, mild afternoons to start the week

That's the weather forecast for today!!

Cool mornings, mild afternoons to start the week

Nashville April in action, so to speak.

One day it's sunny, the next it pours,

But hey, at least don't need jackets outdoors!

Solutions, not more Autism days

Easter Egg Hunt.

Had a great time at the Easter Egg Hunt organized by lab-mate Kimmy. Lots of student turn-out at Fannie Mae Park. The kids taking part sure had fun collecting eggs.

Kindness is the compass that guides us in the right direction

Calvin Cycle

continue to be in awe of my alma mater. Go Bears.

This is 2023. Why are shocks still part of Autistic Behavior Therapy?

This is 2023: Shocks are being used on autistics as part of ABA Therapy. The UN calls it "torture". Read this article by Eric Garcia in the Boston Globe.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/30/opinion/will-shock-treatment-finally-be-banned/

1965: The images show a Photo Essay that appeared in the 1965 issue of Life Magazine about ABA therapy being done on Autistic Kids with Dr Loovas. Shocks were used as aversives - the floor is laced with metal strips and the autistic girl in the picture is barefooted.

Moser, D., & Grant, A. (1965). Screams, slaps & love: A surprising, shocking treatment helps far-gone mental cripples. Life Magazine, 90-102

A link to the full article is at https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/d/16656/files/2018/11/Screams-Slaps-and-Love-Life-Magazine-13javg3.pdf

One small act of kindness can make a big difference is someone's life

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplating a different emotion and writing one line each day on it. #MentalHealth. This month on KINDNESS

Alternative Benzos for Catatonia, SIB and Aggression in Autism

Layman Summary. Alternative benzodiazepines may be more effective than traditional benzos for self injurious behaviors (SIB), aggressive behaviors and catatonia in autistics. Smith et al (Vanderbilt)., discuss treatment in 5 profound autism cases. [Earlier blog posts on Benzo's]

Traditional benzos were not effective in reducing their symptoms. Two of the five had to be first stabilized with inpatient infusions of midazolam (traditional benzo used in anesthesia) and dexmedetomidine (selective alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist used in sedation) due to severity of symptoms.

Therefore, the authors tried using alternative benzos (by which they mean "not-lorazepam"), including clonazolam and etizolam. These drugs were chosen due to their higher potency and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier more easily than traditional benzos.

Clonazolam is a high-potency benzo that is structurally similar to clonazepam, while etizolam is a thienodiazepine derivative. The paper does not go into extensive detail on the molecular mechanisms of alternative v traditional benzos. However, the authors note that alternative benzos have a higher potency and a different pharmacokinetic profile than traditional benzos. These differences may be due to structural variations in the chemical composition of alternative benzodiazepines that affect their binding affinity and activity at GABA receptor, which is the primary target of benzos.

However, the authors note that there are potential risks associated with using alternative benzos, such as dependence and withdrawal symptoms (due to longer half-life), which must be carefully monitored. Neither clonazolan or etizolan are approved for use in the US though they have been used in other countries.

And I do want to highlight that withdrawal should not be taken lightly. Psychiatrists seem to have an arbitrary weaning off period for drugs. For example my "specialist" doc, weaned me off Clonazepam in just 3 days since I had apparently grown tolerant to it. Half doze on day 2, stop on day 3. Day 4 was a massive Grand-Mal seizure. But it doesn't matter if the body is tolerant to the drug or not, you cannot subject body to shock with these quick withdrawals - a longer weaning off period would have been much more advisable instead of subjecting me to unnecessary health complications that impacted me for months. It should be weeks and not days of weaning off in the case of autistics.

In the meantime, the authors find that "clonazepam, diazepam, valproic acid and mematine" and reducing anti-psychotic meds were effective in reducing the severity of SIB and catatonia (see Twitter thread explaining).

Here are some twitter posts around that

SIB: harm to self that results in physical injury, tissue damage, or pain.eg: head-banging, self-hitting, and biting oneself. The severity can range from mild to severe and can lead to significant medical complications, such as tissue damage, infections, and scarring.
Aggressive behaviors result in harm to others and includes physical aggression (eg, hitting, kicking, biting, or throwing objects) as well as verbal aggression (eg: shouting, cursing, or threatening).
Catatonia manifests as a state of immobility, stupor, and unresponsiveness, as well as excessive motor activity, agitation, and abnormal postures or movements.

(GABA-A Receptor)

Reference
Smith JR, York T, Warn S, Borodge D, Pierce DL, Fuchs DC. Another Option for Aggression and Self-Injury, Alternative Benzodiazepines for Catatonia in Profound Autism. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2023 Apr 6. doi: 10.1089/cap.2022.0067. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37023406.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37023406/

Crip Time needed anon

I've been feeling the need for Crip Time a lot recently. This semester has been rather grueling in terms of what needs to get done in a given time, and keeping up with my non-disabled peers and feeling productive.

[What is CRIP TIME ]

[related Post: AUTISTIC BURNOUT]

Apr 7 is World Health Day

Its the day the WHO was founded in 1948.

Urgent need to step up to the healthcare needs of autistics.

Biomedical research is a CRITICAL part of this solution.