Had a good time gathering autism-related research priorities from the community with Dorota Ali at @bathcaar.bsky.social 10 year anniversary event! Also there was ice cream!

I was on my first podcast: Neurodiversum! I met Fabian Hof at Autism Europe while in the quiet room when feeling overwhelmed by the conference BBQ, and we got to talking about the neurodiversity framework. You can listen here: youtu.be/4XYdKu2UA_k?...

Rachel van Daalen: An Autistic Researcher Researches Autism

YouTube video by NeurodiversumInt

youtu.be

🧪New paper out in EClinical Medicine on supporting autistic young people during the transition to adulthood: In the UK, the transition to adulthood often involves increasing expectations for independence, alongside reduced support from education and healthcare systems. (1/3)

Thank you INSAR for not only listening re: how much your autistic attendees loathe the jet engine shrieking of air-propelling hand driers, but actually doing something about it. #INSAR2026

Presenting about this today at #INSAR2026 !

Rachel VanDaalen@rvandaalen.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🧪New paper out on employment and well-being among autistic job seekers in the US 🧵 We looked at 710 autistic job seekers interested in an employment support program. Of those, ~35% were employed and over half of that were underemployed. We didn't find differences in wellbeing by employment status.

🧪 Sarah Liu and I have a new paper out in Rehabilitation Psychology on disability self-identification among adults with chronic conditions 🧵 Not everyone with a medical or psychiatric diagnosis identifies as disabled, but many services and research studies are designed with that identity in mind.

My hot take: many of the problems we see in science would be solved if we got rid of journal word limits

🧪New paper out on employment and well-being among autistic job seekers in the US 🧵 We looked at 710 autistic job seekers interested in an employment support program. Of those, ~35% were employed and over half of that were underemployed. We didn't find differences in wellbeing by employment status.

The only thing holding together my qualitative analysis is these books holding down my different tiny slips of paper and a prayer that my cat won’t jump on this table over the weekend 🙏🙏

Also I got to make some zines myself about autism and character strengths! Here are my favorite pages from my zines about curiosity and about needing space to express strengths.

As a teen going through Mental Health Stuff, academic summer camp was my refuge and the highlight of my year. Learning about zines there changed my life. This weekend, I helped lead zine workshops for autistic youth, and it felt like such a significant moment where my life was coming full circle. <3

Work with our team at @topicgroup.bsky.social (Now called Oxford Centre for Emerging Minds Research)! We're hiring a postdoc and a research fellow on projects related to neurodiversity and strengths in children and adolescents. Links below:

🧪Our (me + UMD undergrad psychology alum Sarah Liu) new study is published in @autisminadulthood.bsky.social! Title: Endorsement of the neurodiversity framework and self-esteem among autistic and non-autistic adults. Read more here: www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/... + thread below

Endorsement of the Neurodiversity Framework and Self-Esteem Among Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults | Autism in Adulthood

Background: Many autistic individuals struggle with poor mental health and low self-esteem, in part, due to internalized stigma. Given the strengths-based perspective of the neurodiversity framework, ...

liebertpub.com

I like to think that I personally ruined the workplace.

I've never been one to post a uni sweatshirt photoshoot upon getting a new position, but luckily I already bought this sweatshirt at age 17 at a thrift store in NYC for the postdoc at Oxford I started this week! The caveat is that my photoshoot is from when I was 17 visiting colleges in NYC.

New publication on Autistic adults’ experiences of attending live music! I am really proud of this study! You can read it for free here: doi.org/10.31219/osf...

I'm never not tempted by a beginning-of-term poster sale on a university campus, despite the fact that I am not a college freshman. Today I considered this Eraserhead poster from the University of Bath.

If we can turn away from interminable social media arguments into practical examination of service provisions that actually benefit autistic people, we will be making a better world. #neurodiversity #SNS25

#AECongress25 attendees: here's some Autism Research Starter Packs, where I've tried to collate BlueSky accounts from those who do/support/facilitate autism research. Let me know if I've missed anyone! 1. go.bsky.app/B9XV8UA 2. go.bsky.app/Pfbbvot 3. go.bsky.app/DWvXhk6

There’s a free #AECongress2025 / #AEC2025 barbecue ticket that I put at a high table near the codex booth for anyone interested in going. I had a colleague who had to leave early for a family emergency and I don’t know who to give it to. Someone use it!

#AECongress2025 guys please 😭😭

Kate Cooper and Leon Allain presenting our lab’s work at Autism Europe #AECongress2025 ! (I spent a long time editing this photo to make it look normal but it looks like the northern lights now!)

When you read a paper from 2007

The Stanford Neurodiversity Summit will be Sept 13-15. Once again we are offering tickets for up to 50 online attendees! Info linked below. Contact us at ThinkingAutism at gmail if you'd like a ticket. It's going to be a fantastic event. stanfordneurodiversityproject.stanford.edu/stanford-neu...

Stanford Neurodiversity Summit

Welcome to the Stanford Neurodiversity Project. We are holding our sixth annual Stanford Neurodiversity Summit from September 13-15, 2025. The theme of this year's summit is "Leveraging Neurodivergent...

stanfordneurodiversityproject.stanford.edu

unfortunately me whenever i go to a bookstore

everything is terrible except for this

ClimateBook@climatebook.bsky.social · last yr.

Did you know Wisconsin has a State Soil? It's Antigo Silt Loam, and the soil scientist F.T. Hole wrote a song in its honor. Here is my first attempt at a cover of the tune.

Calling autism community members and justice professionals (with experience in Magistrates/Crown Court) to help co-design new, accessible resources for autistic people involved in criminal court systems in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 & 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Autism community: lnkd.in/ekxQ_wV5 Justice professionals: lnkd.in/ee8SXbmd #AutRes

The Stanford Neurodiversity Summit is coming, September 13-15, 2025! This incredible learning opportunity is hybrid, with neurodiverse (not just autistic!) employers, service agencies, educators, plus students, parents, and professionals. stanfordneurodiversityproject.stanford.edu/stanford-neu...

Stanford Neurodiversity Summit

Welcome to the Stanford Neurodiversity Project. We are holding our sixth annual Stanford Neurodiversity Summit from September 13-15, 2025. The theme of this year's summit is "Leveraging Neurodivergent...

stanfordneurodiversityproject.stanford.edu

Alright everyone, one last push. If you or anyone you know is: - LGBTQ+ - 13-24 years old - In the US Trevor Project is recruiting responses for their survey on LGBTQ+ mental health. It has HUGE impacts on policy, please take it and share widely if you can :) trvr.org/survey2025

To proceed to the survey, please check off the box and click the button below.

trvr.org

Amazing