May 2, 2025 • 57 mins
Spectrum Voices Conversation presents "Harry's Facebook - 9th March 2025".
Facebook post sharing and discussion from Autistic Radio's page.
Shared posts from the following organisations/people:
Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics CIC
Autistic Girls Network
Neurodivergent_lou
The Autistic Teacher
BBC News
Autisticality
Recorded on Sunday 9th March 2025
Podcast runtime - 55 minutes
---
#Ramadan #Autism #OCD #MentalHealth #Adolescence #Exhaustion #SpecialInterests #Hobbies #Meltdowns
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AutisticRadio.com (00:03):
We speak our words, we listen, we speak our words, we listen.
We speak our words.
We listen.
We speak our words.
We listen.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org: Good evening everyone. (00:17):
undefined
This is Harry's Facebookfor Sunday, the 9th
of March, 2025.
This is where we discuss the Facebook
post we've been sharing overthe past couple of days, and the
first post is from the Scottishethnic minority, autistic, CIC.
(00:38):
They're a non-profit organization.
Strive to improve understandingof autistic from the various
communities of the global majority,based in Scotland, the uk.
And what the post is about isthat continuing , the theme
(01:00):
on autistic Ramadan, and it says day nine,
so what they talk about isafter invites and sharing food.
A beautiful cultural tradition ofRamadan is the sharing of food.
When the days are shorter, it is commonto receive invitations from family
and friends to break fast together.
(01:21):
Islamically, it is highly recommendedto help others break their fast, whether
by inviting them or sharing meals.
However, as unmasking becomes morenatural and life's weariness takes its
toll, the pressure to participate inthese traditions can feel overwhelming.
(01:43):
Cooking for others, deciding what tomake, worrying about whether it's good
enough or if something will go wrong.
These thoughts can be paralyzing.
To the outside world.
It may seem like a lack of effort or care
.The reality is different.
Thinking about others happens everyday, . But socializing, exposing oneself
(02:08):
can be another challenge entirely.
Not everything needsto be seen to be felt.
Sometimes care is shownin ways that go unnoticed.
That should be enough.
Does this resonate with you?
Share your story.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (02:26):
I would say all the best of those who celebrate and also.
, I can't imagine what it must be like.
I think that feels like it could bea really big, massive, like, change,
to cope with, I find it hard tocope with Christmas and there's less
expectation by the sounds of things.
And then Ramadan too.
(02:47):
So I'm just kind of reflecting on that.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (02:51):
There has been a lot of modifications to how this is
celebrated, especially since the pandemic.
There are options I imagine, forpeople who may have difficulty with
the social aspects, which I thinkis being indicated in this post.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (03:10):
The covid pandemic has changed a lot
of things and how things are done.
It's a bit more inclusive 'causethe limitations were there before.
So you would hope that's still thecase in many ways, particularly for
people who generally feel excludedfrom activity or feel excluded
(03:31):
because they don't want to do it.
The so-called normal way, Imean, we've talked about it
at Christmas, the supposedly.
The festivities and the way you celebrate,there's a certain way of doing it.
And if you don't do it that way,you're not respecting it, you're not
doing properly or you're strange.
So that must come into play withRamadan as well and other kind
(03:51):
of festivities that happen allaround the world regards to people.
It seems to me that an
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: obvious thing that. (03:59):
undefined
It's a
culture, culture that I'm given theimpression of that is not really
up to speed with , the conceptof autism as neurodivergence.
I'm given the impression it doesn'tfit with the cultural thought.
(04:19):
And so to have an
organization that.
Around Ramadan around within that cultureseems like a really lovely thing to have.
, it's a very niche part of peoplewho are in Islamic culture and who
(04:41):
are also autistic and somebody islooking out for, so I think that's
something I want to comment on.
How lovely that is, that thatorganization itself exists.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (04:52):
Next post is from Autistic Girls Network.
We a charity organization who
campaigns.
And raising awareness of autisticgirls and autistic masking.
And what I've shared is an
article from one of thetrustees, Emily Katie,
(05:15):
I believed wholeheartedly thatI didn't belong in this world.
I was broken in some way, and thatnothing would ever change that
I had known that I was differentfor as long as I could remember.
My brain didn't seem to work inthe same way as everyone else's.
(05:35):
I interpreted things incorrectly,became overwhelmed, easy, and
appeared awkward in social situations.
I did my best to copy those around meand suppress parts of myself that I was
told were weird.
But despite this, I never quitefitted in my anxiety intensified
(05:57):
to the point I was having dailypanic attacks and developed OCD.
This led me to the conclusion that theworld certainly wasn't designed for me.
I didn't believe I had a future.
After attempting suicide, I was admittedto a children's mental health unit where I
(06:17):
was sectioned under the Mental health Act.
The whole experience was incrediblydistressing, though there were some
professionals who were kind andhelped me as much as they could.
I was unwell, but the environmentmade everything worse.
My notes from my admissionssay I had hysteric attacks.
(06:41):
I didn't get my own way, but they weremeltdowns from sudden changes noise,
lack of predictability and fear.
My parents queried if it might beautism, but my doctor said that I
had just had high social anxiety.
(07:01):
I was diagnosed with generalizedanxiety disorder, a mixed personality
disorder, emotionally unstableand obsessive compulsive type.
And discharge more traumatizedthan when I was first admitted.
Six months after my discharge,my life changed with a single
sentence from a psychiatrist.
(07:23):
I think there is one explanation foreverything that you've gone through.
That explanation is autism.
I remember not understanding entirelywhat autism meant, but feeling
an overwhelming relief at finallyknowing why it was different.
I collected many labels already.
(07:43):
Weird drama queen gifted,stupid, hysterical overdramatic
personality disorder, but thiswas the first one that made sense.
I didn't yet have the full picture.
Three and a half years later at theage of 21, I would be diagnosed with
ADHD too but it would start of ajourney towards understanding myself.
(08:08):
The diagnosis didn't changeeverything immediately.
It didn't take away the challengesI experienced on a day-to-day
basis, but understanding my brainsaved me in more ways than one.
My autism diagnosis meant that most ofthe mental health professionals working
me stopped viewing my difficulties throughthe lens of a personality disorder.
(08:30):
I. Therapy could be adaptedto accommodate MO autism.
I had A-C-E-T-R Care Education TreatmentReview, which aims to prevent autistic
young people being admitted to hospital,and my medication was adjusted.
I didn't need to be medicatedwith antipsychotics.
(08:52):
I needed to.
Autistic people's needs are not understoodin the mental health system resulting in
misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
Connecting with the Neurodiversecommunity showed me that I wasn't alone.
(09:12):
Although every autistic person inperson with A DHD is different.
They are
things that unite us, like adepth over tense interest and an
experience of feeling misunderstood.
Just because someone shares thesame diagnoses as me doesn't
mean we'll be best friends.
But learning that there are otherpeople who are experienced in the
(09:36):
world, assimil, to me, was a revelation.
I wasn't the only one that made me think,I didn't believe that other neurodivergent
people didn't have a place in the world.
So why did I believe thatto be true for myself?
I threw myself into learning everythingI could about autism and A DHD.
(09:59):
This gave me the language to describe theexperiences that I'd never understood.
I wasn't having hysteric attacks,I was having autistic meltdowns, an
involuntary response to overwhelm.
I wasn't a drama queen.
I was experiencing sensoryoverload because my heightened
sensitivities to sensory stimuli.
(10:22):
I wasn't stupid or lazy.
I was experiencing difficultieswith executive functioning AL
processes, such as planning,
prioritization, working memory,and time managing are typically
harder for those with A DHD,
it wasn't my fault.
I started to be able to reframe corenegative beliefs I held about myself
(10:46):
instead of hating myself, of beinghysterical, dramatic, and stupid.
I looked at my challengeswith more neutrality.
. I knew now that certain thingswere harder for me and I knew why.
With the understanding ofmy challenges also came an
understanding of my strengths.
One of the things I'd be criticized forgrowing up was my expression of joy.
(11:10):
I was too much.
I needed to tone down.
When
I read about autistic joy forthe first time, I resonated
deeply with this description.
For me, autistic joy is one of the mostbeautiful things about being autistic.
It's an all encompassing,intense feeling of joy.
(11:30):
It completely consumes andfloods my body with warmth.
It makes me want to jump up and downstem like making a better embodiment
sounds and squeal with excitement.
For so long I felt ashamed of this, butwhen I understood it was okay for me to
express my joy differently to other peopleand that the authentic version of me
(11:54):
was acceptable, I started to embrace itand it is made life so much or colorful.
, as I learned how my brain worked.
I was able to identify ways thatcould help with my challenges.
For instance, knowing that I struggledwith executive dysfunction, I was
able to implement strategies intomy work life, like visual charts and
(12:18):
using hyper focus to my advantage.
Small burst of tense focus mean that Iget my work done, but I don't need to
beat myself up for a lack of consistency.
Rather than trying to adapt my brain todo things in a certain way, I learned
to adapt things to suit my brain.
(12:40):
Little by little life became easier, andthere were fewer mornings when I woke
up wishing I hadn't simply acceptingthat my brain worked differently
to other peoples, and that is okay.
Then my life started to change enormously.
I started to see.
I had been trying to force myselfto fit into a mold, desperate to be
(13:04):
like everyone else and not stand out.
But I was learning that I couldn'tkeep forcing myself into situations.
I found overwhelming and distressing.
The panic attacks and meltdowns weretoo damaging, and I didn't want to
end up back in a mental health crisis.
(13:24):
If I didn't know I was neurodivergent,I'd probably still believe
that I was lazy and difficult.
But because I have this knowledgeand understanding, I can make my own
adjustments in my day-to-day life,something that everyone should feel
able to do, regardless of whetherthey're neurodivergent or not.
(13:45):
There is no one right way to do anything.
It's okay for people's journey to lookat a little different after my A DHD
noticed, I started an A DHD medication.
The difference thishas made is monumental.
A DHD medication doesn't solve everything,but now my thoughts are constantly racing.
(14:08):
My brain feels less exhausting.
I'm less impulsive.
I can think things through properly.
And work isn't so difficult.
I can't believe how much quieter mybrain feels and how much easier it is
to get on the task and focus properly.
A DHD medication has made my life moremanageable over the past few years.
(14:33):
The most valuable thing I've learnedis that I don't have to do things
the same way that everyone else does.
I recently attended my friend's hen doa weekend filled with things that made
me anxious, like socializing noise innew places and a change in routine.
But instead of not going orstruggling through it, I decided
(14:55):
to actually cater to my needs.
I told my friend I wouldn'tbe going clubbing 'cause I
couldn't go with a noise.
Anxiety.
I breaks when I needed to.
I wore my noise cancelingearphones in restaurants.
I didn't drink alcohol.
I was back in my hotel room by11:00 PM each night with a book.
(15:16):
And because I wasn't panicking,I was able to celebrate my friend
properly, and we all had a lovely time.
Being able to make adjustments for myselfand advocate for what I need means that
I can enjoy occasions like this andthat makes life feel more worth living.
I am so grateful to have the knowledge andunderstanding diagnostic and have a DHD.
(15:42):
I do know how I would've got the cycleof self hatred and self-destruction
had I not gained this knowledgeor this understanding of myself
and neurodivergent community.
I truly believe that understanding myneuro divergent brain saved my life.
It has given me a purpose.
(16:03):
Do you advocate for others like me?
I am the Sunday Times bestsellingauthor of Girl and Mask, how Uncovering
My Autism Saved My Life, a blogger,a mental health nurse, and trustee of
the Charity Autistic Girls Network.
I have friends who accept me forwho I am, but more importantly,
(16:24):
I accept myself for who I am.
I never thought I would make itpast the age of 16, but I. And
life is now filled with joy.
If I could tell someone who had a similarjourney to me, one thing I would say
this, no one is ever too broken or toomuch of a failure to be in this world.
(16:49):
You deserve to have your needs metand your strengths appreciated.
Please don't ever give up hope.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com: Thank you for that, Harry. (16:58):
undefined
I took all that in whilstalso checking her out online.
She is 22 now and she's a qualifiedmental health nurse and BBC article's
quite informative about her, but thatwas quite an informative article.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (17:17):
I found the post very relatable and a lot of weight
, and what she was saying about yeah.
Um, I dunno how to put it into words.
It's like.
Stopping Gaslight in yourselfabout the reality you experiencing,
like knowing that you've gotbrain and being a life changing.
(17:40):
And life affirming experience.
I really do relate to that.
And I liked where they were sayingthat there's like so many other
like kind of along the lines of thatthere's so many different ways to do
stuff and I just feel like that isthe conclusion I came to too, and I'm
glad to hear somebody else say that.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (18:01):
Yeah.
You know,
this felt great to.
Because there's so many people that arefeeling lost and feeling, you know that
lost, that they're even feeling suicidal.
And I've been in that situation myself along time ago, around the age of 16, 17.
(18:24):
'cause I wasn't sure or what the hell wasgoing on before the diagnosis came along
and everything began to make sense.
Not right away.
It began to make sense of why it wasdifferent and why things were difficult
in many ways, and it's good to readand hear about similar experiences
(18:46):
and other individual experiences andhow that's helped people to build a
more positive life, to become like an
inspiration to others.
And generally, from what I can readfrom these sort of stories is at
the end of the day, they get tosomewhere in their journey with a
(19:07):
feel a lot better than they did.
A lot more positive and it'svery successful, but not
taking anything granted and not
think at end of the journey, butalso wanting to help people in
a similar situation because you
know what it's like to feel really bad.
You know, really down and feelingworthless, that sort of language.
(19:30):
So it kinda gives you an incentive tohelp others that maybe feeling the same.
Not force anybody to do what you do,but at least give a bit a hope to people
that if you do things in your own wayas light at the end of the tunnel,
The next post is from NeurodivergentLou, who's a blogger, who's finding
(19:54):
a place the neurotypical world, and
neuro divergent Lou.
Has shared a presentation.
As an autistic person, I can't conveyexactly how exhausting it can be.
Lots of autistic people experienceconstant exhaustion sometimes
without really knowing why theymay struggle with having to
(20:18):
limit activities due to this too.
Autistic people also sometimesdescribe experiencing physical
symptoms of exhaustion too.
Reasons why autistic people may haveless energy includes masking autistic
traits, difficult with sleep, atendency to see the smaller details
(20:38):
before the bigger picture and theexecutive functioning struggles.
Having spiky skills profile,meaning we have to work harder
than others in certain areas.
The exhaustion of sensory issues, thepre-planning for every scenario using
(20:59):
energy, communicating and decoding socialinteractions, also adapting to changes in
routine struggles, regulating emotions.
Brain processing more thaninformation rest co-occurring
to chronic illness events.
(21:20):
Under myself, no.
I haven't taken my exhaustion andlack of energy seriously enough.
At times, I have expected myselfto push through the reality.
I need to rest and look after myself,but it can be so hard, particularly with
the unconscious messaging from society.
We suggest that in order to be worthy,we need to always be productive.
(21:46):
It can feel like we're having tometiculously monitor and manage our
energy in order to look after ourselves.
We may be desperately tryingto avoid burnout, which can
be incredibly difficult.
It can feel like we are constantly onthe edge, one wrong, move away from.
(22:08):
Now can mean becoming unableto do anything and losing the
ability to do what we need to.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (22:15):
Yeah, A lot of these are identifiable, lucky sleep,
and I've been noticing that recently.
It's not that I'm in an insomnia or
anything, or have any difficulty sleeping.
I love sleeping.
It's just, I won't let myself go to bedat the right time because it's, they used
to call it formal fear of missing out.
(22:36):
It used to be like using media orbeing online, but now it's kind of
like, uh, reading and writing andI just push past the time when I'm
tired and then I'm not tired anymore,so I should get outta that habit.
Especially at my age.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (22:57):
The
strange
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (22:57):
thing
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (22:58):
I feel is if I don't have something to do.
Not doing anything at all.
It's like there'ssomething I've missed out.
It's just like my body, ithas a resistance to relax.
Because it's that busy lookingto complete tasks, to complete
(23:19):
issues or to plan ahead.
And it's like there's this day,which isn't a weekend, it just
feels odd not to be doing anything.
And don't get me wrong, I dofind something to do anyway,
and I try and say it myself.
That's just a natural thing.
There's gonna be the idea whereyou've been committing, and
(23:40):
then a day where it's quiet.
Enjoy it.
Embrace, if you've got things to do, youknow, within like emails and I do things
online with Facebook and all that, youcan, you don't need to kinda hammer in it.
You can spread over the day.
You can even sleep a bit longer.
But the habit I've got Raymondas well, is I don't sleep enough.
(24:02):
Sometimes I stay up all night, thengo to bed a bit seven o'clock in
the morning, then go up about 12or one o'clock in the afternoon.
How I've gotten to, no, I don't thinkit's a disastrous thing because it's not
affecting me the, the next day in manyways, but there's some times that it does,
. The next post is from the autisticteacher, public figure, autistic and
(24:28):
proud shedding insight and understandingto help the autistic community based
in the uk and what they're sharingabout is autism and special interests.
Autistic special interestsare more than just hobbies.
They are windows and toward passion,expertise, and endless possibilities.
(24:50):
Special interests are not justtrains and planes and can be just
about anything similar to hobbies.
However, they a new diversion person, aspecial interest, differs in intensity.
It is a deep enthusiasm thatus to immerse ourselves.
And a chosen area of expertise.
(25:12):
They bring joy for manyneurotypical individuals.
Special interests may be seen as merehobbies or something to pass the time.
However, autistic individuals, thesespecial interests are much more than that.
They're a source of comfort, joy,and purpose in a world that can often
(25:33):
feel overwhelming and confusing.
Special interests provide a sense ofpredictability and control, allowing
us to engage in activities that bring
genuine pleasure andfulfillment expertise.
One of the most remarkable aspectsof special interest is as a level of
(25:53):
expertise and knowledge that autisticindividuals develop in our chosen fields.
The intense focus and dedicationthat they bring to the special
interest often results in a levelof mastery that is truly impressive.
Whether it's memorizing intricatedetails of a favorite movie, becoming an
(26:14):
expert in aspecific academic subject, orexcelling in a particular skill of talent.
Autistic
individuals often have a depthof understanding that is truly
awe inspiring social interaction.
Special interests can also be a bridge tosocial interaction and connections with
(26:37):
others.
Shared interests provide a commonground for building relationships
and forming communities based onMitchell passion and enthusiasm.
As we share our expertise andknowledge with others who share
the same interests, we can expandour social circle and contribute
valuable insights and perspectives.
(26:58):
Safe.
When I think about my specialinterest, it feels safe and comforting.
I
also feel more confident when talkingto others like I actually have
something valuable to contribute.
It gives me energy and happiness thatallows me to regulate employment.
(27:21):
In some cases, our special interestscan become a means of employment.
We might find that our expertise anddedication to a special interest becomes
highly desirable for employers boundaries.
There is a point where a specialinterest can become unhealthy.
(27:41):
It can push an artistic individualto the point of exhaustion.
It can cause us to forget some of theother important stuff going on in life.
It's a good idea to giveyourself some boundaries, like
limiting the time for me, no.
Most research after midnight or by addingin something else that you enjoy, like a
(28:05):
walk or some sensory time understanding.
Having a special interest isall part of being autistic.
Their interests can change and swap.
It can be a sad and anxious time wherewe transition to another interest.
Their special interests are oftencelebrated, but often not understood.
(28:30):
I hope this goes some way tohelping you to understand the
joys and downfalls of special
AutisticRadio.com (28:42):
interests.
Well.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (28:48):
The phrase special interests repeated about
AutisticRadio.com (28:52):
a couple
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (28:53):
dozen
AutisticRadio.com (28:53):
times.
And
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (28:57):
other than the insight, you know,
the insight seems pretty good.
We do really get into things.
We do have passions forthings can be choice.
It's just something a bit
(29:18):
ative.
Professionalism, professional interest.
There's all kinds of other synonyms,but in the end, people do need to
sort of umbrella this together , toknow what we're talking about.
So the archaic language exists.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (29:34):
Does anyone here have a special interest?
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (29:38):
And that's a few throughout my life.
And when, earlier onwhen you were reading.
I was thinking about how engagingwith was always like quite a relaxing,
kind of restorative like thing to do.
And then I was thinking about whenthey said about, it can be exhausting.
You can go over your limits.
(29:58):
I'm like, oh yeah, thatcan happen as well.
But like, , I'm a big schedulernow and this sort of time
that I have like that is.
My own time to do stuff.
Like , I know that I can recharge bylike, you know, normal resting or I can
kind of do an activity that like, that'sconnected for me to some of my passions
and I find myself as charged up as, youknow, if not more charged sometimes.
(30:23):
So it's all been about kind oflike, I suppose my life so far
has been about getting balance.
It's something that works for me to do.
Yeah, like I also get the kind of,when things have been wonky, it's been
like a place , you know, getting rightinto these special and chest as being
like, I suppose it's like a placewhere like I've been able to escape.
(30:46):
But I remember before I really understoodmy autism at all, I did have a bit
of a sense of shame about some ofthis, my, like my special interests
because, or like there would betimes that they would be really like.
Niche and kinda non sort of functionaland like, it was just really hard to
(31:08):
explain why I needed to kind of recordinformation in a really arbitrary semen
way, but it made me feel a lot better.
So it's something I had a lot, whereasnow I wouldn't feel the need to.
It's
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (31:21):
a shame because you were trying to share it with others,
or did you actually feel yourself.
I know what you're saying there,but I didn't try and share
my things with other people.
Really.
See what I mean?
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (31:38):
Yeah.
Like the shame that I'm talkingabout wasn't coming from sharing.
It was more like feeling like Ineeded to hide or just not be seen
kind of engaging and my kid isstrange list making stuff that was.
You know, kind of part of this, theself saving, I just knew that other
people didn't do that and that like,you know, wanted to go off and copy
(32:00):
stuff out and, you know, remove theinformation around was just not what
other people thought of as recreation.
So it was that like, I think itwas just like the bits of myself
that I really didn't understand.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (32:13):
Is that not what they call research?
I mean in the sense that now you likeschedules in a way, it's an extension
of your previous special interest.
I wouldn't say your special interestnow is schedules, you know, but
it's like balance, isn't it?
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (32:30):
Yeah.
. It was kind of research, but it'salso like there was like, and it's
not something I do as much nowthat I'm older, but my base, 'cause
I just don't have as much time.
But I used to really enjoy likecataloging and re cataloging and just
doing like, you know, going over theinformation like quite repetitively.
So it was like kind ofresearch, but kind of just like
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: a nice little routine. (32:56):
undefined
It.
AutisticRadio.com (32:57):
Yeah.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (32:58):
Yeah.
AutisticRadio.com (32:58):
Feels
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (32:58):
good.
It's not, it's not constant research.
It's not a, I have to knowabsolutely everything about
dinosaurs or when a cliche like that,
or the Ford 1976 escort.
It's a repetition and a comfortand a stem that goes with dealing
with the information that's around.
(33:21):
That can be physical as well.
That can be like the kids, autistickids lining up their cars or their
IES or cataloging things and goingthrough that again and again and again.
So , there's kind of this often yourspecial interest, there's lots of
(33:42):
opportunities within it for otheractivities that are basically stems.
You know, your special interestmight be medieval uniforms, and then
there's an awful lot in that, whichis cross stitch and the stem is a
continually use of your handicraft.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (34:00):
Yeah.
What Jules just said there made methink about, you know, the extension is
stemming as like an embodied performance.
I used to know people whose sonhad aspers at the time, and.
Was obsessed with DJing, but hewas only obsessed with DJing.
One album called, now that's what I callmusic, and what he was really into was
(34:26):
wearing a leather jacket while he did it.
So he was always at mefor leather jackets.
Could I get one?
Do I have any, blah, blah, blah.
And reflecting back on that and thinking,it's like a performance, isn't it?
STEM in itself sometimes.
It's like, an enacted, embodied situation.
(34:48):
And it made me think about aconversation we had during the
SE series about jus traveling.
And I got this impression of what juswas doing in India at times was in
a sense simply just walking around.
But that itself be, and whenyou mentioned the clothing that
(35:08):
you wore and things like that.
Me think like not an intentionalperformance, but just performing, just
being yourself to a certain extent.
And that can be a very core, essential,special interest, if you see what I mean.
Oh, that sounds okay.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (35:29):
I would absolutely go along
with what you're saying.
And there's a bit where you went.
Equate on it, and I, I would actuallygo, no, it's a performance and it's a
kind of known performance and , thatis a release that is an opportunity.
AutisticRadio.com (35:48):
The next post is from the BB, C.
It's regarding
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (35:56):
the chancellor of the UK who set to cut
welfare spending by billions, whichwill effect a lot of autistic people.
So I'll just read out the article,which was assured in the 5th of March,
(36:20):
2025, economics Editor, C News.
It says that the chancellor is earmarkedseveral billion pounds in draft spending
cuts to welfare and other governmentdepartments ahead of the spring statement.
The treasury will put the proposed cutsto the government official forecaster.
The office for budgetresponsibility will be, ah, on
(36:43):
Wednesday, uh, mid expectations.
The Chancellor's financialbuffer has been wiped out.
Sources says the world has changed sinceRachel Reeve's budget last October,
Rachel Reeves being the chancellor.
When the OBR indicated she had a 9.9billion pounds available to spend
(37:06):
against self-imposed borrow rules.
The B'S forecasters like to see thatdisappear because of global factors
such as trade tariffs, as well as higherinflation and borrow costs in the uk.
, the treasury will on Wednesday,informed OBR of its major measures
(37:28):
essentially changes to tax and spendingin order to meet the chancellor's
self-imposed rules on borrowing money.
The government is committed to debtfalling as a share of the economy
during this course of this parliament,and only borrow to fund investment,
not to cover day-to-day spending.
(37:49):
Such rules put in place by mostgovernments in wealthy nations are
designed to maintain credibilitywith financial markets.
Reeves has repeatedly saidour rules are non-negotiable.
Spending cuts drafted by the treasurywill help plug the gap that has emerged
in recent months ahead of the OBRpublishing its forecast and reuse,
(38:11):
giving a statement on the 26th of March.
The Treasury has blamed severalglobal factors, including trade
tariffs and the war in Ukraine forpushing up government borrowing costs.
Clearly, the world has changeda lot since the autumn budget.
People are watching that changehappen before their eyes or
(38:33):
Government Insider told to BBC.
The office for budget responsibility will
reflect the changing world and itsforecast later this month and a changing
world be a core feature of the chance's.
Response.
Later this month, insiders expectpolitically painful new welfare cuts
that are designed to reduce the hugegrowth in health related benefits.
(38:57):
Which will be outlined in a forthcomingspeech from Working Pension.
Secretary Liz Kendall asked on Wednesdayif welfare cuts where the right approach.
Justice as Secretary Sha UD toldBBC Radio Force Today program, there
had been a huge rise in the welfarebudget and there were too many.
(39:18):
Young people not in work,education or training.
There's a moral case here for making surethat people can work at, are able to work.
And there's a practical point here aswell because our current situation is
unsustainable.
Shared res as previously pledged.
Fundamental reform of the welfaresystem with concerns overriding
(39:43):
spending on health related benefits.
Last year, the government spent65 billion on sickness benefits.
A 25% increase from the yearbefore the covid pandemic.
That figure is forecast to increaseto around a hundred billion
before the next general election.
(40:04):
Some of that is a legacy of Covid.
The ministers have complainedabout the incentives, which
encourage some to game the system.
People in universal credit mustshow evidence that they have
applied for jobs or faced sanctions.
The people outta work who also qualifyfor sickness benefits both get more money
(40:24):
and not necessarily required to seek work.
Steve Wright Fire Brigade's UnionGeneral Secretary said any welfare
courts, we be an outrageous attackon the poorest and most vulnerable.
Chancellor will argue she hasn'tchanged her plans and that the
government's always going to fix thewelfare to get people back to work
(40:46):
and make the NHS more productive.
Headroom or no headroom, chancellor isdetermined to push through the change.
We need to make grit more secure andprosperous with the whole government
making that argument in the comingweeks and inside, I've told the B, B, C,
. So basically they're harming the vulnerable to balance a budget.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (41:10):
A certain reality check in this isn't there.
, because the politics of themoment are that we are in the
worst position coming outta covidthan any of the other economies.
Mostly because our health service wasn'tresilient enough to be able to cope
(41:32):
with Covid and then get back to normalstraight after, like Germany was, didn't
have an increase in backlog of cancerpatients and such life that we have now.
An awful lot of our workforcehas been forced into.
(41:52):
Ability to keep people in theirnormal jobs and they've fallen
into an inadequate system.
, the shit that we are in
AutisticRadio.com (42:01):
economically means that it's a done deal.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: It's going to be savage. (42:07):
undefined
The savings that are going to be.
Crisis.
We have been left in with the mismanageof Covid on amount of, because of the way
(42:30):
supported the economy with the leastamount of benefit in comparison to
other countries that are comparable.
Arguing for
anything other than what is going tobe a very, very hard economic future
(42:52):
over the next decades, is futile.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (42:57):
I'm a bit more concerned about the billionaires
that are gaming the system . Then likeI think the whole, you know, that line
game in the system, that's absolutelydisgusting to be applying that to
like people who are needed support.
We're in the worst position comingoutta Covid and you see like contracts
worth 15 billion, had corruption,red flags from Tory, Covid,
(43:20):
contracts and stuff too.
And it's like.
People, we, you know, yeah, our country'sa lot poor after Covid, but billionaires
like got so much money out of that.
They're getting so much moneyout of all the bad stuff.
So I feel like, let's keeppointing the finger towards them.
And what if we had a wealthcap of like 10 million?
(43:40):
Like, that just seems more reasonable.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (43:43):
Well, the problem is, is how governments
are supported in campaigns aregetting elected in the first place.
Who really runs the country withoutgetting into this kinda so-called
paranoia thing, it's not paranoid.
It's true.
It's so obvious.
It's true because the big mistakes oreven, you know, things are deliberately
(44:05):
done in the financial terms.
There's no consequence of that.
What they generally do is to counter that,whether it's the same government or not.
They'll just go and hit the poorestbecause the poorest and the most
vulnerable don't or can't fight backthe way that the ones at the top
(44:28):
could, because they can play a system.
They can even play the law,the legal system as well.
I mean, there's many people that arevulnerable and things like that that can
go down certain avenues and can get thesupport, but it's very training, fighting
for something you should get anyway.
What really annoys me about all thisis just trying to make people feel
(44:50):
who are on benefits like myself,and have been for many years, to
feel bad about your own existence.
You've been a pest.
You've gotta do more.
After years and years of trying tomake, you know, to like myself in
my wellbeing in the first place.
And I feel this sort of thingis just going to hurt people.
So many people have, not justfinancially, but you know.
(45:15):
Medically, you know, healthily as humanbeings, it's going to hurt people hard.
It's not, obviously, it's not justan artistic thing it's going to
hurt people so hard that it's justgonna be a total negative effect.
All because of power games bypoliticians who are themselves generally.
(45:36):
Millionaires and billionaires anywayand have no clue or what it's like to
live that many people do in the country.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (45:45):
I think it's not that they don't have a clue, it's
if they don't care and we need to keepfo pointing the finger back billionaires
when they try start pointing at us.
And like you said, it's like, you know,I too, I am on, on benefits and when
I look around and I think about thepeople that I know, there's like really.
(46:05):
Like, there's unpaid work that happens.
It's just like, not valued, , but it'salmost like the equivalent of like a
whole little ecosystem that happens.
And it's like that we shouldn't beashamed of ourselves, like at all.
The small contributions canmake a really big difference
when people are volunteering.
And I think it's just like.
(46:27):
That empowerment and self-esteem has tobe so there because yeah, it could get
hard, it could get really difficult, butlike, I always feel like, in terms of like
if you were trying to heal an issue, thefirst thing is like trying to get a really
good understanding of what the problem is.
And I think it's billionaires.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: It's very much like the early (46:45):
undefined
AutisticRadio.com (46:53):
1980s.
And
the only way forward in this,
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (47:02):
because the way it's working out is that the inequality is
increasing and increasing and increasingmore in this country than other countries.
So it does have to hitsome kind of threshold.
Some
radical solutions will have tocome through because it's such
(47:25):
a bad situation that things arefalling apart to such a degree.
There has to be some radical solutions.
And last time one of the radical solutionswas called the Enterprise Allowance
Scheme, which was a system that youcould gain, but it also meant that.
Theater people gained it and allkinds of arts organization gained it.
(47:46):
So , there was essentially a basic livingwage or a basic universal wage that was
given to people for short periods of time.
So something like that could comethrough and outta this, all the
current thinking is just the statusquo and it's not gonna get us anywhere.
(48:07):
We can just hope that the crisis isbig enough for some really imaginative
things coming through based on whatNicola talks about in the community.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (48:16):
The final post of today is from Autisticality
it's an education page and it'sdescribed as this is a platform for me
to share my content and creations onautistic people and artistic experience
and the based in the uk, and they'retalking about autistic meltdowns
(48:37):
and what the signs of the meltdownsand the causes and what helps.
Meltdowns are externalresponses that are caused.
By being overwhelmed and can occurfor both autistic children and
adults, meltdowns are not tantrums.
The signs of a meltdown includeanger, crying, self-harm, shouting,
(49:02):
and involuntary body movements.
The causes are usually overwhelmedfrom sensory overload or
increased demands, exhaustion.
Example from excessive masking,changes in routine in environments,
et cetera, difficulty in navigatinga social situation, relationship,
(49:25):
feelings of rejection, sensitivity,and what helps everyone deals
with meltdowns in their own way.
So ask the person what helps them most.
Try to work out what triggersmeltdowns to prevent them from
beginning to happen in the first place.
(49:46):
Do not punish or shamesomeone for having a meltdown.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (49:53):
I think they don't punish or shame thing
feels like really important as well.
'cause I feel like that.
Suppression of emotion and suppression ofdistress can kinda just make it so, so,
so much worse and more intense as well.
So it's just like, it's already like alayered experience and it's like Yeah.
(50:13):
As little as possible.
, and not a lot of words.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org: Well, thanks everybody. (50:18):
undefined
This will come to the end of the podcast.
So this is Harry's Facebook for the 9thof March, 2025, which is part of the 5 55.
Spectrum voice conversation on atested radio, which is every Sunday
from 5:55 PM to 7:30 PM UK time.
(50:42):
I look forward to doingit again next week.
. And now over to Jules.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: Thank you, Harry yes. (50:46):
undefined
Really enjoyed thatthought provoking stuff.
Now we're gonna have a look at what we'redoing here on autistic radio and through
autistic association, the autistic charitywholly organized by autistic people to
support the activity of autistic radio.
I've made a decision as far as I'mconcerned, about how we're going to
(51:11):
be steering the next few months ahead.
We have a balance for ouractivities here at Autistic Radio.
How much do we spend our time workingwith researchers and how much do we
spend our time working with people fromthe various professions around autism
(51:31):
and how much do we spend our time on?
What immediately
AutisticRadio.com (51:36):
suits us, serves us, networks us, puts us together as a.
Self-sustaining,self-reliance movement, and
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (51:51):
speaking with my colleagues here at Autistic Radio,
I feel supported when I say that we'regonna be moving much more towards the
self-reliance, resistance ability to.
(52:13):
Not just a positivity, not just a spinon, , autism realizations, but the
practicalities of it all supportingourselves mentally through the output
that we have here on artistic radio.
So when I go down to speak with , the.
(52:42):
Yes, there will be possibilitiesfor you to work with us in the
future, but our focus is elsewhere.
I'm opening the meeting for to anybodyto make comments for the floor on that.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (52:56):
I can understand the position I think
looking at told with us a few times
AutisticRadio.com (53:01):
recently.
We need to shift
Harry-Autistic-Association.org: our focus, which suits us, (53:05):
undefined
which we are comfortable with.
Which we feel is more progressivebecause sometimes recent times
when we talk about talking withprofessionals, it's like a long slog
for very little progress, and sometimes
(53:26):
this feels that a lotof energy's been wasted.
Not of blame anyone.
It's just like the efforts that havebeen made is not given enough back.
And I know yourself, Jules has done alot of work and done a lot of work with
a lot of different organizations andreally played patient and understanding
(53:49):
of things can be a bit slow, but sometimesit's good just to take away from that
and just focus on things that we cando a bit more progressively quicker.
And you can see.
The blossoming of the efforts,you know, a lot quicker than
you would with professionals.
'cause I know it's a frustratingexperience with some professionals.
(54:12):
Some professionals are great,but some can be very frustrating.
And they say they'll do something andthen they appear to do something else
and their excuse is they're doingsomething in a way that's within
that suits within their funding
or suits within the criteria of the work.
And it's just a veryfrustrating experience.
(54:33):
So that's my point on
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (54:35):
it.
I think it sounds way more fun.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (54:38):
Yes.
I think given our conversation earlier inthe 4, 4, 4, we have a lot to get into.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (54:48):
Wow.
That's lovely.
That's really supportive.
It feels that this meetingwe're definitely declaring.
Those of us that are here todayare pushing in the same direction.
They support what we're saying here.
Let's do it.
Have that fun, you know, let's have thatpunk resilience movement, that revolution.
(55:09):
Let's enjoy that part of it andreally ring that drive for as much
as we can for the next little while.
Autistic radio is about us.
It's for us, and it's from us.
Autistic Radio is about you.
It's for you, and it can be from you.
(55:31):
We have every single Sunday dropin four, four 4:00 PM every Sunday.
That's not live.
That's us getting together,us talking community.
Every Sunday, Harry leads a fivefive 5:00 PM a discussion around
(55:52):
the Facebook page that he creates.
Involve yourself by suggestingwhat we should talk about next.
Share it with Harry and.
The bigger picture, advocate, use us.
Speak to the world, your project,your idea, your enthusiasm.
(56:18):
We have a whole range of differentprograms that will fit what you want.
As far as listening goes, there'ssome challenging stuff out there.
Because amongst the identity, theentertainment, and the community,
we also make serious programs withautism professionals challenging
(56:43):
their ideas and bringing whatyou say in other spaces to them.
A lot of those are difficult listens,but it's a holistic gathering.
It comes all together.
Autistic radio is very varied.
We need a favor to encourage us.
(57:06):
We need you to share us.
When you share us.
You give autistic people power.
When you share us, you makeus impossible to ignore.
When you repost on LinkedIn and Facebookand anywhere else, you are advocating
(57:28):
for everybody in the autistic community.
So pick the things that you arehappy with and get them out there.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou, thank you from all of us.
We speak our words, we listen, we speak our words, we listen.
We speak our words.
We listen.
We speak our words.
We listen.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org: Good evening everyone. (00:17):
undefined
This is Harry's Facebookfor Sunday, the 9th
of March, 2025.
This is where we discuss the Facebook
post we've been sharing overthe past couple of days, and the
first post is from the Scottishethnic minority, autistic, CIC.
(00:38):
They're a non-profit organization.
Strive to improve understandingof autistic from the various
communities of the global majority,based in Scotland, the uk.
And what the post is about isthat continuing , the theme
(01:00):
on autistic Ramadan, and it says day nine,
so what they talk about isafter invites and sharing food.
A beautiful cultural tradition ofRamadan is the sharing of food.
When the days are shorter, it is commonto receive invitations from family
and friends to break fast together.
(01:21):
Islamically, it is highly recommendedto help others break their fast, whether
by inviting them or sharing meals.
However, as unmasking becomes morenatural and life's weariness takes its
toll, the pressure to participate inthese traditions can feel overwhelming.
(01:43):
Cooking for others, deciding what tomake, worrying about whether it's good
enough or if something will go wrong.
These thoughts can be paralyzing.
To the outside world.
It may seem like a lack of effort or care
.The reality is different.
Thinking about others happens everyday, . But socializing, exposing oneself
(02:08):
can be another challenge entirely.
Not everything needsto be seen to be felt.
Sometimes care is shownin ways that go unnoticed.
That should be enough.
Does this resonate with you?
Share your story.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (02:26):
I would say all the best of those who celebrate and also.
, I can't imagine what it must be like.
I think that feels like it could bea really big, massive, like, change,
to cope with, I find it hard tocope with Christmas and there's less
expectation by the sounds of things.
And then Ramadan too.
(02:47):
So I'm just kind of reflecting on that.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (02:51):
There has been a lot of modifications to how this is
celebrated, especially since the pandemic.
There are options I imagine, forpeople who may have difficulty with
the social aspects, which I thinkis being indicated in this post.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (03:10):
The covid pandemic has changed a lot
of things and how things are done.
It's a bit more inclusive 'causethe limitations were there before.
So you would hope that's still thecase in many ways, particularly for
people who generally feel excludedfrom activity or feel excluded
(03:31):
because they don't want to do it.
The so-called normal way, Imean, we've talked about it
at Christmas, the supposedly.
The festivities and the way you celebrate,there's a certain way of doing it.
And if you don't do it that way,you're not respecting it, you're not
doing properly or you're strange.
So that must come into play withRamadan as well and other kind
(03:51):
of festivities that happen allaround the world regards to people.
It seems to me that an
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: obvious thing that. (03:59):
undefined
It's a
culture, culture that I'm given theimpression of that is not really
up to speed with , the conceptof autism as neurodivergence.
I'm given the impression it doesn'tfit with the cultural thought.
(04:19):
And so to have an
organization that.
Around Ramadan around within that cultureseems like a really lovely thing to have.
, it's a very niche part of peoplewho are in Islamic culture and who
(04:41):
are also autistic and somebody islooking out for, so I think that's
something I want to comment on.
How lovely that is, that thatorganization itself exists.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (04:52):
Next post is from Autistic Girls Network.
We a charity organization who
campaigns.
And raising awareness of autisticgirls and autistic masking.
And what I've shared is an
article from one of thetrustees, Emily Katie,
(05:15):
I believed wholeheartedly thatI didn't belong in this world.
I was broken in some way, and thatnothing would ever change that
I had known that I was differentfor as long as I could remember.
My brain didn't seem to work inthe same way as everyone else's.
(05:35):
I interpreted things incorrectly,became overwhelmed, easy, and
appeared awkward in social situations.
I did my best to copy those around meand suppress parts of myself that I was
told were weird.
But despite this, I never quitefitted in my anxiety intensified
(05:57):
to the point I was having dailypanic attacks and developed OCD.
This led me to the conclusion that theworld certainly wasn't designed for me.
I didn't believe I had a future.
After attempting suicide, I was admittedto a children's mental health unit where I
(06:17):
was sectioned under the Mental health Act.
The whole experience was incrediblydistressing, though there were some
professionals who were kind andhelped me as much as they could.
I was unwell, but the environmentmade everything worse.
My notes from my admissionssay I had hysteric attacks.
(06:41):
I didn't get my own way, but they weremeltdowns from sudden changes noise,
lack of predictability and fear.
My parents queried if it might beautism, but my doctor said that I
had just had high social anxiety.
(07:01):
I was diagnosed with generalizedanxiety disorder, a mixed personality
disorder, emotionally unstableand obsessive compulsive type.
And discharge more traumatizedthan when I was first admitted.
Six months after my discharge,my life changed with a single
sentence from a psychiatrist.
(07:23):
I think there is one explanation foreverything that you've gone through.
That explanation is autism.
I remember not understanding entirelywhat autism meant, but feeling
an overwhelming relief at finallyknowing why it was different.
I collected many labels already.
(07:43):
Weird drama queen gifted,stupid, hysterical overdramatic
personality disorder, but thiswas the first one that made sense.
I didn't yet have the full picture.
Three and a half years later at theage of 21, I would be diagnosed with
ADHD too but it would start of ajourney towards understanding myself.
(08:08):
The diagnosis didn't changeeverything immediately.
It didn't take away the challengesI experienced on a day-to-day
basis, but understanding my brainsaved me in more ways than one.
My autism diagnosis meant that most ofthe mental health professionals working
me stopped viewing my difficulties throughthe lens of a personality disorder.
(08:30):
I. Therapy could be adaptedto accommodate MO autism.
I had A-C-E-T-R Care Education TreatmentReview, which aims to prevent autistic
young people being admitted to hospital,and my medication was adjusted.
I didn't need to be medicatedwith antipsychotics.
(08:52):
I needed to.
Autistic people's needs are not understoodin the mental health system resulting in
misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
Connecting with the Neurodiversecommunity showed me that I wasn't alone.
(09:12):
Although every autistic person inperson with A DHD is different.
They are
things that unite us, like adepth over tense interest and an
experience of feeling misunderstood.
Just because someone shares thesame diagnoses as me doesn't
mean we'll be best friends.
But learning that there are otherpeople who are experienced in the
(09:36):
world, assimil, to me, was a revelation.
I wasn't the only one that made me think,I didn't believe that other neurodivergent
people didn't have a place in the world.
So why did I believe thatto be true for myself?
I threw myself into learning everythingI could about autism and A DHD.
(09:59):
This gave me the language to describe theexperiences that I'd never understood.
I wasn't having hysteric attacks,I was having autistic meltdowns, an
involuntary response to overwhelm.
I wasn't a drama queen.
I was experiencing sensoryoverload because my heightened
sensitivities to sensory stimuli.
(10:22):
I wasn't stupid or lazy.
I was experiencing difficultieswith executive functioning AL
processes, such as planning,
prioritization, working memory,and time managing are typically
harder for those with A DHD,
it wasn't my fault.
I started to be able to reframe corenegative beliefs I held about myself
(10:46):
instead of hating myself, of beinghysterical, dramatic, and stupid.
I looked at my challengeswith more neutrality.
. I knew now that certain thingswere harder for me and I knew why.
With the understanding ofmy challenges also came an
understanding of my strengths.
One of the things I'd be criticized forgrowing up was my expression of joy.
(11:10):
I was too much.
I needed to tone down.
When
I read about autistic joy forthe first time, I resonated
deeply with this description.
For me, autistic joy is one of the mostbeautiful things about being autistic.
It's an all encompassing,intense feeling of joy.
(11:30):
It completely consumes andfloods my body with warmth.
It makes me want to jump up and downstem like making a better embodiment
sounds and squeal with excitement.
For so long I felt ashamed of this, butwhen I understood it was okay for me to
express my joy differently to other peopleand that the authentic version of me
(11:54):
was acceptable, I started to embrace itand it is made life so much or colorful.
, as I learned how my brain worked.
I was able to identify ways thatcould help with my challenges.
For instance, knowing that I struggledwith executive dysfunction, I was
able to implement strategies intomy work life, like visual charts and
(12:18):
using hyper focus to my advantage.
Small burst of tense focus mean that Iget my work done, but I don't need to
beat myself up for a lack of consistency.
Rather than trying to adapt my brain todo things in a certain way, I learned
to adapt things to suit my brain.
(12:40):
Little by little life became easier, andthere were fewer mornings when I woke
up wishing I hadn't simply acceptingthat my brain worked differently
to other peoples, and that is okay.
Then my life started to change enormously.
I started to see.
I had been trying to force myselfto fit into a mold, desperate to be
(13:04):
like everyone else and not stand out.
But I was learning that I couldn'tkeep forcing myself into situations.
I found overwhelming and distressing.
The panic attacks and meltdowns weretoo damaging, and I didn't want to
end up back in a mental health crisis.
(13:24):
If I didn't know I was neurodivergent,I'd probably still believe
that I was lazy and difficult.
But because I have this knowledgeand understanding, I can make my own
adjustments in my day-to-day life,something that everyone should feel
able to do, regardless of whetherthey're neurodivergent or not.
(13:45):
There is no one right way to do anything.
It's okay for people's journey to lookat a little different after my A DHD
noticed, I started an A DHD medication.
The difference thishas made is monumental.
A DHD medication doesn't solve everything,but now my thoughts are constantly racing.
(14:08):
My brain feels less exhausting.
I'm less impulsive.
I can think things through properly.
And work isn't so difficult.
I can't believe how much quieter mybrain feels and how much easier it is
to get on the task and focus properly.
A DHD medication has made my life moremanageable over the past few years.
(14:33):
The most valuable thing I've learnedis that I don't have to do things
the same way that everyone else does.
I recently attended my friend's hen doa weekend filled with things that made
me anxious, like socializing noise innew places and a change in routine.
But instead of not going orstruggling through it, I decided
(14:55):
to actually cater to my needs.
I told my friend I wouldn'tbe going clubbing 'cause I
couldn't go with a noise.
Anxiety.
I breaks when I needed to.
I wore my noise cancelingearphones in restaurants.
I didn't drink alcohol.
I was back in my hotel room by11:00 PM each night with a book.
(15:16):
And because I wasn't panicking,I was able to celebrate my friend
properly, and we all had a lovely time.
Being able to make adjustments for myselfand advocate for what I need means that
I can enjoy occasions like this andthat makes life feel more worth living.
I am so grateful to have the knowledge andunderstanding diagnostic and have a DHD.
(15:42):
I do know how I would've got the cycleof self hatred and self-destruction
had I not gained this knowledgeor this understanding of myself
and neurodivergent community.
I truly believe that understanding myneuro divergent brain saved my life.
It has given me a purpose.
(16:03):
Do you advocate for others like me?
I am the Sunday Times bestsellingauthor of Girl and Mask, how Uncovering
My Autism Saved My Life, a blogger,a mental health nurse, and trustee of
the Charity Autistic Girls Network.
I have friends who accept me forwho I am, but more importantly,
(16:24):
I accept myself for who I am.
I never thought I would make itpast the age of 16, but I. And
life is now filled with joy.
If I could tell someone who had a similarjourney to me, one thing I would say
this, no one is ever too broken or toomuch of a failure to be in this world.
(16:49):
You deserve to have your needs metand your strengths appreciated.
Please don't ever give up hope.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com: Thank you for that, Harry. (16:58):
undefined
I took all that in whilstalso checking her out online.
She is 22 now and she's a qualifiedmental health nurse and BBC article's
quite informative about her, but thatwas quite an informative article.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (17:17):
I found the post very relatable and a lot of weight
, and what she was saying about yeah.
Um, I dunno how to put it into words.
It's like.
Stopping Gaslight in yourselfabout the reality you experiencing,
like knowing that you've gotbrain and being a life changing.
(17:40):
And life affirming experience.
I really do relate to that.
And I liked where they were sayingthat there's like so many other
like kind of along the lines of thatthere's so many different ways to do
stuff and I just feel like that isthe conclusion I came to too, and I'm
glad to hear somebody else say that.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (18:01):
Yeah.
You know,
this felt great to.
Because there's so many people that arefeeling lost and feeling, you know that
lost, that they're even feeling suicidal.
And I've been in that situation myself along time ago, around the age of 16, 17.
(18:24):
'cause I wasn't sure or what the hell wasgoing on before the diagnosis came along
and everything began to make sense.
Not right away.
It began to make sense of why it wasdifferent and why things were difficult
in many ways, and it's good to readand hear about similar experiences
(18:46):
and other individual experiences andhow that's helped people to build a
more positive life, to become like an
inspiration to others.
And generally, from what I can readfrom these sort of stories is at
the end of the day, they get tosomewhere in their journey with a
(19:07):
feel a lot better than they did.
A lot more positive and it'svery successful, but not
taking anything granted and not
think at end of the journey, butalso wanting to help people in
a similar situation because you
know what it's like to feel really bad.
You know, really down and feelingworthless, that sort of language.
(19:30):
So it kinda gives you an incentive tohelp others that maybe feeling the same.
Not force anybody to do what you do,but at least give a bit a hope to people
that if you do things in your own wayas light at the end of the tunnel,
The next post is from NeurodivergentLou, who's a blogger, who's finding
(19:54):
a place the neurotypical world, and
neuro divergent Lou.
Has shared a presentation.
As an autistic person, I can't conveyexactly how exhausting it can be.
Lots of autistic people experienceconstant exhaustion sometimes
without really knowing why theymay struggle with having to
(20:18):
limit activities due to this too.
Autistic people also sometimesdescribe experiencing physical
symptoms of exhaustion too.
Reasons why autistic people may haveless energy includes masking autistic
traits, difficult with sleep, atendency to see the smaller details
(20:38):
before the bigger picture and theexecutive functioning struggles.
Having spiky skills profile,meaning we have to work harder
than others in certain areas.
The exhaustion of sensory issues, thepre-planning for every scenario using
(20:59):
energy, communicating and decoding socialinteractions, also adapting to changes in
routine struggles, regulating emotions.
Brain processing more thaninformation rest co-occurring
to chronic illness events.
(21:20):
Under myself, no.
I haven't taken my exhaustion andlack of energy seriously enough.
At times, I have expected myselfto push through the reality.
I need to rest and look after myself,but it can be so hard, particularly with
the unconscious messaging from society.
We suggest that in order to be worthy,we need to always be productive.
(21:46):
It can feel like we're having tometiculously monitor and manage our
energy in order to look after ourselves.
We may be desperately tryingto avoid burnout, which can
be incredibly difficult.
It can feel like we are constantly onthe edge, one wrong, move away from.
(22:08):
Now can mean becoming unableto do anything and losing the
ability to do what we need to.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (22:15):
Yeah, A lot of these are identifiable, lucky sleep,
and I've been noticing that recently.
It's not that I'm in an insomnia or
anything, or have any difficulty sleeping.
I love sleeping.
It's just, I won't let myself go to bedat the right time because it's, they used
to call it formal fear of missing out.
(22:36):
It used to be like using media orbeing online, but now it's kind of
like, uh, reading and writing andI just push past the time when I'm
tired and then I'm not tired anymore,so I should get outta that habit.
Especially at my age.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (22:57):
The
strange
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (22:57):
thing
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (22:58):
I feel is if I don't have something to do.
Not doing anything at all.
It's like there'ssomething I've missed out.
It's just like my body, ithas a resistance to relax.
Because it's that busy lookingto complete tasks, to complete
(23:19):
issues or to plan ahead.
And it's like there's this day,which isn't a weekend, it just
feels odd not to be doing anything.
And don't get me wrong, I dofind something to do anyway,
and I try and say it myself.
That's just a natural thing.
There's gonna be the idea whereyou've been committing, and
(23:40):
then a day where it's quiet.
Enjoy it.
Embrace, if you've got things to do, youknow, within like emails and I do things
online with Facebook and all that, youcan, you don't need to kinda hammer in it.
You can spread over the day.
You can even sleep a bit longer.
But the habit I've got Raymondas well, is I don't sleep enough.
(24:02):
Sometimes I stay up all night, thengo to bed a bit seven o'clock in
the morning, then go up about 12or one o'clock in the afternoon.
How I've gotten to, no, I don't thinkit's a disastrous thing because it's not
affecting me the, the next day in manyways, but there's some times that it does,
. The next post is from the autisticteacher, public figure, autistic and
(24:28):
proud shedding insight and understandingto help the autistic community based
in the uk and what they're sharingabout is autism and special interests.
Autistic special interestsare more than just hobbies.
They are windows and toward passion,expertise, and endless possibilities.
(24:50):
Special interests are not justtrains and planes and can be just
about anything similar to hobbies.
However, they a new diversion person, aspecial interest, differs in intensity.
It is a deep enthusiasm thatus to immerse ourselves.
And a chosen area of expertise.
(25:12):
They bring joy for manyneurotypical individuals.
Special interests may be seen as merehobbies or something to pass the time.
However, autistic individuals, thesespecial interests are much more than that.
They're a source of comfort, joy,and purpose in a world that can often
(25:33):
feel overwhelming and confusing.
Special interests provide a sense ofpredictability and control, allowing
us to engage in activities that bring
genuine pleasure andfulfillment expertise.
One of the most remarkable aspectsof special interest is as a level of
(25:53):
expertise and knowledge that autisticindividuals develop in our chosen fields.
The intense focus and dedicationthat they bring to the special
interest often results in a levelof mastery that is truly impressive.
Whether it's memorizing intricatedetails of a favorite movie, becoming an
(26:14):
expert in aspecific academic subject, orexcelling in a particular skill of talent.
Autistic
individuals often have a depthof understanding that is truly
awe inspiring social interaction.
Special interests can also be a bridge tosocial interaction and connections with
(26:37):
others.
Shared interests provide a commonground for building relationships
and forming communities based onMitchell passion and enthusiasm.
As we share our expertise andknowledge with others who share
the same interests, we can expandour social circle and contribute
valuable insights and perspectives.
(26:58):
Safe.
When I think about my specialinterest, it feels safe and comforting.
I
also feel more confident when talkingto others like I actually have
something valuable to contribute.
It gives me energy and happiness thatallows me to regulate employment.
(27:21):
In some cases, our special interestscan become a means of employment.
We might find that our expertise anddedication to a special interest becomes
highly desirable for employers boundaries.
There is a point where a specialinterest can become unhealthy.
(27:41):
It can push an artistic individualto the point of exhaustion.
It can cause us to forget some of theother important stuff going on in life.
It's a good idea to giveyourself some boundaries, like
limiting the time for me, no.
Most research after midnight or by addingin something else that you enjoy, like a
(28:05):
walk or some sensory time understanding.
Having a special interest isall part of being autistic.
Their interests can change and swap.
It can be a sad and anxious time wherewe transition to another interest.
Their special interests are oftencelebrated, but often not understood.
(28:30):
I hope this goes some way tohelping you to understand the
joys and downfalls of special
AutisticRadio.com (28:42):
interests.
Well.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (28:48):
The phrase special interests repeated about
AutisticRadio.com (28:52):
a couple
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (28:53):
dozen
AutisticRadio.com (28:53):
times.
And
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (28:57):
other than the insight, you know,
the insight seems pretty good.
We do really get into things.
We do have passions forthings can be choice.
It's just something a bit
(29:18):
ative.
Professionalism, professional interest.
There's all kinds of other synonyms,but in the end, people do need to
sort of umbrella this together , toknow what we're talking about.
So the archaic language exists.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (29:34):
Does anyone here have a special interest?
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (29:38):
And that's a few throughout my life.
And when, earlier onwhen you were reading.
I was thinking about how engagingwith was always like quite a relaxing,
kind of restorative like thing to do.
And then I was thinking about whenthey said about, it can be exhausting.
You can go over your limits.
(29:58):
I'm like, oh yeah, thatcan happen as well.
But like, , I'm a big schedulernow and this sort of time
that I have like that is.
My own time to do stuff.
Like , I know that I can recharge bylike, you know, normal resting or I can
kind of do an activity that like, that'sconnected for me to some of my passions
and I find myself as charged up as, youknow, if not more charged sometimes.
(30:23):
So it's all been about kind oflike, I suppose my life so far
has been about getting balance.
It's something that works for me to do.
Yeah, like I also get the kind of,when things have been wonky, it's been
like a place , you know, getting rightinto these special and chest as being
like, I suppose it's like a placewhere like I've been able to escape.
(30:46):
But I remember before I really understoodmy autism at all, I did have a bit
of a sense of shame about some ofthis, my, like my special interests
because, or like there would betimes that they would be really like.
Niche and kinda non sort of functionaland like, it was just really hard to
(31:08):
explain why I needed to kind of recordinformation in a really arbitrary semen
way, but it made me feel a lot better.
So it's something I had a lot, whereasnow I wouldn't feel the need to.
It's
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (31:21):
a shame because you were trying to share it with others,
or did you actually feel yourself.
I know what you're saying there,but I didn't try and share
my things with other people.
Really.
See what I mean?
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (31:38):
Yeah.
Like the shame that I'm talkingabout wasn't coming from sharing.
It was more like feeling like Ineeded to hide or just not be seen
kind of engaging and my kid isstrange list making stuff that was.
You know, kind of part of this, theself saving, I just knew that other
people didn't do that and that like,you know, wanted to go off and copy
(32:00):
stuff out and, you know, remove theinformation around was just not what
other people thought of as recreation.
So it was that like, I think itwas just like the bits of myself
that I really didn't understand.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (32:13):
Is that not what they call research?
I mean in the sense that now you likeschedules in a way, it's an extension
of your previous special interest.
I wouldn't say your special interestnow is schedules, you know, but
it's like balance, isn't it?
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (32:30):
Yeah.
. It was kind of research, but it'salso like there was like, and it's
not something I do as much nowthat I'm older, but my base, 'cause
I just don't have as much time.
But I used to really enjoy likecataloging and re cataloging and just
doing like, you know, going over theinformation like quite repetitively.
So it was like kind ofresearch, but kind of just like
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: a nice little routine. (32:56):
undefined
It.
AutisticRadio.com (32:57):
Yeah.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (32:58):
Yeah.
AutisticRadio.com (32:58):
Feels
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (32:58):
good.
It's not, it's not constant research.
It's not a, I have to knowabsolutely everything about
dinosaurs or when a cliche like that,
or the Ford 1976 escort.
It's a repetition and a comfortand a stem that goes with dealing
with the information that's around.
(33:21):
That can be physical as well.
That can be like the kids, autistickids lining up their cars or their
IES or cataloging things and goingthrough that again and again and again.
So , there's kind of this often yourspecial interest, there's lots of
(33:42):
opportunities within it for otheractivities that are basically stems.
You know, your special interestmight be medieval uniforms, and then
there's an awful lot in that, whichis cross stitch and the stem is a
continually use of your handicraft.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (34:00):
Yeah.
What Jules just said there made methink about, you know, the extension is
stemming as like an embodied performance.
I used to know people whose sonhad aspers at the time, and.
Was obsessed with DJing, but hewas only obsessed with DJing.
One album called, now that's what I callmusic, and what he was really into was
(34:26):
wearing a leather jacket while he did it.
So he was always at mefor leather jackets.
Could I get one?
Do I have any, blah, blah, blah.
And reflecting back on that and thinking,it's like a performance, isn't it?
STEM in itself sometimes.
It's like, an enacted, embodied situation.
(34:48):
And it made me think about aconversation we had during the
SE series about jus traveling.
And I got this impression of what juswas doing in India at times was in
a sense simply just walking around.
But that itself be, and whenyou mentioned the clothing that
(35:08):
you wore and things like that.
Me think like not an intentionalperformance, but just performing, just
being yourself to a certain extent.
And that can be a very core, essential,special interest, if you see what I mean.
Oh, that sounds okay.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (35:29):
I would absolutely go along
with what you're saying.
And there's a bit where you went.
Equate on it, and I, I would actuallygo, no, it's a performance and it's a
kind of known performance and , thatis a release that is an opportunity.
AutisticRadio.com (35:48):
The next post is from the BB, C.
It's regarding
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (35:56):
the chancellor of the UK who set to cut
welfare spending by billions, whichwill effect a lot of autistic people.
So I'll just read out the article,which was assured in the 5th of March,
(36:20):
2025, economics Editor, C News.
It says that the chancellor is earmarkedseveral billion pounds in draft spending
cuts to welfare and other governmentdepartments ahead of the spring statement.
The treasury will put the proposed cutsto the government official forecaster.
The office for budgetresponsibility will be, ah, on
(36:43):
Wednesday, uh, mid expectations.
The Chancellor's financialbuffer has been wiped out.
Sources says the world has changed sinceRachel Reeve's budget last October,
Rachel Reeves being the chancellor.
When the OBR indicated she had a 9.9billion pounds available to spend
(37:06):
against self-imposed borrow rules.
The B'S forecasters like to see thatdisappear because of global factors
such as trade tariffs, as well as higherinflation and borrow costs in the uk.
, the treasury will on Wednesday,informed OBR of its major measures
(37:28):
essentially changes to tax and spendingin order to meet the chancellor's
self-imposed rules on borrowing money.
The government is committed to debtfalling as a share of the economy
during this course of this parliament,and only borrow to fund investment,
not to cover day-to-day spending.
(37:49):
Such rules put in place by mostgovernments in wealthy nations are
designed to maintain credibilitywith financial markets.
Reeves has repeatedly saidour rules are non-negotiable.
Spending cuts drafted by the treasurywill help plug the gap that has emerged
in recent months ahead of the OBRpublishing its forecast and reuse,
(38:11):
giving a statement on the 26th of March.
The Treasury has blamed severalglobal factors, including trade
tariffs and the war in Ukraine forpushing up government borrowing costs.
Clearly, the world has changeda lot since the autumn budget.
People are watching that changehappen before their eyes or
(38:33):
Government Insider told to BBC.
The office for budget responsibility will
reflect the changing world and itsforecast later this month and a changing
world be a core feature of the chance's.
Response.
Later this month, insiders expectpolitically painful new welfare cuts
that are designed to reduce the hugegrowth in health related benefits.
(38:57):
Which will be outlined in a forthcomingspeech from Working Pension.
Secretary Liz Kendall asked on Wednesdayif welfare cuts where the right approach.
Justice as Secretary Sha UD toldBBC Radio Force Today program, there
had been a huge rise in the welfarebudget and there were too many.
(39:18):
Young people not in work,education or training.
There's a moral case here for making surethat people can work at, are able to work.
And there's a practical point here aswell because our current situation is
unsustainable.
Shared res as previously pledged.
Fundamental reform of the welfaresystem with concerns overriding
(39:43):
spending on health related benefits.
Last year, the government spent65 billion on sickness benefits.
A 25% increase from the yearbefore the covid pandemic.
That figure is forecast to increaseto around a hundred billion
before the next general election.
(40:04):
Some of that is a legacy of Covid.
The ministers have complainedabout the incentives, which
encourage some to game the system.
People in universal credit mustshow evidence that they have
applied for jobs or faced sanctions.
The people outta work who also qualifyfor sickness benefits both get more money
(40:24):
and not necessarily required to seek work.
Steve Wright Fire Brigade's UnionGeneral Secretary said any welfare
courts, we be an outrageous attackon the poorest and most vulnerable.
Chancellor will argue she hasn'tchanged her plans and that the
government's always going to fix thewelfare to get people back to work
(40:46):
and make the NHS more productive.
Headroom or no headroom, chancellor isdetermined to push through the change.
We need to make grit more secure andprosperous with the whole government
making that argument in the comingweeks and inside, I've told the B, B, C,
. So basically they're harming the vulnerable to balance a budget.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (41:10):
A certain reality check in this isn't there.
, because the politics of themoment are that we are in the
worst position coming outta covidthan any of the other economies.
Mostly because our health service wasn'tresilient enough to be able to cope
(41:32):
with Covid and then get back to normalstraight after, like Germany was, didn't
have an increase in backlog of cancerpatients and such life that we have now.
An awful lot of our workforcehas been forced into.
(41:52):
Ability to keep people in theirnormal jobs and they've fallen
into an inadequate system.
, the shit that we are in
AutisticRadio.com (42:01):
economically means that it's a done deal.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: It's going to be savage. (42:07):
undefined
The savings that are going to be.
Crisis.
We have been left in with the mismanageof Covid on amount of, because of the way
(42:30):
supported the economy with the leastamount of benefit in comparison to
other countries that are comparable.
Arguing for
anything other than what is going tobe a very, very hard economic future
(42:52):
over the next decades, is futile.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (42:57):
I'm a bit more concerned about the billionaires
that are gaming the system . Then likeI think the whole, you know, that line
game in the system, that's absolutelydisgusting to be applying that to
like people who are needed support.
We're in the worst position comingoutta Covid and you see like contracts
worth 15 billion, had corruption,red flags from Tory, Covid,
(43:20):
contracts and stuff too.
And it's like.
People, we, you know, yeah, our country'sa lot poor after Covid, but billionaires
like got so much money out of that.
They're getting so much moneyout of all the bad stuff.
So I feel like, let's keeppointing the finger towards them.
And what if we had a wealthcap of like 10 million?
(43:40):
Like, that just seems more reasonable.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (43:43):
Well, the problem is, is how governments
are supported in campaigns aregetting elected in the first place.
Who really runs the country withoutgetting into this kinda so-called
paranoia thing, it's not paranoid.
It's true.
It's so obvious.
It's true because the big mistakes oreven, you know, things are deliberately
(44:05):
done in the financial terms.
There's no consequence of that.
What they generally do is to counter that,whether it's the same government or not.
They'll just go and hit the poorestbecause the poorest and the most
vulnerable don't or can't fight backthe way that the ones at the top
(44:28):
could, because they can play a system.
They can even play the law,the legal system as well.
I mean, there's many people that arevulnerable and things like that that can
go down certain avenues and can get thesupport, but it's very training, fighting
for something you should get anyway.
What really annoys me about all thisis just trying to make people feel
(44:50):
who are on benefits like myself,and have been for many years, to
feel bad about your own existence.
You've been a pest.
You've gotta do more.
After years and years of trying tomake, you know, to like myself in
my wellbeing in the first place.
And I feel this sort of thingis just going to hurt people.
So many people have, not justfinancially, but you know.
(45:15):
Medically, you know, healthily as humanbeings, it's going to hurt people hard.
It's not, obviously, it's not justan artistic thing it's going to
hurt people so hard that it's justgonna be a total negative effect.
All because of power games bypoliticians who are themselves generally.
(45:36):
Millionaires and billionaires anywayand have no clue or what it's like to
live that many people do in the country.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (45:45):
I think it's not that they don't have a clue, it's
if they don't care and we need to keepfo pointing the finger back billionaires
when they try start pointing at us.
And like you said, it's like, you know,I too, I am on, on benefits and when
I look around and I think about thepeople that I know, there's like really.
(46:05):
Like, there's unpaid work that happens.
It's just like, not valued, , but it'salmost like the equivalent of like a
whole little ecosystem that happens.
And it's like that we shouldn't beashamed of ourselves, like at all.
The small contributions canmake a really big difference
when people are volunteering.
And I think it's just like.
(46:27):
That empowerment and self-esteem has tobe so there because yeah, it could get
hard, it could get really difficult, butlike, I always feel like, in terms of like
if you were trying to heal an issue, thefirst thing is like trying to get a really
good understanding of what the problem is.
And I think it's billionaires.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: It's very much like the early (46:45):
undefined
AutisticRadio.com (46:53):
1980s.
And
the only way forward in this,
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (47:02):
because the way it's working out is that the inequality is
increasing and increasing and increasingmore in this country than other countries.
So it does have to hitsome kind of threshold.
Some
radical solutions will have tocome through because it's such
(47:25):
a bad situation that things arefalling apart to such a degree.
There has to be some radical solutions.
And last time one of the radical solutionswas called the Enterprise Allowance
Scheme, which was a system that youcould gain, but it also meant that.
Theater people gained it and allkinds of arts organization gained it.
(47:46):
So , there was essentially a basic livingwage or a basic universal wage that was
given to people for short periods of time.
So something like that could comethrough and outta this, all the
current thinking is just the statusquo and it's not gonna get us anywhere.
(48:07):
We can just hope that the crisis isbig enough for some really imaginative
things coming through based on whatNicola talks about in the community.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (48:16):
The final post of today is from Autisticality
it's an education page and it'sdescribed as this is a platform for me
to share my content and creations onautistic people and artistic experience
and the based in the uk, and they'retalking about autistic meltdowns
(48:37):
and what the signs of the meltdownsand the causes and what helps.
Meltdowns are externalresponses that are caused.
By being overwhelmed and can occurfor both autistic children and
adults, meltdowns are not tantrums.
The signs of a meltdown includeanger, crying, self-harm, shouting,
(49:02):
and involuntary body movements.
The causes are usually overwhelmedfrom sensory overload or
increased demands, exhaustion.
Example from excessive masking,changes in routine in environments,
et cetera, difficulty in navigatinga social situation, relationship,
(49:25):
feelings of rejection, sensitivity,and what helps everyone deals
with meltdowns in their own way.
So ask the person what helps them most.
Try to work out what triggersmeltdowns to prevent them from
beginning to happen in the first place.
(49:46):
Do not punish or shamesomeone for having a meltdown.
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (49:53):
I think they don't punish or shame thing
feels like really important as well.
'cause I feel like that.
Suppression of emotion and suppression ofdistress can kinda just make it so, so,
so much worse and more intense as well.
So it's just like, it's already like alayered experience and it's like Yeah.
(50:13):
As little as possible.
, and not a lot of words.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org: Well, thanks everybody. (50:18):
undefined
This will come to the end of the podcast.
So this is Harry's Facebook for the 9thof March, 2025, which is part of the 5 55.
Spectrum voice conversation on atested radio, which is every Sunday
from 5:55 PM to 7:30 PM UK time.
(50:42):
I look forward to doingit again next week.
. And now over to Jules.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com: Thank you, Harry yes. (50:46):
undefined
Really enjoyed thatthought provoking stuff.
Now we're gonna have a look at what we'redoing here on autistic radio and through
autistic association, the autistic charitywholly organized by autistic people to
support the activity of autistic radio.
I've made a decision as far as I'mconcerned, about how we're going to
(51:11):
be steering the next few months ahead.
We have a balance for ouractivities here at Autistic Radio.
How much do we spend our time workingwith researchers and how much do we
spend our time working with people fromthe various professions around autism
(51:31):
and how much do we spend our time on?
What immediately
AutisticRadio.com (51:36):
suits us, serves us, networks us, puts us together as a.
Self-sustaining,self-reliance movement, and
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (51:51):
speaking with my colleagues here at Autistic Radio,
I feel supported when I say that we'regonna be moving much more towards the
self-reliance, resistance ability to.
(52:13):
Not just a positivity, not just a spinon, , autism realizations, but the
practicalities of it all supportingourselves mentally through the output
that we have here on artistic radio.
So when I go down to speak with , the.
(52:42):
Yes, there will be possibilitiesfor you to work with us in the
future, but our focus is elsewhere.
I'm opening the meeting for to anybodyto make comments for the floor on that.
Harry-Autistic-Association.org (52:56):
I can understand the position I think
looking at told with us a few times
AutisticRadio.com (53:01):
recently.
We need to shift
Harry-Autistic-Association.org: our focus, which suits us, (53:05):
undefined
which we are comfortable with.
Which we feel is more progressivebecause sometimes recent times
when we talk about talking withprofessionals, it's like a long slog
for very little progress, and sometimes
(53:26):
this feels that a lotof energy's been wasted.
Not of blame anyone.
It's just like the efforts that havebeen made is not given enough back.
And I know yourself, Jules has done alot of work and done a lot of work with
a lot of different organizations andreally played patient and understanding
(53:49):
of things can be a bit slow, but sometimesit's good just to take away from that
and just focus on things that we cando a bit more progressively quicker.
And you can see.
The blossoming of the efforts,you know, a lot quicker than
you would with professionals.
'cause I know it's a frustratingexperience with some professionals.
(54:12):
Some professionals are great,but some can be very frustrating.
And they say they'll do something andthen they appear to do something else
and their excuse is they're doingsomething in a way that's within
that suits within their funding
or suits within the criteria of the work.
And it's just a veryfrustrating experience.
(54:33):
So that's my point on
Nicola-AutisticRadio.com (54:35):
it.
I think it sounds way more fun.
Ray-AutisticRadio.com (54:38):
Yes.
I think given our conversation earlier inthe 4, 4, 4, we have a lot to get into.
Jules-AutisticRadio.com (54:48):
Wow.
That's lovely.
That's really supportive.
It feels that this meetingwe're definitely declaring.
Those of us that are here todayare pushing in the same direction.
They support what we're saying here.
Let's do it.
Have that fun, you know, let's have thatpunk resilience movement, that revolution.
(55:09):
Let's enjoy that part of it andreally ring that drive for as much
as we can for the next little while.
Autistic radio is about us.
It's for us, and it's from us.
Autistic Radio is about you.
It's for you, and it can be from you.
(55:31):
We have every single Sunday dropin four, four 4:00 PM every Sunday.
That's not live.
That's us getting together,us talking community.
Every Sunday, Harry leads a fivefive 5:00 PM a discussion around
(55:52):
the Facebook page that he creates.
Involve yourself by suggestingwhat we should talk about next.
Share it with Harry and.
The bigger picture, advocate, use us.
Speak to the world, your project,your idea, your enthusiasm.
(56:18):
We have a whole range of differentprograms that will fit what you want.
As far as listening goes, there'ssome challenging stuff out there.
Because amongst the identity, theentertainment, and the community,
we also make serious programs withautism professionals challenging
(56:43):
their ideas and bringing whatyou say in other spaces to them.
A lot of those are difficult listens,but it's a holistic gathering.
It comes all together.
Autistic radio is very varied.
We need a favor to encourage us.
(57:06):
We need you to share us.
When you share us.
You give autistic people power.
When you share us, you makeus impossible to ignore.
When you repost on LinkedIn and Facebookand anywhere else, you are advocating
(57:28):
for everybody in the autistic community.
So pick the things that you arehappy with and get them out there.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou, thank you from all of us.
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