Gosh it is a day for some epic research! Sivathasan, S., Moravvej, M., @drmbothapsych.bsky.social & Bottema-Beutel, K. (2026). Aligning Counseling Psychology with Neurodiversity Scholarship: A Call to Action. The Counseling Psychologist, 54(5), 809-834. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Aligning Counseling Psychology with Neurodiversity Scholarship: A Call to Action - Shalini Sivathasan, Maryam Moravvej, Monique Botha, Kristen Bottema-Beutel, 2026

Neurodivergent people are a notably underserved population in counseling psychology, which is an urgent concern given that they experience elevated rates of men...

journals.sagepub.com

"One of the most profound things we can do is provide autistic people space to just be, so they can follow their internal compass, and live well." From @drmbothapsych.bsky.social's #INSAR2026 talk on autistic people steering autism research. (We are finalizing our INSAR 2026 coverage, stay tuned!)

‘Let Us Be the Art, Not Just the Entertainment’: A Participatory Zine-Making Study Engaging Autistic Women and Non-Binary People in Discussing Media Representations of Autism. Dantas, S., @drmbothapsych.bsky.social , Grainger, C., Rafetseder, E., & Jasper, C. (2026). doi.org/10.3390/soc1...

STARTS believes that expertise stemming from lived experience matters, especially in mental health and wellbeing. The problem with much wellbeing research is that neurotypical expectations are prioritized, when in fact autistic goals are not necessarily the same. #INSAR2026

Though important to note that @drmbothapsych.bsky.social says a huge problem is that autistic people are never allowed to just be. And one of the most profound things we can do is provide autistic people space to just be, so they can follow their internal compass, and live well. #INSAR2026

Sincere thanks to @drmbothapsych.bsky.social, @draimeegrant.bsky.social, & @dramypearson.bsky.social for this reminder about listening with care and respect, when choosing which words to describe neurodivergent (not just autistic!) people.

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

“We recommend listening to neurodivergent people to find out about their preferences and using the words that they prefer, instead of solely being led by traditions which have developed without the input of the communities we are referring to.” theconversation.com/what-neurodi... #neurodiversity

I am so so excited to do a keynote and speak amongst so many people doing incredible affirmative work

Thriving Autistic@thrivingautistic.bsky.social · 4mo ago

We are delighted to be a keynote speaker sponsor for NATCA & LOAPAC -Neurodiversity Affirming Psychologists Australia EXPO '26 We are deeply aligned with LOAPAC's values and work. Check out the upcoming conference and ticket info: www.ndaffirmingtherapyaus.org

We are delighted to be a keynote speaker sponsor for NATCA & LOAPAC -Neurodiversity Affirming Psychologists Australia EXPO '26 We are deeply aligned with LOAPAC's values and work. Check out the upcoming conference and ticket info: www.ndaffirmingtherapyaus.org

Tonight I've read @drmbothapsych.bsky.social's piece, "Academic, Activist, or Advocate? Angry, Entangled, and Emerging: A Critical Reflection on Autism Knowledge Production," and I am on fire for this piece. 💥🎯🔥 #HigherEd please read it! #ActuallyAutistic www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy...

Frontiers | Academic, Activist, or Advocate? Angry, Entangled, and Emerging: A Critical Reflection on Autism Knowledge Production

There has been a focus on autistic-led and participatory research in autism research, but minimal discussion about whether the field is hospitable to autisti...

frontiersin.org

My friend is currently recruiting for her PhD - if you are a parent / guardian / caregiver of an autistic young person (aged 8-18) and have views on their screen use, please consider taking part in this short survey. #PhDSky #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky #Parenting #AutisticChild #ScreenUse #Autism

It was great to go talk about my Leverhulme fellowship work at University of Leeds! What a lovely and keen group of people 😄

Prof. Pam Birtill@diervilla.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Wonderful to welcome @drmbothapsych.bsky.social to University of Leeds school of Psychology today, to hear about their important work looking at the language we use when talking about autism and autistic people in research, and how that can dehumanise people.

Participants wanted! 👥 Take part in an online survey on minority stress & neurodiversity (20–40 mins), inc. focus on burden from administrative systems! Open to neurotypical & neurodivergent adults (18+), English proficient, no location limits 🌍 🔗 durhamuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Sometimes you learn about the people behind "parental alienation" or those who enact it's politics (of misogyny) and it's hard to feel anything other than disgust for them and the legacies they leave behind. Trish Barry Relph is one of those contemptuous figures www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

I was warned my children would be ripped in half when we divorced. But I had no idea just how brutal custody cases can be

My experience of court was eye-opening. And when I sat in on other cases, I realised how often mothers are vilified

theguardian.com

Yes, JD. Let’s ask them if they think a stay at home mom, avowed Christian, and widow of a veteran deserved to be shot in the face and left to bleed out in her own car after dropping her 6-year-old off at school, for the crime of looking out for her neighbors. Let’s ask everyone running for office.

Even by my low expectations for Kemi Badenoch ‘violence against women and girls is something done by immigrants and nobody else’ has shocked me.

Zoë Grünewald@zoegrunewald.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Dog-whistle and factually incorrect. Ladies, raise your hand if you were sexually assaulted by a boy at school? I’d wager this or a family member is most women’s first experience of sexual violence

Rethinking power in #AutismResearch: Intersectional, Participatory, & Afrocentric Futures? Book our January seminar with @drmbothapsych.bsky.social & Dr Olivia Matshabane, facilitated by Dr Sohail Jannesari. @kingsioppn.bsky.social @journalautism.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/quahrc-sem...

QUAHRC Seminar: Rethinking Power in Autism Research

Rethinking Power in Autism Research: Intersectional, Participatory, and Afrocentric Futures?

eventbrite.co.uk

Autism in Adulthood@autisminadulthood.bsky.social · 9mo ago

DON'T MISS this article by @tmburns08.bsky.social @drmbothapsych.bsky.social @durhampsych.bsky.social who found that autistic people had more distress and conflict around their identity and poorer mental health than non-autistic people. FREE until November 25th

Interesting, useful - and welcome confirmation that I'm not alone in hating misuse of 'neurodiverse' to describe an individual!

Dr Aimee Grant@draimeegrant.bsky.social · 9mo ago

📣New research Q: What do neurodivergent people think about words like "neurodiversity". A: it's complicated; they use it, but it has limitations and could stigmatise. Full paper: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... (1 of 2)

Absolutely insane. Labour would have purged and smeared someone like Zohran Mamdani. Wes Streeting's politics align far more closely with Andrew Cuomo. The lessons from Mamdani are about how to defeat both the right - and the bankrupt "centre".

Just found out my 12yo is getting recruiting ads for ICE on his school computer. “Help your country. $50k signing bonus.” Depraved and predatory

Yet another inside-out autism research headline! This time it's "Increased prevalence of autism in the children of fibromyalgia patients," when fibromyalgia is a common co-occurring condition for autistic people, so those autistic kids' parents are likely autistic too. DO BETTER AUTISM RESEARCHERS!

I've seen once again, people who are largely uneducated, underinformed, and clearly not up to date on the science absolutely bitching about identify first language, disability pride, and community amongst autistic people and I find it more hilarious then terrifying because they are the equivalent of

a cartoon of homer simpson is holding a newspaper that says old man yells at cloud

Alt: a cartoon of homer simpson is holding a newspaper that says old man yells at cloud

media.tenor.com

Want to do a PhD in Psychology at Durham? I'm looking to supervise candidates interested in researching #PMDD and/or #neurodivergence - drop me a message to chat or discuss ideas!

NINE DTP@ninedtp.bsky.social · 10mo ago

We’re delighted to launch the NINE DTP 26-27 PhD Studentship competition. Please see the NINE website for full details - ninedtp.ac.uk/the-applicat... #NINEDTP #PhD #ESRC

The Spectator (owned by GBNews owner Paul Marshall - estimated wealth of £800 million) doesn’t like taxing wealth fairly. I wonder how they got to this editorial decision? Let’s tax wealth fairly, fund front line services & make hope normal again. join.greenparty.org.uk

Every single day, labour float a new, shitty policy that primarily punishes poorer areas. That's fun 🫠 this is basically just a new and exciting way to defund universities, and slaughter ones already struggling after a decade of underfunding.

Why people don't trust mainstream politics is a mystery...

Absolutely incredible that Labour have been working to make Access to Work *even harder* to access, while pretending that the cuts they wanted to make to PIP were supposed to somehow help people access work.

Michael@therightarticle.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Labour blasted over disability payment 'cuts by stealth' www.thenational.scot/news/2552216...

Labour is trying to prove mental health is over-diagnosed so it can cut DWP benefits further www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/...

Labour is trying to prove mental health is over-diagnosed so it can cut DWP benefits further

Wes Streeting's new review into mental health and neurodivergency will be vice chaired by “the most hated doctor in Britain”, Simon Wessely

thecanary.co

Journalists should never have to fear government retaliation for reporting on government activity, and showing up to work shouldn't result in your family being torn apart.