Neurotransmitters Flow in this Autism Mind

The Forgotton People on Planet X

A blog post written by me many years back in early teens....

Consider:- Once upon a time, we were all babies. Our life track was defined - preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, job etc. ....Some of those babies however, ended up on a path that wandered off into disability..... biologically, the bodies kept growing and voila, they became Teens with Disabilities!.... [Continue reading]

Winter Solstice

Dec 21 is Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is an astronomical event that occurs annually around December 21st or 22nd in the northern hemisphere and around June 20th or 21st in the southern hemisphere. It marks the shortest day and longest night of the year.

It occurs when the Earth's axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. In the northern hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted directly away from the sun, resulting in the lowest position of the sun in the sky and shorter daylight hours. Conversely, in the southern hemisphere, the South Pole is tilted directly towards the sun, leading to longer days and shorter nights.

During the winter solstice, the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky at noon, and the length of daylight is at its minimum. This phenomenon occurs because of the Earth's axial tilt, which causes variations in the amount of sunlight received by each hemisphere throughout the year.

The winter solstice tends to be more significant in non-equatorial regions because the changes in day length and sunlight are more noticeable. In these regions, the winter solstice marks the turning point of the seasons, with colder temperatures and shorter days leading up to it. Culturally, this transition has been associated with themes of rebirth, renewal, light, and the hope for the return of warmth and longer days.

Thank you Julia

Thank you for your kind words about me Julia. We are sorry to see you leave ASAN which has been a big part of your life for 12 years.

https://autisticadvocacy.org/2023/12/julia-bascoms-speech-for-asan-gala-2023/

INSAR ARC

Applications are now open for the next cohort for INSAR's ARC.

The INSAR Autistic Researchers Committee (ARC) was launched in 2020 as a dedicated space within the society to serve the growing demographic of autistic autism researchers. This body, composed of autistic researchers across multiple career stages, serves to advance the interests of autistic researchers within INSAR and advocate for adequate inclusion of this group across all INSAR programs.

The aims of the Autistic Researchers Committee are as follows:

To directly advocate for the integration and needs of autistic INSAR members (including students, trainees, early career researchers, senior researchers, and other member types) in INSAR programs.
To create opportunities for scientific career development for autistic autism researchers.
To ensure autistic scientists have adequate venues to offer their insights to the field across INSAR programs.
To encourage autistic and non-autistic researchers within INSAR to engage in more participatory research that incorporates stakeholder input.
To make INSAR conferences more accommodating and welcoming for autistic members and attendees.
To promote the inclusion of and consideration of issues important to autistic people in INSAR meetings and in autism research across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, education, and other disciplines.
To advise the INSAR Board on issues important to autistic people.

Being part of ARC is an excellent opportunity to connect with and work alongside fellow students, trainees, and leaders in the field of autism research from around the world.

https://www.autism-insar.org/page/InsarARC

Racial Bias in Autism

Correll et al. (2002), points to societal judgements made about the Black community; that they are somehow less deserving. Goff et al. (2014) highlights racial bias in that Black children are thought to be less innocent than their White counterparts. What this racial bias translates to is substantial delays in the diagnosis of ASD for Black children, after the parents initially expressed concerns about the child’s development, despite the parents having health insurance (Costantino et al., 2020)

Read on here.....[link]

It College

NICE!!!

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a45907062/vanderbilt-university-expansion-news

https://www.newsweek.com/dual-approach-autism-opinion-1818062

To drive true progress and improve the quality of life of all autistics we need BOTH Strengths_based_Opportunities AND Challenges_based_Solutions.

It is not Either-Or.