"Review availability and speed of access to Right to Choose autism assessments":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/766368

"Make neurodiversity education a mandatory part of the national curriculum":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/765048

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08jmdk5

https://theconversation.com/autistic-dogs-neurodiversity-in-our-pets-and-what-it-might-mean-for-us-265888

People with learning disabilities and autism in England are dying almost 20 years younger than the rest of the population, a long-awaited report has said.

The annual mortality review commissioned by NHS England, external was originally meant to be published last year but faced repeated delays.

It found 39% of deaths of people with learning disabilities and autism were classed as avoidable in 2023, almost twice as high as the general population. ... ":

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c939311dpn1o

"Require autism-friendly interview adjustments and sensory-friendly jobs":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/728699

"Make a new business grant scheme for Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/730964

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002f9g7
 

An autistic woman with a learning disability was wrongly locked up in a mental health hospital for 45 years, starting when she was just seven years old, the BBC has learned. ..."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly43png991o

"File on four" documentary will be broadcast tonight 4th March 2025 on Radio 4 at 20:00hrs.  It will also be available at the following link, for over a year:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0028jmh

Reports indicate that people with autism spectrum disorder call ABA therapy “abusive” or “traumatic” and some may have c-PTSD as a result.

Furthermore, research from the US Department of Defence concluded that ABA is not significantly improving outcomes.".  

The petition can be found at the link below:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/711392

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/708958

Thanks all.

"Ensure needs of autistic people are met in any future pandemic response":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/702200

"Make autism training mandatory for teachers in schools to help understanding":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/702034

"Improve mental health services for neurodiverse young people":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/703764

"Make Neurodiversity a protected characteristic in the Equality Act. ":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/701538

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgvdklypvpo

It sounds to be a very useful scheme.  I wonder if something similar could be provided at other airports.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on#fq=dates%3A[2024-8-14T5%3A0%3A00Z TO 2024-9-1T5%3A0%3A00Z] OR on_demand%3Atrue&q=autism

"Increase funding to reduce the waiting times for Autism Diagnoses"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/655479

"Ensure that benefit assessors are trained in autism"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/656656

"Review police training around personality disorders, autism and adhd"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/656351

"Fund more services to support adults with autism and mental health issues"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/649257

"Provide dedicated funding for community residential services for Autistic people"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/648053

"Require all school and college staff to attend Neurodiversity training"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/656407

"Provide Funding for Neurodiversity Diagnostic Assessments in State Schools"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/652118

Comedian Ashley Storrie has revealed playing an autistic character in her first lead acting role helped her to become more open about her own challenges.

Ashley plays Nina a neurodiverse palaeontologist in Dinosaur, a comedy drama set to air on BBC Scotland on 14 April.

The six-part series follows Nina and her family in the lead up to her sister Evie’s impromptu wedding.

Ashley, who has autism, said the role enabled her to “unmask” in real life. ... ":

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c19xxxjgy4ro

You can watch Dinosaur on the BBC Scotland Channel on 14 April at 22:30 or on BBC Three on 16 April at 22:30.

Programme web site:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ybcl

"Fund an autism awareness campaign

The Government should fund an awareness campaign to help people understand autism. In particular it should help people understand how to better approach people with autism and cope/ spread awareness of their mannerisms and how they express their emotions.
More details

Because I personally have autism and I struggle to express my emotions properly. As a result, it has caused arguments and I don't feel it’s right that me or anyone else with autism should be made to feel bad for something they can't control. ":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/644986

"Review treatment of neurodiverse prisoners

Neurodiverse prisoners can be extremely vulnerable in prison settings and in too many cases we believe they are not being treated fairly or having their needs met. This staff having no understating of the needs of neurodiverse people, and neurodiverse prisoners being punished unfairly.
More details

We want the Government to review treatment of neurodiverse prisoners, to identify any issues with how neurodiverse prisoners are treated at present, and consider reforms that would ensure that all neurodiverse prisoners are treated fairly and have their needs met. ":

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/643253

Sadly, my mother had kidney trouble, etc.

I'll miss you, mum. x

I can't upload the videos here, because of the size of the files.

https://theconversation.com/is-hercule-poirot-autistic-here-are-seven-clues-that-he-might-be-210725

"Beehavioural Problems: Something Something Autism"

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/beehavioural-problems-something-something-autism

"Baby Belle: Young, Dumb and Full of Autism"

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/baby-belle-young-dumb-and-full-of-autism

"129.5 Steps to Autistic Success"

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/129-5-steps-to-autistic-success

"Blue Badge Bunch: ReRamped"

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/blue-badge-bunch-reramped

"Don Biswas – The Revolution Will Be Disorganised"

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/don-biswas-the-revolution-will-be-disorganised

"Colin Etches: Attention Deficit"

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/colin-etches-attention-deficit

I'm not knocking the site, but they are very picky about what you can post on there. Basically, every thread has to be PG-esque. When I asked Nitro the admin, he just said he swears like a sailor, but it's just not allowed on his site.

I get my posts deleted, merged, ignored, etc. And I think I'm subjected to scrutiny on there. This is because as I said, they're fussy about discussing sensitive topics. I'm sure they also don't like it when I refer to specific people that I've had problems with. They don't even really like anybody linking to violent movie scenes, anything with bad language, and whatnot, which is a little overkill.

One thing I strongly hate about online forums is the use of unnecessary censorship. People need to stop getting their panties in a twist over one's views and just man up a little bit. If you're purposefully flaming people or outright being an idiot, that's a different matter. Being badly behaved would merit your posts being removed. But just outright deleting posts that folk spent the time to type out, is annoying. There's gaming forums for example, where flame wars are all too commonplace, with bickering and whatnot. Yet the moderators do nothing, due to either being absent, lazy, or biased. 

I also hate the ad revenue on there. You cannot easily log out because the log out button is on the bottom left side, covered by an ad banner right at the bottom of every page on browsers where ads aren't already blocked. Of course, you can just manually delete your cookies to get logged off that way. But even when you're composing a message, they've gone and stuck even more adverts all over the damn box where the text goes, making it hard to submit the thread without accidentally clicking one of the squares, and they expect you to upgrade your account for to receive extra features like seeing no more ads. So, this is quite irritating.

"Increase funding for autism/ADHD assessments to reduce waiting times

The Government should increase funding for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and ADHD assessments to ensure that these take place within 18 months of referral. Currently, some areas take two years to carry out assessments, while others take six years. It is too long for a child to wait.

Children waiting years for ASD/ADHD assessments are being failed by the Government. This can massively affect every part of the child's life. Some of these children are in crisis and need help. More funding is required to do this through the NHS, as it can cost around £4,000 to have a private assessment, which can be done within weeks."  The Deadline for this petition is 10 January 2024.  
Link to petition:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/640581

Also,

"Fund screening for Autism, ADHD and Dyspraxia in all primary schools

Fund a national screening programme in all primary schools for Autism, ADHD and Dyspraxia. Far too many children are missed and end up dysregulated and in crisis in the secondary years. These crises are preventable if we understand and meet need earlier in life.
More details

Governments have consistently supported the national healthy child programme including vaccinations, hearing, sight and weight.

We believe not taking adequate action to identify neurodivergence is a national emergency.

This screening programme should use an assessment battery, rather than ADOS.

We believe this would help ensure that the needs of children are met before they become dysregulated, which would be a better use of public money."

Petition was rreated by Dr Shirley Woods-Gallagher and the deadline is 27 September 2023

Link to petition:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/635256

These are amongst a number of autism related petitions on the UK Government and Parliament petitions website there are also some others, see link below:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions?state=open&q=autism

" … The business magnate and new owner of Twitter Elon Musk revealed a while ago that he is autistic. Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, is autistic. Musk, a fellow of the prestigious Royal Society and Time’s 2021 Person of the Year, is autistic. One of the most famous people on Earth is autistic. Perhaps it is worth letting that sink in?

As autism researchers, we think it is important to raise awareness of and improve attitudes towards autism. There is now a growing appreciation of “neurodiversity” in society, especially in the science and technology sector. There has also been discussion of how people, such as environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, can be great activists due to their autistic traits (although there is no statistical link between autism and environmentalism). … ":

https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-how-being-autistic-may-make-him-think-differently-194228

https://theconversation.com/autism-later-life-diagnosis-doesnt-mean-lower-quality-of-life-new-research-207950

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/what-it-s-like-to-get-an-autism-diagnosis-after-years-of-being-called-difficult-dramatic-and-lazy?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

"The NHS consultant who was diagnosed with autism at 46

An autistic ICU consultant believes stigma and fear of discrimination is delaying some health professionals from seeking help and diagnosis.

Dr Rosie Baruah, who works for NHS Lothian, was diagnosed in December at the age of 46.

Earlier this year she took to social media in a bid to raise awareness of neurodiversity. 

Dr Baruah believes better education and support should be made available to help autistic people in the workplace.... "

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65353084

It is a preview for my next entry in my series, The Dulvey Saga.

I will send you the link once I edit the final thing all together...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/02/autistic-people-often-kept-out-workplace-that-should-end

Some other recent articles from "The Guardian" are to be found here:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/autism

"People with faceblindness aren’t believed by their doctors – here’s what needs to change":

https://theconversation.com/people-with-faceblindness-arent-believed-by-their-doctors-heres-what-needs-to-change-200859

“He’s a boy who asked a girl to be his Valentine, and she, from all sources I can find, politely declined,” Mandy said in the video. “He chose to do it in a very public way. We’ve got to stop teaching kids to do that. It’s manipulative, because it puts the recipient on the f****** defensive. It puts them in a position where everybody is watching, and now you have to decide something in front of other people.”

Mandy said that the response to the story was “planting the seeds that if a girl says no to you, she’s beneath you” and that women are often bullied or even assaulted or killed for rejecting male romantic advances in a world in which men are often taught to feel entitled to women’s bodies.

Kris Renee, another TikTok user who made a video about the situation, said that she was teaching her children that they are entitled to respectfully decline anyone’s advances.

“Is anyone thinking about the fact of how the next day, that girl was made to feel guilty for having said no? Has that thought crossed anyone’s mind?”

Source: Independent

Both PIP (went to tribunal) and DLA (appeal) they gave him zero points to start with. In my experience they try not to pay anyone.

He was diagnosed on the Spectrum 5 years ago now. He REALLY struggled but now hes doing much better. School was awful for him but he still managed to get into Uni. He even managed to pass his driving test (now that was not easy - another story about complains there!). Hes doing really well.

Hes in Uni 100 miles away. We were worried but hes doing OK. Not 100% but OK. Hes registered as needing special assistance and hes a college counsellor. Struggles socially but getting there. Of course, we're mega proud of him.

Thing is, does it count as still living at home? I reckon hes here about 50% of the time. Should we really be going through the initial forms and seeing what he can now do?

I'm a bit torn. I don't want to claim fraudulently but, as I've said, the behaviour of the DLA people is not great. I don't want to admit one thing is better and they give him zero points again.

Anyone else been here?

I was told to get tested...

Meh. 

If you say you are in the UK, they don't bother investigating the matter. 

"Joe Wells: I Am Autistic":

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/joe-wells-i-am-autistic

"Ian Lynam: Autistic License":

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ian-lynam-autistic-license

"Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen":

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/fern-brady-autistic-bikini-queen

" ... Measuring how the eyes’ pupils change in response to light — known as the pupillary light reflex — could potentially be used to screen for autism in young children, according to a study conducted at Washington State University. ... ".

https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/08/22/eye-test-could-screen-children-for-autism/

This post may or may not fall on deaf ears. But have you noticed that a lot of forums online are full of nasty people, or just have a general lack of activity today? Yes, Facebook, etc, is why message boards kind of died off. Right? People flock to places where 'everything is simpler ' these days. Hereby rendering forums useless.

I think I will just quit them now. There's no point in posting on any of them anymore.

On websites that promote video games, there's so many corporate sucks up and people that write in a very sarcastic, weird, or lazy manner.

Well, I know some folk like to abbreviate their posts. But come on. Like, they hardly make any effort. I'm not saying people have to post a lot, but one good post is better than 30 sad ones. 

I don't feel like talking about the Resident Evil series now. Everything I wanted to say, has been said many times already, on so many forums over the past several years. Just feels pointless to continue spewing about the franchise when the forums are either dead, or if nobody would care less about your opinions, that's yet another reason just to close up shop.

http://www.autscape.org/2022/programme/

I highly recommend this autistic conference. I have been before and registration is now open until early July. Day tickets will be on sale soon (where you leave just before dinner)

Presentations, interaction badges to show whether you would like others to interact with you or not, sensory room, discussion groups, entertainment evening, full board residential which is catered towards autistic sensory needs. Connecting bus avaliable from Alfreton train station on request for a small extra charge.

If you are there I'm the guy with the manual wheelchair and playmobil characters feel free to wave at me on white or green badge.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/eve-and-ian-john-o-groats-to-lands-end

Ian Alderman  has a blog page at:

https://ianaldermanoutdoors.co.uk/about/

"Court fight looms over Sainsbury's cat ban

An autistic man is taking supermarket giant Sainsbury's to court for refusing entry to his assistance cat.

Designer and writer Ian Fenn from London says the ban on Chloe, who helps him in daily life, is limiting his independence.

He says she helps him stay calm, but the supermarket argues that cats, unlike assistance dogs, present risks to food hygiene.

The case might set a legal precedent if it has to be ruled on by top judges. ... "

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61596623

In the comments section of the "Daily Mail" who also covers the story, someone asks "What about other shoppers with cat allergies?":

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10860563/Autistic-man-sues-Sainsburys-banning-assistance-cat-supermarkets.html

"Spectrum cycle team hit John O'Groats to raise autism awareness":

https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/spectrum-cycle-team-hit-john-ogroats-to-raise-autism-awaren-276035/

There is a Justgiving page:

"Spectrum Charity Cycle Land's End to John O'Groats

We are cycling from Land's End to John o' Groats for Spectrum because we want to raise awareness for people with autism ... ".

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/spectrumteamlejog2022

"Autism: I was diagnosed at 60":

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220405-the-life-changing-diagnosis-of-autism-in-later-life

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60653674

This has been welcomed by Autism NI (Northern Ireland’s main autism charity):

https://www.autismni.org/news

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_We_See_It