This research event looks awesome. Seeing other people #dance is joyful. Watching the trailer made me feel like I was #dancing too. #Autism #Autistic #stimming #flourishing Online, Thurs 26 March, 7pm UK time.

Dr Kelly Birtwell@kellybirtwell.bsky.social · 5mo ago

“Dance is what I am. It's how I inhabit my body, and best meet the world; dancing is my main form of stim, and helps me live, rather than barely exist, in the world.” – autistic participant in the Ada study. We’re sharing results & short films on 26 March, 7pm UK time, registration link below. 🧵

Publication day for #Autistic #Menopause: A Guide to the Menopausal Transition for Autistic People and those Supporting Them' by Dr Rachel Moseley and Prof Julie Turner-Cobb, illustrated by me. Knowledge is empowering! uk.jkp.com/products/aut... #autism #neurodivergence #perimenopause #postmenopause

Last year’s outings were more precious than ever as arthritis continued to reduce my mobility. Accessible paths made it possible to experience magical moments like this! #accessibility #disability #nature

#Arthritis is making walking challenging so I’m grateful for accessible routes like this riverside path. My love of nature encourages me to keep mobile and helps with the pain. #disability #nature

Citizen Science as an Approach for Engaging Underrepresented Communities in Health Research to Generate Research Questions and Priorities - Journal of Clinical Epidemiology www.jclinepi.com/article/S089...

#Thread Flourishing in unexpected ways. I should have been at #AEC2025 in Dublin yesterday delivering a multimedia presentation on ageing as an #Autistic person. Instead I was being diagnosed with my 5th Autoimmune condition. I’ve had medical appointments 4 days this week, but I’m thriving! 1/

Access to appropriate services can be life-changing, sometimes life-saving. As an older, disabled #Autistic person who is increasingly reliant on #health and #SocialCare it’s encouraging to see contextual factors that hinder/support #neuro-affirming practice being explored. #Autism

National Autism Implementation Team@naitscotland.bsky.social · 11mo ago

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... open access article published today 🤩 A realist evaluation considering contextual factors that hinder/support #neuro-affirming practice in adult health and social care services @rcpsych.bsky.social @basw-uk.bsky.social @rcot.bsky.social @bpsofficial.bsky.social

Be one of the first to order. Launching today! (UK only - other countries can still freely download and print at home) Order link is in this short video. Please share! youtu.be/VrntRIJCdXY?... @andreabruun.bsky.social @mariecurieuk.bsky.social

FREE end of life care planning toolkit sent to your door

YouTube video by Victoria & Stuart Project

youtu.be

We made it into the Independent! “NHS ‘needs to do more to support autistic people” www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home... #AutRes #AutismResearch #ADHDResearch #ADHD #Autism

#Thread In praise of #OccupationalTherapy #OT. I’ve been experiencing exhaustion like never before. It’s because of autoimmune thyroid disease, along with painful arthritis, exacerbated by the exhaustion of being #Autistic in an unaccommodating world, and effortful listening due to hearing loss. 1/

🧵 At work yesterday morning the most urgent and important task became helping a large #butterfly to exit the building safely. It took me a while to work out what to do. I closed all the blinds, turned off all the lights, and opened the doors so there was only one source of brightness and breeze. 1/

Great opportunity for anyone local to me in Birmingham UK from @autisticparentsuk.bsky.social A new project designed to meet the unique needs of Autistic people who are also carers living in Birmingham - aimed to empower Autistic carers. www.autisticparentsuk.org/supporting-b...

Supporting Birmingham Autistic Carers | Autistic Parents UK

autisticparentsuk.org

I was explaining to my Ukrainian colleague the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’. She told me the equivalent in Ukrainian is ‘The only free cheese is in the mousetrap’ - which is so much better

Those of us who get a late in life Autism #diagnosis often have parents, siblings, children, or grandchildren who are also #Autistic but undiagnosed. Our own assessment can start a chain reaction of recognition. Intergenerational, family-centred aspects of #Autism often get overlooked. 1/

In the late 1990s members of an academic interview panel were alarmed when I used some very tame visual images in my presentation. How I wish they could see me now! padlet.com/rosematthews... #AutisticResearcher #CreativeResearch #Artivism

Multimedia Portfolio

Collection of work

padlet.com

I was interviewed by Tanja Bächler recently for her YouTube channel. The first part is about my life before and after #Autism diagnosis aged 58. At 27 mins the discussion shifts to research I’ve been doing on #Autistic people’s experiences of #menopause #AutisticMenopause youtu.be/DpTsoZsHomw?...

Autism + Menopause EXPLAINED for Us, Late Diagnosed Autistic

YouTube video by Woman on the Spectrum

youtu.be

I’ve waited up until the early hours watching my blood test results come in. A couple of them are abnormal which explains why I’m feeling off. Titrating Levothyroxine is tortuously slow aged 65+ so I’m glad it looks like I’m ready for the next increase in dose! #hypothyroidism #Hashimotos

I love rummaging about in old folders because I never know what I’ll find! Here is a narrated PowerPoint presentation on #AutisticMenopause I recorded after a #menopause festival, based on an installation of curious objects I curated. #CreativeResearch #AutoEthnography tinyurl.com/CuratedMenop...

#Thread An important part of reclaiming my life after a very late #Autism diagnosis has involved rekindling my #research career which had burned out years before. Peer reviewed papers representing all 3 phases of the Bridging the Silos #Autistic #menopause study have now been published. 1/

Delighted to share the 3rd peer reviewed paper from our ‘Bridging the Silos’ study of #Autistic people’s experiences of the #Menopause transition which combines lived experience, creative expression, and #ReflexivePractice. #Neurodivergence #Perimenopause #Autism www.scienceopen.com/hosted-docum...

Stepping into Who I Fully Am : A Creative Exploration of Autistic Menopause

<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d34101e161">Research suggests that perimenopause can compound existing struggles for some Autistic peo...

scienceopen.com

I’ve just sent my response too. #HumanRights #TransRights

Dr Nuits de Young@nuitsdeyoung.bsky.social · last yr.

The EHRC is consulting on its belief that it's right to exclude women and men who are trans from women and men’s groups and spaces. I've just shared my response. Will you add yours? goodlaw.social/dcf1da

Today is #WorldThyroidDay – a reminder of how vital the tiny thyroid gland is to our health. From metabolism to mood, it plays a powerful role. Early detection of thyroid disorders can save lives. Stay informed, get tested, and spread awareness. #ThyroidHealth #EndocrineAwareness

A window in the art museum reveals itself to be a portal to another dimension.

#reflecting

#Thread The benefits of rest and recuperation. An #Autistic perspective. Long before I knew how much I needed it, or why, I booked a short restorative mid-week break at an historic property. A tiny dwelling, above an ancient well, dating back to 1485, at the end of a long tree-lined holloway. 1/

#Thread I woke early because I am going on a long journey and staying away overnight. Travel has always required intense planning and preparation (an #Autism thing) but this has been exacerbated by #arthritis and #hypothyroidism which bring new challenges. It’s both exciting and terrifying. 1/

I’ve had to go to #hospital a lot recently. This film made me cry with gratitude at challenges for #Autistic patients being portrayed so compellingly. Everyone who works in #healthcare should be encouraged to watch this. Barriers sometimes seem overwhelming but solutions can be startlingly simple.

National Autism Implementation Team@naitscotland.bsky.social · last yr.

A lovely 20 minute film called 'Sensory' made with autistic people about their experiences of hospitals. www.youtube.com/watch?v=etCC...

Meanwhile beauty. I love how everything, no matter how small or ethereal casts a shadow, the shadow of a flower is just as shadowy as the shadow of a gun, and if you love light then you should love shadows.

#Thread Accessing emergency healthcare as an #Autistic person. In the early hours of Tuesday morning I was woken by a strange heart rhythm. It was so disturbing that I got dressed in case I needed to go to hospital. That was a dreadful prospect because I rarely fare well in medical settings. 1/

“Each year, over 300,000 people leave their jobs and end up out of the workforce entirely with work-limiting health conditions.” #HealthierWorkingLives #wellbeing #work

The Health Foundation@healthfoundation.bsky.social · last yr.

📣 NEW: Final report by our Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives. The Commissioners say government and employers must act early when health issues arise – not wait until people have already left work ⬇️ buff.ly/EfkpBQu