KINDNESS

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

Choose kindness today, it may be the only good someone receives.

Kindness is not just an act, it's a state of being.
Be kind, not because it's easy, but because it's necessary.
Kindness is contagious. Let's spread it like wildfire.
In a world where you can be anything, choose to be kind.
Kindness is not a weakness, it's a superpower.
Small acts of kindness can make big differences in someone's life.
The world needs more kindness. Be the change you wish to see.
A kind word can change someone's entire day.
Kindness costs nothing, but its value is immeasurable.
When in doubt, choose kindness.
Kindness is like a spark that ignites a chain reaction of goodness.
One small act of kindness can create a ripple effect that can change the world.
In a world full of hate, be the light that shines with kindness.
The world could use more kindness warriors.
Kindness is the language that everyone can understand.
The world can never have too much kindness.
Kindness is the sunshine that brightens up the world.
Kindness is the easiest currency to spread around.
Kindness is the ripple effect that can change the world.
Kindness is the fuel that ignites the fire of hope.
One small act of kindness can make a big difference in someone's life.
Kindness is the glue that binds us together as human beings.
The power of kindness is in the simplest of gestures.
Kindness is the key to unlocking the door to happiness.
Kindness is the magic that makes the world a better place.
Be kind, it costs nothing but means everything.
Kindness is the compass that guides us in the right direction.
Kindness is the gift that keeps on giving.

-Hari Srinivasan

See other posts. [JOY], [EQUANIMITY], [EMPATHY], [KINDNESS], [COMPASSION]

April 30 is Autism Seniors Day

Recognizing that autism will not magic away in old age. 

Also the fact that the thousands and thousands of young autistic adults of today will be the autistic seniors of tomorrow. 

What are the issues we will face as with both autism+Old Age? 

What kind of supports will we need?

Autism Space seen as profit making space by Private Equity

This is a continuing and troubling trend in autism. 

'...private equity investments per year tripled or quadrupled from 2018 to 2021 compared to 2015.

 ...expected investment to continue at breakneck speed

“...They needed to start showing profits and revenue that match their valuation. … So at some point, [investors] need to start seeing a return on their investment,”

 ...autism therapy space could be at the point of the investment life cycle where investors are pressuring operators to shift from scale to efficiency and profitability.

...opening clinics that reach targeted patients while being “financially healthy,” Marsh said. 

https://bhbusiness.com/2022/07/22/why-the-massive-investment-in-autism-companies-created-a-ticking-timebomb/

April is Autism Exhaustion Month

 

Hybrid is an easy accommodation

To give context to the above post, Sascha was one of the students in my Autism DeCal Class at UC Berkeley. I was happy to be able to accommodate her request of attending the class remotely that semester and extending that hybrid option to all the students in the class as well. Hybrid is such a simple and basic accommodation really, especially in a post pandemic world where zoom became a very viable option of attendance. 

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And to hark back to another teacher who paved this way for me was Instructor Martha Oral (English 1B) in my community college when I was about to drop my fall semester as I would be unable to attend due to health reasons. Martha on her own initiative talked to the Tech support and organized Cisco Webex on her laptop which one student monitored during her class so that i could attend that class remotely. This was before the pandemic made Zoom an everyday word. 

 

Alexithymia

Alexithymia is characterized by difficulty in recognizing and expressing one's emotional experiences.

The term was first used in the 1970s by psychotherapist Peter Sifneos to describe a group of people who had difficulty expressing their emotions. They may also be more prone to stress-related issues and have difficulties coping with stress in general.

Studies find the prevalence of alexithymia in autistics to range from 50% to 66% compared to a 10% prevalence in the neurotypical population (1,2).

1. Alexithymia in autistics has been associated with several negative outcomes.Social communication difficulties: Difficulty expressing emotions and interpreting the emotions of others, can interfere with social communication; which may be particularly pronounced in autistics, who already experience social communication difficulties (3).
2. Reduced quality of life due to the negative impact on social relationships (4)
3. Increased anxiety and depression: One study found that alexithymia was a significant predictor of depression in autistic adults (5).
4. Greater risk for negative outcomes: In a longitudinal study of autistic children those with higher levels of alexithymia were found to have a higher risk for negative outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems over time (6).

Propagnosia and Autism

There is some research suggesting a possible link between prosopagnosia  and autism. However studies are correlational in nature and do not establish a causal link between prosopagnosia and autism

What is Propagnosia

Propagnosia (face blindness), is a neurological condition that affects a person's ability to recognize and remember faces. There is difficulty recognizing familiar faces, such as those of family members, friends, or colleagues. They may also have difficulty recognizing faces in photographs or on television.

Do autism and trains go together?

April is National Autism Month. 

Do all autistics like trains? The answer may surprise you. 

While it is true that some autistics may have strong interest in trains or transportation systems, this is not a universal trait among all autistics.

The origins of this autism stereotype are unclear, some guesses. 

In our own time and space

April is Autism Solutions Month. 

Came across a new word today. 

Takiwatanga is the Te Reo Māori word for Autism. It means "in their own time and space. " 

(The Māori are a Polynesian ethnic group of New Zealand and Te Reo =language)

 

Takiwatanga - what a nice way to phrase autism, cuz we often don't follow the expected developmental timelines, even within what autism is 'supposed' to be like, which has left me pretty confused and flustered over the years. 

"takiwa," = "area" or "territory,"

"tanga," = "to be in a state of."

So, Takiwatanga can be translated to mean "in their own time and space. " 

The word Takiwatanga is now used both in the Maori community and the larger community in New Zealand to refer to autism. It reflects the Maori cultural value of respecting and acknowledging the importance of each person's unique perspective and way of being in the world.

Boston Globe Op-Ed

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/04/22/opinion/autism-disability-person-first-language-identity-first-language-linguistics/

My first op-ed in a major media newspaper on an issue that still seems to dominate autism conversations. its time to put it to rest and move onto spending time on translatable solutions for all autistics.

The article discusses the linguistic controversy surrounding the use of identity-first language (e.g., "autistic") and person-first language (e.g., "person with autism"). I argue that the autism community can learn from other disability communities and embrace both types of language. The key takeaway is that it is not an either-or situation, and that the most important thing is to use language with empathy and respect.

Jon Stewart at Vanderbilt.

Great way to end my First Year of Grad School. 

A talk on HealthCare Advocacy by the amazing Jon Stewart in Langford Auditorium

Lots of takeaways, will write about them later. 

 

Media Mention

 

Milestone.

Today someone reposted a FB comment of mine along with a link to link to one of my columns in the Daily Cal . http://www.dailycal.org/2018/04/19/o-body-where-art-thou/


"I ran the explanations by my neuroscience Prof at Cal (David Presti) to make sure there were no factual errors. He thought I had correctly pulled in a lot of theories on the neuroscience of autism along with a wealth of data and analysis from my experiences and told a compelling story. In final article, had to cut out a couple more concepts due to word limit."

Quite serendipitous that this article was written during an Intro to Neuroscience elective with Prof David Presti (this course was for all majors so nothing like the extra-tough Cell Neuroscience this sem). At that time I was happy I got to go to college at all and soaking it all in. Who knew that I would end up even making it to grad school (today is end of year 1) and getting to do contribute to research in that area too!! Deep gratitude to all who supported me this last year.