I realise it has been a wee while since I posted, so hello! With the upsurge of dangerous misinformation about autism online & in the media, I made a one-take video explaining why questioning & challenging misinformation is important & some tips on what to question: youtu.be/AVVdyZJ2Zlk?...

Autistic Researcher Tips on how to Question Information Sources

YouTube video by Aimee Fletcher

youtu.be

Flowing in the afterglow. Monotropism, Autistic Burnout, and a connection to chemistry inspired by @oolong.co.uk today. morerealms.com/flowing-in-t...

Flowing in the Afterglow: Autistic Burnout & Monotropism

Autistic burnout, monotropism, meerkat mode, AuDHD, neurodivergent reflection, liminal states, executive dysfunction, flow state

morerealms.com

Today's Monday Joys ✨️ - Celebrating a special wedding with friends over the weekend in the Scottish sunshine - Finishing the last of the wedding presents ahead of a celebration in 2 weeks time - Suggesting different ways to make autism research more accessible at work - Making exciting future plans

Today's Monday Joys ✨️ - Being busy with lots of nice plans with people - Finishing the first of two wedding presents I'm making and starting the next (both pictured) - Catching up with someone I haven't seen in 6+ years! - Wrapping up to go on holiday soon - Kindness of others encouraging me 😊

Return of Monday Joys ✨️ After a busy few weeks of living life, some highlights are: - Spending lots of time with people who bring joy - Feeling valued & supported to grow at work - Receiving really positive news about my PhD work - Making progress on a tricky glass piece - Doing what I love each day

Today's Monday Joy's ✨️ - Really positive time presenting on autistic advocacy & rights at my work's conference - Going for lunch with my parents, celebrating my sister's engagement - Catching up over coffee with friends and a walk in the sun - Peonies gifted to me by my parents when they visited 🌷

Sunday reflections ☀️ Mental wellbeing can be less of a priority in research when you are prioritising your projects. This week's one-take video is on ways of prioritising mental wellbeing as we approach the end of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek Key point: breaks are essential, you are not alone.

Mental Wellbeing in research: reflections and suggestions this Mental Health Awareness Week 2026

YouTube video by Aimee Fletcher

youtu.be

Really helpful summary of the Scottish election - check out the rest of this thread too!

Fergus Murray@oolong.co.uk · 3mo ago

Let me see if I can summarise it in one post. 🙋🏼‍♀️ Elect 73 MSPs using FPTP 💁🏼‍♀️ Take the list vote for the region 🙅🏼‍♀️ Divide each party's vote by the number of MSPs they've won in that region so far, plus 1 🙆🏼‍♀️ Party with highest number gets one MSP from list 🤷🏼‍♀️ Repeat calculations until all places filled.

Today's Monday Joy's ✨️ - The sun keeps on shining, which as been lovely. - Positive feedback on work I've been doing. - Getting my first ever massage (a gift from friends), which has helped a lot - Spending time celebrating a friend's milestone birthday at an art studio 🎨 - the kindness of others

Someone recently dropped (in all seriousness, not as a joke) the line: "obviously the autism is strong in you" to describe me. This may be my new favourite measurement (tested by carnival high striker). My autism is at its strongest when advocating and promoting autistic voices. 💪

Always a joy to join #AutINSAR and chat about what is happening in Autism research. There was a lot of reflection on current trends, what we want to see in the future & current concerns about the field. Check out @thinkingautism.com fantastic summary capturing both the in-person & online discussion

Thinking Person's Guide to Autism@thinkingautism.com · 4mo ago

Sincere thanks to @autisticenough.bsky.social, @jamiechase.bsky.social, @johnmarble.bsky.social, @kaydenstockwell.bsky.social, @aimeespeaks.bsky.social, @brianirvine.bsky.social, @melromualdez.bsky.social and all other participants who made this year's #AutINSAR chat particularly vibrant. #INSAR2026

The night before #INSAR2026, and not long after I arrived on the Tuesday night, I decided to record a video about conference going with some of my tips for managing whether it be your first (big) conference or you are neurodivergent & need some tips. I hope it is helpful! youtu.be/h3WlvBUdEPo?...

Attending your first conference? Hints and tips from a neurodivergent researcher

YouTube video by Aimee Fletcher

youtu.be

Today's Monday Joys ✨️ - I had a great time in Prague at INSAR catching up with researcher friends & hearing about recent projects, as well as sharing what I've been up to - Managing some sightseeing amongst the busyness - Working on some post-PhD admin & feeling good about it - Having a good rest

Now: Last #INSAR2026 session: All about communication. How do autistic and non-autistic people navigate gaps in communication, including non-speaking autistics?

Last session I am attending at #INSAR2026 is "Expanding Partnerships: Community-Engaged Autism Research with Historically Underrepresented and Marginalised Groups. This panel has presentations by Hannah Morton, Teal Benevides, Micah Mazurek and Gala Morozova.

Today is #AutINSAR, in which the #INSAR2026 community discusses autistic priorities in autism research! The chat will be IRL at 12:45-1:45 PM Prague time in the Club foyer on Level 1, but as we are also chatting on Bluesky you do not have to join in person. As for the questions we'll discuss… 1/

One to join for #ActuallyAutistic #AutRes at #INSAR2026 (sorry for all the hashtags: aiming for reach)

Thinking Person's Guide to Autism@thinkingautism.com · 4mo ago

Today is #AutINSAR, in which the #INSAR2026 community discusses autistic priorities in autism research! The chat will be IRL at 12:45-1:45 PM Prague time in the Club foyer on Level 1, but as we are also chatting on Bluesky you do not have to join in person. As for the questions we'll discuss… 1/

#AutINSAR in 40 minutes! #INSAR2026

Thinking Person's Guide to Autism@thinkingautism.com · 4mo ago

Today is #AutINSAR, in which the #INSAR2026 community discusses autistic priorities in autism research! The chat will be IRL at 12:45-1:45 PM Prague time in the Club foyer on Level 1, but as we are also chatting on Bluesky you do not have to join in person. As for the questions we'll discuss… 1/

Tonight was amazing. The Autistic Researchers Committee social at #insar2026 was an opportunity to connect with other autistic researchers and feel safe to be yourself. I sat at a table full of amazing people who comfortably info dumped about all the things for hours and enjoyed it thoroughly. 💛

It was incredible how many Autistic Researchers were there last night, and lots joined on the night after registration opened up. With so many autistic researchers, it is crucial that #INSAR listen to our feedback about the conference in terms of accessibility and programme content going forward.

John Marble@johnmarble.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I think my first time at INSAR I met ONE autistic autism researcher. At #INSAR2026, there aRE HUNDREDS. 💕♾️🙌

Milton was asked if he would wave a "magic wand" to make his own life and his family's life easier. Sigh. (I personally am VERY TIRED of this question.) Milton doesn't want to change his high support son because he loves spending time with him, one of his most fulfilling relationships. #INSAR2026

Now: #INSAR2026 keynote: Dr. Damian Milton, an autistic academic who originated the #DoubleEmpathy theory of mismatches in autism and communication and power dynamics. His talk is Bridging the Gap: Exploring the current empirical evidence relating to the double empathy problem.

Now attending the SIG "A Global Approach to Reducing Stigma and Enhancing Well-Being through Adopting a Capabilities Approach" Opening by explaining Nussbaum's 10 central capabilities and critiques of these. As this session is an active workshop, I won't be posting during this session. #INSAR2026

Great keynote by Damian Milton this morning! Today I am presenting my poster during the 12:30 slot at poster board 54C. The poster is Amplifying Autistic Voice through Inclusive Governance: Establishing and Co-Creating an Autistic Advisory Panel at Scottish Autism. I'd love to chat! #INSAR2026

Good morning #INSAR2026 I am at the morning keynote awaiting Damian Milton's talk. Damian will be presenting on "Bridging the gap: the current empirical evidence relating to ghe double empathy problem" Milton's introduction highlighted the impact he has had on research. Very excited for this one

Now attending Isolation and Solitude: autistic people's experienced of misunderstanding and (un)belonging. Chaired by Heather Brown, first talk is by Mirabel Pelton on Suicidal thoughts and feelings in autistic young people. #INSAR2026

At the " #ProfoundAutism" SIG. #INSAR2026. The focus last year was on identifying barriers and opportunities for research participation, such as assessment challenges and solutions, training needs, externalizing behaviors, and caregiver and family needs.

Really important observation here about who attends sessions that focus on Autistic People's views. The sessions that we choose to attend and choose not to attend are often a statement of what we prioritise, what we deem important & what we are open to learning about. Positive sign for the future.

John Marble@johnmarble.bsky.social · 4mo ago

It’s encouraging to see a packed room for the Autistic People’s Views panel (@drstevenkapp.bsky.social) at #INSAR2026. I’ll note the majority here are YOUNG autism researchers (not veterans). That’s such an apt commentary on the past/current state of autism research, but also its hopeful future.

Now: Dr. David Mandell, a very thoughtful man who has been attending INSAR since he was a "baby researcher" in 2002, the 2nd conference. He's talking about what we can learn from policy and services research and implementation research, and how these two branches inform each other. #INSAR2026

The International Meeting for Autism Research #INSAR2026 is next week! We'll once again be hosting the #AutINSAR discussion on autistic priorities for autism research, since most research does …not consider those priorities. Join us Sat, April 25. 2025 recap: thinkingautismguide.com/2025/05/what...