Category: Burnout

  • Radical Resilience

    Radical Resilience

    Image of pink flower growing between gaps in pavement. Text:Wild flowers offer hope. Be radically resilient. Find possibilities in-between hard spaces. Be authentic and flourish in adversity. Transform the landscape. Be a wild flower.

  • Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    This is a revised and updated version of the article I previously published with Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism  ‘Supporting Your Young Person Through Autistic Burnout’ (Sep 2023). Click here to download  ‘Autistic Burnout: A Family Guide‘ (137-page PDF resource) Being autistic is not an illness or a disorder in itself, but being autistic can…

  • Monotropic Interests and Looping Thoughts

    Monotropic Interests and Looping Thoughts

    The theory of monotropism was developed by Murray, Lawson and Lesser in their article, Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism (2005). ​ Monotropism is increasingly considered to be the underlying principle behind autism and is becoming more widely recognised, especially within autistic and neurodivergent communities. Fergus Murray, in their article Me and Monotropism:…

  • Map of Monotropic Experiences

    Map of Monotropic Experiences

    Monotropism seeks to explain Autism in terms of attention distribution and interests.  OSF Preprints | Development and Validation of a Novel Self-Report Measure of Monotropism in Autistic and Non-Autistic People: The Monotropism Questionnaire This map highlights 20 common aspects of my personal monotropic experiences. How many do you experience? Where are you on the map…

  • Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    Being autistic is not an illness or a disorder in itself, but being autistic can have an impact on a person’s mental and physical health. This is due to the often unmet needs of living in a world that is generally designed for the well-being of people who are not autistic. In addition, three-quarters of…

  • Autistic Burnout, Bodymind and Soul

    Autistic Burnout, Bodymind and Soul

    Kieran Rose (2018) describes autistic burnout as a ‘crash where you keep on crashing’. This resonates deeply. I have experienced cycles of burnout throughout my life due to systemic unmet needs living as an autistic person in a world primarily designed for non-autistic people. The double empathy problem (Milton, 2012) is real, and as explained…

  • Quantum Neuro-Holographic Thoughts from a Liminal Space

    Quantum Neuro-Holographic Thoughts from a Liminal Space

    “Quantumness tends to prosper in very cold systems that are carefully isolated rather than part of a tepid soup awash with other activity.” (Lewton, T. 2024) This may be a weird take, but … I think we could use the idea of quantumness and reframe it around an interpretation of marginalised groups living on the edges of…

  • Neurodivergent Co-Regulation

    Neurodivergent Co-Regulation

    Being neurodivergent can be really hard work in a world that is mostly still lacking in an understanding of the differences in sensory, social, and communication needs of autistic/ADHD and other neurodivergent people. Different lived experiences can create a double empathy gap (Milton, 2012). This means that people’s needs are often not adequately met, and…

  • The Double Empathy Problem is DEEP

    The Double Empathy Problem is DEEP

    “The growing cracks in the thin veneer of our “civilised” economic and social operating model are impossible to ignore”, Jorn Bettin (2021). The double empathy problem (Milton, 2012) creates a gap of disconnect experienced between people due to misunderstood shared lived experiences. It is “a breakdown in reciprocity and mutual understanding that can happen between people…

  • Embracing Autistic Children’s Monotropic Flow States

    Embracing Autistic Children’s Monotropic Flow States

      Article originally written and published for Neurodiverse Connection (Sept 2023) Autistic and ADHD people are more likely to be monotropic than the rest of the population (Garau, V. et al., June 2023). This means they focus more energy and resources on fewer interests/tasks/ sensory input at any one time compared to non-autistic polytropic people. Developing a…

  • Autistic Burnout: Social Media Project November 2023

    Autistic Burnout: Social Media Project November 2023

    Autistic burnout is a term often used within the autistic community to describe an intense exhaustion that many autistic people experience where input and demands from life exceed the capacity a person has to manage. As part of my ongoing work within the neurodivergent community, I hope to help develop a deeper understanding and awareness…

  • Monotropism, Autism & OCD

    Monotropism, Autism & OCD

    This blog has been inspired by Dr Jeremy Shuman’s (PsyD) presentation, ‘Neurodiversity-Affirming OCD Care‘ (August 2023), available here. Exploring similarities and differences between Autistic and OCD monotropic flow states. Can attention tunnels freeze, and thoughts get stuck? Autism research is shifting; many people are moving away from the medical deficit model and seeing the value…

  • Monotropism Questionnaire & Inner Autistic/ADHD Experiences

    Monotropism Questionnaire & Inner Autistic/ADHD Experiences

     Over the past few weeks, there has been a sudden surge of interest in the Monotropism Questionnaire (MQ), pre-print released in June 2023 in the research paper ‘Development and Validation of a Novel Self-Report Measure of Monotropism in Autistic and Non-Autistic People: The Monotropism Questionnaire.‘ by Garau, V., Murray, A. L., Woods, R., Chown, N.,…

  • Monotropism and Experiences of being Monotropic

    Monotropism and Experiences of being Monotropic

    The theory of Monotropism was developed by Dr Dinah Murray, Wenn Lawson and Mike Lesser (2005) in their article, Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism. Monotropism is increasingly considered to be the underlying principle behind autism and is becoming more widely recognised, especially within autistic and neurodivergent communities. Fergus Murray,(2018), describes montropism as:…

  • Low Demand Parenting (for the whole family)

    Low Demand Parenting (for the whole family)

    There are a growing number of courses and books discussing the benefits of low-demand parenting strategies. This approach has been adopted by many professionals, such as Dr. Naomi Fisher, who support families. It is becoming increasingly popular amongst parents, especially in neurodivergent communities or in communities where children are struggling with mental health. Many of the low-demand…

  • Autism & OCD – What Could Help

    Autism & OCD – What Could Help

      According to OCD-UK charity, there are,’ around three-quarters of a million people thought to be living with severe, life-impacting and debilitating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) here in the UK’. Many of these people may also be autistic. Stone and Chen (2015) explain that the co-occurrence rate of OCD in autistic people ‘being 3-7% is 6-14% times the…

  • Monotropism = Happy Flow State

    Monotropism = Happy Flow State

    A guest blog for PDA Space – the original more concise version of this article is here: Monotropism = Happy Flow State (thepdaspace.com) As a parent entering into the realms of Autism, ADHD, PDA or any other neurodivergence it can feel overwhelming. Not just because of the weight those labels hold and possible difficulties with…

  • Autism is fluid

    Autism is fluid

    Autism is not a disorder and does not need fixing or any ‘interventions’. Autism comes under the umbrella of neurodivergence, it is a different way of thinking, interacting and responding to people and the world. Nick Walker (2021) in her book Neuroqueer Heresies, states; ‘Autism is a genetically-based human neurological variant…..autistic individual’s subjective experience can…

  • Neurodivergent Friendly Classrooms

    Neurodivergent Friendly Classrooms

      (Article published as Guest Blog for Twinkl Feb 2023)n Embrace Difference The numbers of pupils needing EHCPs and support plans are increasing in schools, and the numbers of children and young people struggling to attend school due to unmet needs are also escalating. This correlates to the rise in the number of neurodivergent children…

  • Supporting neurodivergent students who are struggling to attend school

    Supporting neurodivergent students who are struggling to attend school

    Data shows that the number of pupils with identified SEND needs are rising. There is an increase in the number of pupils diagnosed as being neurodivergent e.g. Autistic, ADHD, Dyslexic, PDA or with sensory processing difficulties. We are also in the midst of a huge education attendance crisis demonstrated by the rising numbers of students…

  • Supporting pupils through Autistic Burnout (Teacher Guide)

    Supporting pupils through Autistic Burnout (Teacher Guide)

      This is written from my lived experience as a parent and teacher, supported by the amazing research of professionals and advocates in this field. I’m not a therapist or medical professional. Autistic Burnout: A Family Guide is available here: Shop | Autisticrealms nn My updated version of ‘Supporting your Young Person through Autistic Burnout‘…

  • Autism, OCD, Alexithymia & Interoception

    Autism, OCD, Alexithymia & Interoception

    Autism is a difference of neurotype and many autistic people refer to themselves as being neurodivergent. Neurodivergent people process, interpret and respond to the world in a way that is different to the neuromajority /neurotypical person. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Some individuals can experience both…

  • Education Crisis – Neurodiversity Affirming Teacher Training Needed

    Education Crisis – Neurodiversity Affirming Teacher Training Needed

      Language Identity First Language: In line with preferences from the Autistic community I will be using Identity First Language (ie. Autistic person, NOT person with Autism) Neurodiversity – This relates to the biological fact that human brains and minds differ from each other. Neurodiversity aligns with the idea that all children are unique and…

  • Supporting Children through Autistic Burnout (Parent/Carer Guide)

    Supporting Children through Autistic Burnout (Parent/Carer Guide)

      (This is written from lived experience as a parent and teacher, supported by the amazing research of professionals and advocates in this field. I’m not a therapist or medical professional). Autistic Burnout: A Family Guide 137 page resource is available in my shop. An updated 2024 version of this article is available here published…

  • Parent ideas for autistic children struggling with school attendance

    Parent ideas for autistic children struggling with school attendance

      If your child is autistic, then they are more likely to have additional anxiety, social, communication and sensory processing difficulties. Consequently, school can be a difficult and overwhelming place for them to be if they are not in the right environment with teachers that fully understand them or have the right provision to meet…

  • Ideas for Autistic Children who are Struggling at School

    Ideas for Autistic Children who are Struggling at School

          It can be difficult for autistic children to access an appropriate education and challenging for their parents to navigate the various paths to get their child an education that meets their needs. No one wants their child to just survive in school, all our children should be able to thrive in the…