neurodivergence – A Is For Aoife Not Autism

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

To kick off Autism Awareness Month, this week I’d like to discuss a place that is very dear to my heart, Dublin City University (DCU) where I completed my masters just after my diagnosis. What’s unique about DCU is that in 2018 it became the world’s first designated autism friendly university. While it wasn’t designated an autism friendly university until after I had graduated, I always felt fully supported by the college and staff in my educational pursuits.

So how exactly does a university qualify as autism friendly?

DCU collaborated with ASIAM and Specialisterne Ireland on an 18-month research project to develop seven principles to define an autism friendly university:

“Encourage and enable autistic students to transition and participate in university programmes
Support and build capacity to equip autistic students to meet the academic challenges of everyday university life
Seek to establish an autism-friendly operational environment
Seek to combat the stigma around autism and recognise the diverse experiences of those with the condition
Develop understanding and relevant knowledge and skills within the university community
Establish channels so that autistic students can have a voice in various aspects of university life
Increase the employability of autistic graduates through a range of initiatives that will develop their soft-skills to support their transition beyond university”

Designated quiet space for autistic students

With these principles at their core, DCU offers students the following autism friendly facilities:

Sensory pods on campus for breaks
Five rooms are set aside in campus accommodation specifically for autistic students
Virtual maps with a specialized AI chatbot to help you find your way around campus
Designated quiet spaces, soundproof pods and recommendations for less busy walking routes to campus
Materials and resources for autistic students including sensory tips and advice
Disability service supports such as occupational therapy and exam accommodations
Social supports allowing autists to connect with other neurodivergent students
Autists are encouraged to email feedback to the college on ways to improve the 3rd level autistic experience
The college also runs a 3 day summer program specifically for autistic students to give them an introductory experience of third level education to help ease their transition

Autists are actively encouraged to email feedback to the college on ways to improve the third level autistic experience to ensure that the university keeps improving in it’s autism friendly initiatives. In addition, the college also runs a 3 day summer program specifically for autistic students to give them an introductory experience of third level education to help ease their transition.

On another note, the Nubar on the Glasnevin campus is famous for it’s chicken goujons- a beige staple for many autists! I took a trip up to campus last week and went up early just to see if the tenders were just as good 10 years later and can confirm that they are delicious 🤌🏻

This is an amazing initiative and many other universities in Ireland have followed suit in becoming autism friendly or setting up initiatives to become more autism friendly than they currently are. Similarly at an international level, universities in the UK, Canada and Australia are also following DCU’s example.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about autism and clothing, this week I’d like to put the concept of ‘dopamine dressing’ under the microscope.

So what exactly is it?

It might sound like some random fashion fad, but dopamine dressing is an activity that many neurodivergents unknowingly participate in. It’s the process of choosing clothing that will boost your mood and bring joy based on colours, comfort and texture- basically choosing clothes that will make you happy.

But how does dopamine fit into this trend?

As I’ve discussed in many previous posts, dopamine is a neurotransmitter and hormone (also known as a neurohormone) that acts as a chemical messenger in both the brain and the body. Often referred to as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine plays a central role in the reward system in our brain, controlling mood and motivation among other things. So when we choose clothing that makes us happy, dopamine is released which improves our mood.

In the neurodivergent brain however, dopamine is dysregulated which can impact motivation and behaviours. This is particularly an issue for autists who also have ADHD who often have low levels of dopamine causing issues with motivation and focus. As a result, autists seek out dopamine through impulsive, high stimulation activities that push the brain to release the dopamine they need to function, often referred to as ‘dopamining’.

As such, dopamine dressing is a dopamining behaviour or coping mechanism to help boost an autists missing dopamine to improve mood, mental health and confidence. In my own case I am very much a dopamine dresser. I buy clothes in an array of bright colours (it’s like a rainbow threw up in my wardrobe at times), soft, fluffy jumpers that I can stroke, and choose loose comfortable clothing that doesn’t irritate my skin. On the other hand, I also have a fondness for a tight skinny jean as the pressure against my legs increases my dopamine like a weighted blanket. I always select what’s going to make me happy and lights up my brain, rather than just yanking out the first top I see.

On another level, some autists choose clothing that has ties to their specialist interests to help boost their comfort and dopamine like a band or comic book t-shirt. I keep an array of whimsical socks in my drawer for example, many of which have animals printed on them like highland cows, dogs and alpacas as animals are very close to my heart (and feet!). When you think about it, Sheldon Cooper’s many superhero t-shirts were all indicators of dopamine dressing years before the concept was ever proposed.