Tag: autistic spectrum disorder

Autism and ‘Pebbling / Penguin Pebbling’

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to discuss another more unusual autistic behaviour- pebbling.

Ah Aoife, you must be making these up now!

You couldn’t be more wrong!

Before I lose you completely, let me explain.

Pebbling is where an autist spontaneously shows their loved ones affection through thoughtful gestures and tokens. The behaviour is so named as it mimics the act of pebbling in penguins. Gentoo penguins mate for life, so when a male penguin is interested in a female, he will collect, smooth shiny rocks for her as part of the courtship ritual. If she is interested, she will use the pebbles to build a nest to lay eggs in. Here’s a clip of the penguins in action:

Autists often struggle with social interactions and displaying affection, but pebbling can be our way of making up for it. ‘I love you’ isn’t always easy to say, but pebbling does the talking. It’s our way of showing we love you and are thinking about you- a unique form of affection, communication and connection.

Personally, when I heard about pebbling, I immediately identified with it! I’ve been unconsciously pebbling the ones I love my entire life. If I’m out shopping, I will often pick up little trinkets that remind me of my loved ones and their interests, or I might grab their favourite treats to bring home. Other times I might bake their favourite sweets for no reason, or craft them something they might like, or just a simple gesture like offering to do something for them.

This video explains it pretty well:

Not all autists display pebbling behaviours, and pebbling can take various forms, but it’s a pretty cool way to show love to the people you care about 🙂

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Autism and AuDHD

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about autism and ADHD, this week I’d like to expand on the topic by discussing the concept of AuDHD- aka autism + ADHD.

ADHD has been getting a lot of online attention in the last couple of years with many adults getting late life diagnoses as knowledge of the condition has advanced. Up to 10 years ago, it was thought that both autism and ADHD were completely separate diagnoses with no overlap. Now, it’s thought that 30-80% of autists also have ADHD, with many discovering they had autism during an ADHD diagnosis and vice versa.

When I previously wrote about this topic, I estimated that I was mildly ADHD, but the more stories I have been hearing about the experiences of female ADHDers, I exhibit a lot more traits than I originally thought. Because I wasn’t fitting the classic impulsive/hyperactive model of ADHD, I never thought to dig much deeper, buuutttttt, just like autism, it turns out that there are differences in symptoms between men and women. The original research observed more men than women (there’s a whole history of women being under researched in medicine) and so it was believed to impact more males than females, but, as with autism, sex differences and masking behaviours have made it very difficult to diagnose ADHD in women. ADHD also operates on a severity spectrum which can make it difficult to pick up on.

@adhd_chatter_podcast

How to spot ADHD in women ❤️ #adhd #adhdwomen

♬ Emotional Cinematic Sad Violin and Piano – ISAo

With all this overlap, enter the concept of AuDHD.

One of the most fascinating aspects of AuDHD is it’s paradoxical nature:

  • Autists like routine, but ADHD makes it difficult to maintain
  • ADHDers crave stimulation, but autists get easily overstimulated
  • Autists are rigid with rules, timekeeping and planning, but ADHDers suffer from time-blindness, impulsivity and hyperactivity making it difficult to follow plans and rules
  • ADHDers can be messy and chaotic, but autists like order and systemising

Effectively in AuDHD, the paradoxes can camouflage each other, making it much harder to diagnose either disorder. It’s like having 2 different brains fighting for control, but only one or the other will win out at any given time. For example, today you might do a weeks worth of work, tomorrow you might struggle to find the dopamine to do anything.

@speechdude

#adhd #audhd #autism#neurodiversityaffirming #speechtherapist

♬ original sound – Chris Wenger, CCC-SLP

At other times, the symptoms are symbiotic. For example in my case, I can have complete time-blindness when I’m in the middle of something, but if I need to keep an appointment, the social rules governing lateness force me to be on time. AuDHD is a constant seesaw between the two conditions, a separate presentation in itself.

While it’s not a separate diagnosis yet, given the prevalence of comorbidity, who knows what the future will hold as neurodivergent research increases.

Hope you liked this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Geek Girl’

Greetings Earthling! 😀

This week I’d like to talk about the new young adult series Geek Girl on Netflix (they’re really on the ball with neurodiversity the last few years!) and it’s accurate depiction of the struggles of an autistic teenage girl.

Based on the Geek Girl books by Holly Smale (which I have purchased and will write about eventually), the series follows awkward “geek” Harriet Manners who’s life completely changes after being scouted by a modelling agency. Mercilessly bullied at school, she sets out on her modelling journey to reinvent herself. You can check out a trailer for the series here:

But you haven’t mentioned anything about autism yet Aoife?

So- the author Holly Smale wrote these books based on her own experiences of being an awkward teen model, BUT Holly was diagnosed with autism at the age of 39 and has retrospectively described Harriet as autistic. As such, it seems that the TV series is planning to incorporate an autism diagnosis down the line, as lead actress Emily Carey is autistic, and there have been many hints to her neurodivergence including a conversation between her agent and her father about seeking a professional and not wanting to label her.

So what did I make of the show?

Well I absolutely loved it- a lovely wholesome show with an authentic portrayal of neurodivergence, I was hooked! Harriet’s autistic traits were subtle (as they are for most high functioning autists)- stimming, coordination issues, minor issues reading social cues etc. What really sets the series apart from others though is Harriet’s narration. We get to see her internal monologue, how she thinks and processes, which really helps to give an insight into what we autists go through on the inside (though I will say that my internal monologues speak waaaaaaay faster than Harriet’s 😂). Harriet’s friend Toby is also clearly on the spectrum, albeit he presents far more like the traditional autistic oddball that we often see in media depictions of autism- which while a little stereotypical, really helps to show how different male and female presentations of autism can differ.

One of the other things I found most interesting was how Harriet’s dad also appears to be neurodivergent. He seems to struggle with work, is quite nerdy and eccentric (he drives Harriet to school in his PJs one day) and is described by his wife as very childish. At one point during an online job interview his wife holds up flashcards for him coaching him on what to say, reminding me of how people have tried to guide me in certain social situations. Very often with on screen portrayals of autism we focus on the child or the oddball single adult, we don’t tend to see neurodivergence in the wider family like between parent and child 0r other spectrum siblings. Autism is highly genetic with many parents discovering their neurodivergence after their child is diagnosed, and there can often be multiple autistic children within a family (I once came across a family with 5 sons on the spectrum).

My one criticism, again like Dinosaur, was Harriet’s stereotypical love of dinosaurs and desire to be a paleontologist, buuutttt as a real autist wrote the show, I can’t really argue with lived experience 😜. I’m really starting to wonder- did I miss the autism memo that you need to be obsessed with dinosaurs cause I have never really seen the fascination 🤣🙈 Dogs are much more my vibe!

Interestingly, many critics have branded the show an “inauthentic” representation of autism… to which Holly Smale had the following to say:

“It’s based on books written by me (autistic), about me as a teen (autistic). I wrote all of Harriet for the show (still autistic) and the lead actor is autistic. It’s the DEFINITION of authentic. I think people are so used to seeing inauthentic representation they don’t recognise it when it’s in front of them.”

You can’t get more authentic than that folks! 🤣🙈

All in all I highly recommend this show and look forward to seeing Harriet’s journey in future seasons!

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Dinosaur’

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

As autism awareness month comes to a close, this week I’d like to talk about autism in the new BBC Scotland sitcom Dinosaur.

So what exactly is Dinosaur about?

Dinosaur follows autistic palaeontologist Nina (played by autistic actress, comedian and show co-writer Ashley Storrie) who is content with her life in Glasgow, but finds her life upended by her sister’s impulsive decision to marry a man she has known for only 6 weeks. Cue hilarious chaos as Nina tries to navigate this transition whilst balancing the pressures of work, love, and being her sisters maid of honour.

You can check out a trailer for the series here:

So what did I make of it?

Aside from the fact that Nina’s dinosaur obsessions is ever so slightly stereotypical, I loved this sitcom and found it a refreshingly honest portrayal of life on the spectrum. Too often scriptwriters tend towards the hyperbolic when it comes to autism, but this show hits the mark perfectly for what life is like for a high functioning autist.

The show is highly self-aware tackling common stereotypes head on in humorous fashion. When Evie’s fiancé Ranesh starts talking about Nina’s autism, Nina pre-empts his stereotypes muttering “Don’t’ say it!” under her breath, before Ranesh describes having autism as a “superpower!” Another episode see’s Nina’s boss, (while reprimanding her for saying that Jurassic Park should have been named ‘Cretaceous Park’), tell her that they don’t want to give the impression of paleontologists as being “rigid and a bit autistic” for her to respond, “But I am autistic!” leaving her boss completely mortified.

More importantly, Nina doesn’t take herself too seriously. In one conversation with her sister (in an episode where everyone was pretending to be something they were not for Evie’s soon to be father-in-law), Nina gives Evie a pep talk telling her that she can keep up the pretense if Nina can and ” [she is] literally autistic”! This particularly made me chuckle as I have often made this remark with regard to neurotypicals claiming they aren’t able to do some basic things that I as an autist have no issues doing! 🙈

Nina’s unfiltered moments land casually without the need for exaggeration. Her stimming is subtle, like playing with her necklace, and tapping and fidgeting with her fingers when she is getting overwhelmed. No stereotypical hand flapping or head banging here! I particularly liked how they showed Nina having a meltdown when trying on bridesmaid dresses- shopping being a situation where I often get overwhelmed. The pressure from the salespeople, being under pressure for time after she arrived late, the heat of the shop, the itchy fabric, being told a dress is fabulous on her that really does not suit her etc. Nina promptly had to exit the shop and scream into a bush from the pressure of the task- a feeling I know all too well.  In a later episode they showed Nina crying and struggling to breathe during a meltdown- finally showing a realistic portrayal of how most of my meltdowns manifest.

Another positive aspect of the show was the portrayal of Nina naturally pursuing a relationship. Often these types of storylines are forced like ‘I want to have/should have a girlfriend/boyfriend, so I’m on a mission to get one and here’s how I’m going to do it’, buuuuuuut that isn’t exactly realistic. In the show, Nina starts to connect with her new barista and bravely decides to ask him out. Her autism is casually discussed, it’s not a huge issue like in other shows- she’s just a neurospicy girl going out on an awkward first date like anyone else. Moreover, the show doesn’t portray her as a sexually inept weirdo as many shows tend to. In a particularly humorous moment during a spicy confession game at her sisters hen party, Nina’s mother tells her to cover her ears, only for Nina to boldly tell her mother that she’s done it 13 times (much to her mothers surprise)! 🤣🙈 The show truly does Nina justice by showing the world that we’re just out here living our lives like everyone else; we just think a little bit differently.

While it would have been nice if Nina had had a slightly more ordinary job, especially given that it tends to be more male autists that obsess over dinosaurs than women, all in all this show is an excellent depiction of autism with some great laugh out loud moments to boot.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 😊

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Learning and Autism

Greetings Earthlings! 😀

Leading on from my previous posts about autism and memory, IQ, and studying, this week I’d like to talk about the topic of autism and academic learning.

First things first, autism is NOT a learning disability. It’s a neurodevelopmental disorder which impacts how our brain develops and the rate at which it develops having an impact on motor learning, social learning, language learning etc. That being said, ASD‘s can be co-morbid with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD and dysgraphia.

Everyone’s academic learning journey is unique, especially among autists. Autists can have problems concentrating in classrooms due to sensory sensitivities, issues with social skills can make it harder to interpret teaching cues, and difficulties with executive functioning and information processing can make it hard to process new information.

I’ve always had a passion for academic learning, but even I’ve had my struggles. I struggled hugely with maths in my teenage years. Once letters came into equations I regularly had meltdowns and got overwhelmed when I couldn’t immediately make sense of the topic. One of my most enduring memories of school is throwing my maths book at the wall mid meltdown while doing my homework 🙈

Buuuuuttttt I would usually be able to make sense of the exercises once the meltdown had passed. My teachers unfortunately didn’t understand this (the joys of being undiagnosed) which often made my learning journey challenging. Had I been given the opportunity to work slowly 1:1 with maths, I would have picked topics up a lot quicker.

Everyone’s learning style is different, especially when considering the challenges of autism. There are several different learning styles:

  • Visual learning– where learners take in information better visually through pictures, graphs and mind maps to help make connections
  • Auditory learning– where learners listen to information for optimal processing
  • Verbal learning– using verbal approaches like reading out loud and mnemonic devices
  • Reading/writing learning– classical learning approach by reading and writing
  • Kinesthetic learning– physical learning by doing tasks or needing to move while learning
  • Logical learning– where logic and pattern recognition skills are used to connect concepts
  • Social/Interpersonal learning– where you learn best by observing others, and talking and communicating with a social group
  • Solitary/Intrapersonal learning– where you just need to be by yourself to learn on your own with no distractions

Sometimes a mix of learning styles can be the best approach- I have employed all of these styles at different points in my life, but I would largely fall into the visual and kinesthetic learner categories. Seeing things drawn out and or doing tasks is often the best way for me to process information. For example, I tend to take notes using coloured pens as the visual stimulation from the colours makes it easier to process and retain the information.

There are so many different ways to learn, it’s just a matter of sitting down and figuring out what kind of learning style works for you, or working out a plan to limit classroom issues like sensory challenges that can derail your learning process. Lot’s of apps and supports are available for autists these days that can help make learning a lot easier.

The key thing is to not get discouraged. No two autists are the same and it can take a while to find what learning style works for you. When I took maths and biostatistics in college, the lectures were overwhelming, but once I sat down to a tutorial session where we worked hands on with the sums in an intimate environment, I flew through the work and got excellent marks in my exams. It takes time, but once you find the right approach, learning can be a breeze 😊

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism and Relaxed Performances

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Happy new year! Hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas holiday! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about relaxed performances in the theatre and how they can be beneficial to autists.

So what exactly is a relaxed performance?

A relaxed performance is pretty self explanatory- it is a performance in the theatre where the normal rules and etiquette are “relaxed” and the ambiance is adjusted to be more sensory friendly for the audience. Oftentimes the theatre can overwhelm the senses with loud music, strobe lighting and sudden noises (I jumped so high when a prop gun went off during Phantom of the Opera!), which can make it problematic for autists.

But how is it tailored?

Different theatres will offer different experiences, but in general, a relaxed performance focuses on sensory elements such as removing strobe lighting, turning down the stage volume, and brighter house lights. The normal rules of the theatre are relaxed, meaning that the doors are not locked, you can get up and move around if you are getting overwhelmed, and many theatres even provide a designated, quiet chill out space.

As an avid lover of musical theatre, I was naturally eager to attend one, and was delighted to see that the Watergate theatre in nearby Kilkenny was putting on a relaxed performance for their pantomime performance of Aladdin. The theatre had a very detailed plan on their website for the performance to make the show inclusive for all:

  • The auditorium doors were opened 45 minutes ahead of the performance (way earlier than a standard show) to allow the audience extra time to come in and settle down and familiarize themselves with the room
  • Strobe lighting and loud/sudden sound effects were removed, and the overall lighting and sound was adjusted for a more comfortable sensory experience
  • The house lights remained on and low over the audience, who were free to move around as needed
  • Sensory tools and service dogs were also welcome
  • They even provided a detailed preparation journey document outlining the theatre facilities, with multiple pictures to help orient visitors with the theatre to fully prepare an autist for their theatrical experience

So what did I make of it?

For me personally as a high functioning, seasoned theatre goer, it was a bit of a mixed bag. In theory, the concept is amazing, but in practice it’s a lot more difficult. The lighting and sound adjustments were great, the experience was far more relaxed without the likelihood of jumping out of my seat unexpectedly, buuuuutttt these adjustments created another sensory quandary.

So the theatre has it’s rules and etiquette for a reason- to allow everyone to hear the performance un-distracted. But, without these rules, the audience is naturally much louder than a regular performance… In a room full of uninhibited, talkative/echolalic, snacking neurodivergents with lowered stage sounds, the performance becomes difficult to hear. I often missed jokes and lines due to the sound adjustments- and this was with me sitting in the front row beside a speaker. This created a greater sensory issue for me as I was surrounded by distracting noises everywhere, with constant chatter and rustling of snacks. While this was primarily irritating for me, a more sensitive autist could have had a meltdown in this scenario. As the stage sounds were reduced, normal sound reducing earpieces would not have improved the situation.

Granted, in my experience, audiences that have large numbers of children in attendance are much louder, but the stage volumes usually counteract the increased noise threshold. As such if sound is your primary sensory sensitivity, you would be better off attending a regular performance with ear defenders or noise reducing earplugs (I highly recommend these- I tested them out at Rocky Horror Picture Show and I lost no sound quality with the volume reduction).

All in all, while the concept of a relaxed performance is good in theory, it may not be suitable for all autists.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 😀

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Christmas Greetings 2023

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

We’ve come to the end of yet another year on this blog, how the time has flown!

I’ve had a busy few weeks so I have been a little quieter than normal lately, but I will be back to my usual schedule in the new year 🙂

As always, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of my readers for their continued support this year. I appreciate each and every one of you that takes the time to stop by to read or leave comments, I see them all.

Hope you and yours have a very merry Christmas, and every blessing for 2024 (that’s scary saying that- next year marks 10 years since my diagnosis! :O

See you in 2024!

Aoife

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Autism and Sensory Pods

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about sensory pods and how they can be beneficial for autists!

So first things first, what is a sensory pod?

A sensory pod is an enclosed space designed to be calming and relaxing for autists. Each pod can be different but they are generally soundproofed to reduce outside noise, dimly lit with LED lighting (which has been scientifically linked to behavioural improvements) and may have cushions or a comfortable mat to sit on. Pods may also allow you to adjust the temperature, play white noise, project visuals on the wall, and you can further add in sensory toys, weighted blankets, vests, plushies etc. As autists can struggle with sensory processing and overload, sensory pods are an ideal way to help manage an overwhelming situation. You can see a video about sensory pods here:

I recently booked into the sensory pod on the Carlow campus of South East Technological University (SETU) to give it a try. The university has two sensory pods in the library that neurodivergent students can avail of for time out, or even just a quiet place to study.

So what was my experience like?

I can highly recommend the sensory pod. While it was a bit awkward climbing into it as a fully grown adult in her thirties, once I was lying down in the pod it was so soothing. The room was kitted out with an interactive screen on the wall where you could avail of streaming services like Netflix to take some chill time out from your studies. There was a mirror on the wall with a panel of dials to adjust the lighting to your liking- blue, green, red, white and even no lights. The college even provided a USB mouse and keyboard that students could avail of if using the pod to study. Lying there on the squishy mat, I could easily have fallen asleep with the sounds of the library dulled around me. You would forget that you were in the middle of a busy college campus on a Friday evening!

It’s great to see a sensory facility like this for neurodivergents in an academic institution, I would love to have had something like this to study in back when I was in university (then again, I was only diagnosed as I was leaving third level education 🙃).

I also had the opportunity to try out the sensory room on campus which I will talk about in my next post.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

2

Autism-Headaches & Migraines

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about something that isn’t normally discussed in relation to autism- headaches and migraines.

Anyone can get headaches or migraines, but it appears that there is a link between autism and their frequency , with one study even suggesting that autistic children are twice as likely to experience migraines when compared with neurotypicals. Further studies are required to confirm comorbidity, but the studies that do exist suggest a lot of overlap.

So have they any idea why there is a link?

One of the most popular theories suggests that issues in sensory processing may make autists more susceptible to headaches and migraines. For both autists and migraine sufferers, differences in sensory processing can impair how the brain registers and modulates responses to sensory stimuli like light and sound which can trigger migraines following a sensory overload. There are a lot of structural changes in the brains of both autists and migraine patients which could further explain this sensitivity.

Research has also reported that autists have altered pain sensitivity which can distort their perception of headaches, so, what might be an ignorable ache in a neurotypical individual may be much more severe for an autist.

Interestingly, there may also be a link between headaches/migraines and our digestive health. The gut is innervated by a network of nerves known as the enteric nervous system, often nicknamed a second brain. Migraines are often co-morbid with gastrointestinal problems where issues in the second brain can influence changes in the main brain via the brain-gut axis. GI issues are frequently co-morbid with autism so this could be the most logical explanation for the link. I know I’ve certainly triggered migraines from eating things that didn’t agree with me, only to have the migraine immediately dissipate the minute my stomach hit the ejector button! 😂

Migraines have also been linked to low levels of serotonin in the brain. As previously discussed, serotonin levels are dysregulated in autists so this could also explain the link. This is particularly interesting as 95% of serotonin production occurs in the gut, so this further indicates a gut related link to headaches and migraines in autism.

Joint hypermobility could also be contributing to headaches. People with connective tissue disorders like Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS) frequently experience headaches. Weakness in supporting tissues like collagen can cause instability in the neck and spine which can pinch nerves, interrupting the flow of blood to the brain and triggering headaches and migraines. As joint hypermobility can be co-morbid with autism, this could further explain the link.

As with many aspects of the spectrum, susceptibility to headaches and migraines could also be genetic as there is an overlap in some genes linked to both autism and migraines.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

2

Autism and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about another co-morbid condition with autism and ADHD– rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD).

So what exactly is RSD?

RSD is an intense or overwhelming emotional sensitivity to rejection and criticism (both perceived and real). This can cause intense emotional pain that can be difficult to bear.

Looking back over my childhood, I really struggled with RSD. Whilst I am well versed in the art of rejection now that I’m in my thirties, growing up as an undiagnosed autist did not make for an easy ride. Even the slightest rejections could trigger meltdowns as my brain struggled to process the situation. Something as simple as someone not immediately having time for me, a passing comment in a raised tone, even constructive criticism could set me off. Once at a family event in a hotel I had a bad meltdown because my uncle was short with me for requesting a different flavour of ice-cream to the one that I had been given. Cue me hiding out in the toilets followed by 3 hours doodling in the back of the car instead of joining the party from my RSD over-reaction (I was 13 by the way! 🙈). I can’t even blame sensory issues for that over-reaction, I just didn’t feel like eating raspberry ripple that day! 😂

So is there any scientific reason for RSD?

RSD, like maladaptive daydreaming, is not a clinical diagnosis so it’s hard to underpin how it works. There isn’t exactly a scientific way to measure rejection. However, as it has been observed in patients with autism and ADHD, psychologists believe that it is caused by alterations in brain structure in the regions that regulate and process emotions such as the frontal lobe and the amygdala- both regions where structural changes have been linked to autistic symptoms.

As discussed previously, autists often have a warped sense of perception and logic so it can be very easy to misconstrue and over-react to rejection. The tendency towards perfectionism and black and white thinking in particular can make us far more susceptible to such negative reactions. For example, if someone told me that they didn’t like my shoes, even though it’s only one component of my outfit and just a passing comment, my younger self would have spiraled.

Life is often all or nothing for an autist, so if someone rejects one small thing, it may skew our entire perception of ourselves.

You don’t like my shoes = you don’t like me.

The shoes are wrong, I chose the shoes, the shoes are on my body, therefore, I’m wrong. The world is black and white so if I’m wearing the wrong shoes, everything else about me has to be wrong by extension- you’re either wrong or right, you can’t be both.

RSV can be pretty exhausting for an autist, so understanding of our responses to rejection is vital to supporting us. If you’re struggling with RSV, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you learn how to better process feelings of rejection, but medication such as ADHD drugs and anti-depressants can be useful for more severe cases.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

1

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