How my ADHD hides my autism

“Being an autistic ADHDer (or “AuDHDer”) has its upsides and downsides, but in this video, I want to talk about the ways that my ADHD traits hide my autistic traits.”

We found this fascinating; please share your thoughts about it!

Autistic Social Skills – How to Read Social Cues Better

Ever wondered how to read social cues better? If you’ve ever found yourself clueless about what others think or feel, keep in mind that you don’t have to know everything. We just need to distinguish between what we do know and what we don’t know. In this video, I will share a few tricks, including the Location/Occasion strategy for making a relevant relatable comment, while avoiding masking, maintaining your authentic personality, and utilising an understanding of social dynamics.

63 common autistic traits you never realised were signs of autism! How many apply to you?

63 common autistic traits you never realised were signs of autism. Do you ever wonder if you might be autistic? What is autism anyway? It can be hard to define, but if you know enough autistic people there are some obvious patterns. How many of the common 63 autistic traits apply to you? Maybe you’ve had someone say to you, “How can someone so clever be so stupid?” or you feel like you’re either too much or not enough in certain areas. From scripting conversations to advanced or delayed childhood development, in this video, we’ll explore what it means to be autistic and what it can look like in different individuals. Any one of these traits by themselves is quite common, but patterns tend to emerge when autistic people come together. That’s why autistic social activities can be a great way to connect and learn from each other.

Premature death of autistic people in the UK investigated for the first time

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A new study led by UCL researchers confirms that autistic people experience a reduced life expectancy, however the number of years of life lost may not be as high as previously claimed.

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The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, is the first to estimate the life expectancy and years of life lost by autistic people living in the UK.

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The team used anonymised data from GP practices throughout the UK to study people who received an autism diagnosis between 1989 to 2019. They studied 17,130 people diagnosed as autistic without a learning disability and 6,450 participants diagnosed as autistic with a learning disability. They then compared these groups with people of the same age and sex, who had not been diagnosed as autistic.

The researchers found that autistic men without a learning disability had an average estimated life expectancy of 74.6 years, and autistic women without a learning disability, around 76.8 years. 

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Meanwhile, the estimated life expectancy for people diagnosed with autism and learning disability was around 71.7 years for men and 69.6 years for women.

These figures compare to the usual life expectancy of around 80 years for men and around 83 years for women living in the UK.

The findings provide the first evidence that diagnosed autistic people were more likely to die prematurely in the UK across the time period studied, indicating an urgent need to address inequalities that disproportionately affect autistic people.

However, the new estimates also suggest that the widely reported statistic that autistic people live 16 years less on average* is likely to be incorrect.

Lead investigator of the study, Professor Josh Stott (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences), said: “Autism itself does not, to our knowledge, directly reduce life expectancy, but we know that autistic people experience health inequalities, meaning that they often don’t get the support and help that they need when they need it. We wanted to explore whether this impacted the average life expectancy for diagnosed autistic people living in the UK.

“Our findings show that some autistic people were dying prematurely, which impacted the overall life expectancy. However, we know that when they have the right support, many autistic people live long, healthy and happy lives. Although our findings show important inequalities, we were concerned about frightening statistics that are often quoted, and it is important to provide more realistic information.

“We do need to find out why some autistic people are dying prematurely so that we can identify ways to prevent this from happening.”

Autistic people have differences in their social communication and social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, interests and activities.

Many autistic people require adjustments to be made to ensure equal access to healthcare, employment, and local authority support.

Some autistic people also have learning disabilities, and can find it hard to explain to others when they are experiencing pain or discomfort. This can mean that health problems go undetected.

There are numerous reports of social exclusion, difficulties accessing support, and inappropriate care being given, as described in Baroness Hollins’ report that was published earlier in November**.

Joint-lead author, Dr Elizabeth O’Nions (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences), said: “Autistic people are rightly and increasingly pushing for recognition that autism reflects natural and expected variation in how brains function, and that society must make space for all.

“This means that services must be inclusive and accommodating of those who have particular support needs by adapting how they operate.

“We believe that the findings of this study reflect inequalities that disproportionately affect autistic people.”

The researchers have previously published a study, which found that the true number of autistic people in England may be more than double the number often cited in national health policy documents***.

Consequently, they acknowledge that the new research may over-estimate the reduction in life expectancy experienced by autistic people on average.

Professor Stott said: “Very few autistic adults have been diagnosed, meaning that this study only focuses on a fraction of the total autistic population.

“Those who are diagnosed may be those with greater support needs and more co-occurring health conditions than autistic people on average.

“We think this is particularly the case for women diagnosed with autism and learning disability – the larger reduction in life expectancy may reflect a disproportionate underdiagnosis of autism and/or learning disability in women.

“It’s likely that not all autistic people experience a reduced life expectancy – indeed, some autistic people may be better at sticking to healthy routines than average, potentially increasing their life expectancy.”

Dr Judith Brown, Head of Evidence and Research at the National Autistic Society, said: “This is very important research led by University College London and we are grateful to have been able to contribute.

“While the results of this study suggest a smaller difference than previously understood between the life expectancy of autistic and non-autistic people, they are still significant. These findings demonstrate that autistic people continue to face unacceptable inequalities through a lack of understanding, barriers to vital services and inadequate care, which lead to poorer mental and physical health outcomes.

“Without investment, improved understanding, inclusion and the correct level of support and care, autistic people will continue to see reduced life expectancy, with the most at-risk group in this study being autistic women with learning disabilities. This research should be a wake-up call for Government, the NHS, healthcare professionals and society as a whole that we must tackle the health inequality autistic people face.”

The research was funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Research, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Links

*https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/qmis/nationallifetablesqmi

**https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-care-education-and-treatment-reviews-final-report-2023/baroness-hollins-final-report-my-heart-breaks-solitary-confinement-in-hospital-has-no-therapeutic-benefit-for-people-with-a-learning-disability-an

*** https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/jun/number-autistic-people-england-may-be-twice-high-previously-thought

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Study reveals unexpected literacy in autistic people who cannot speak

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Vikram Jaswal

University of Virginia professor of psychology Vikram Jaswal CREDIT Sanjay Suchak

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About one-third of autistic people are unable to communicate using speech, and most are never provided an effective alternative a new study from scientists at the University of Virginia suggests that many of these individuals are literate, raising the possibility that they could learn to express themselves through writing.  

The study reports that five times more nonspeaking autistic teenagers and adults demonstrated knowledge of written language conventions than would be expected from previous estimates of their abilities. The finding has important implications for the millions of autistic people around the world who have little or no speech and who are often assumed to be incapable of acquiring literacy.  

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“If we assume that someone who can’t speak doesn’t understand, it limits the doors we open for them – we may not even try to figure out what they understand,” said Vikram Jaswal, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and the lead author of the study. “Our study shows that nonspeaking autistic people’s capacity for language, learning, and literacy has been seriously underestimated.”  

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The investigators addressed a fundamental question about literacy: whether or not nonspeaking autistic people react to letters, words and sentences in the same way as literate, non-autistic individuals. Jaswal’s team developed a method similar to the arcade game Whac-a-Mole which required participants to tap letters displayed on a tablet as soon as those letters lit up. In some instances, the letters lit up in sequences that spelt out sentences that participants had earlier heard spoken aloud, and in other instances, the letters lit up in meaningless sequences. The research team, which included Ph.D. candidate Kayden Stockwell and recent graduate Andrew Lampi, assumed that a literate individual – who knows how to spell and can convert speech into its written form – can predict the next letter in a sentence they have heard spoken aloud, even before seeing that letter light up. Consequently, they could be expected to respond faster to sentences than to meaningless sequences. Jaswal’s team found that over half of the sample group of 31 nonspeaking autistic participants responded in the same way a literate individual would.  

According to Jaswal, the results are striking because they show that even though most participants in the study had not received formal instruction in literacy, many had developed an understanding of how written language works.  

“Society has traditionally assumed that people who can’t speak are unable to understand language or to learn to read or write,” Jaswal said. “But our findings suggest that many nonspeaking autistic people have foundational literacy skills. With appropriate instruction and support, it might be possible to harness these skills to provide access to written forms of communication as an alternative to speech. Learning to express themselves through writing would open up educational, employment and social opportunities that nonspeaking autistic people have historically not been given access to.”  

“This is cutting-edge research with enormous potential for impact,” said Christa Acampora, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. “We are truly fortunate to have professor Jaswal and outstanding graduate students like Kayden Stockwell and Andrew Lampi in the College’s research community. Together, they’re asking important questions, and their discovery will have life-changing consequences for many.”