Onwards and Upwards Psychology

18/11/2025

Untangling research for you 💅

I posted this in stories the other day and my DMs blew up with a "Whaaaa...?!?"

And a "How were these results possible?!"

So I'm going to break it down for you.

Because sometimes, reading research, using the very same results I'd arrive at a different conclusion.

A really simple conclusion of the above named study could have been relating to how the visibility of autistic traits fluctuate.

Or for researchers to question the limitations of the ADOS-2 across modules part of the discussion.

Instead? They concluded you could lose a diagnosis.

(A fair aside is unpacking the difference between an Autism diagnosis as per DSM-5 and the Autism neurotype, but I'll go so far as to make a leap and say it's unlikely the researchers here have engaged in that gentle teasing apart).

Inherent in that conclusion is cure narratives as a singular goal. It disregards Autistic advocacy in looking into the benefits of identity and knowing your needs.

What I am longing to see more of in research?

Research that looks as to what the factors are in creating thriving Autistic kids.

(We've got some fantastic ones, but just.... more and louder, because coming from APAC, I didn't hear enough of that)

I'll note that I have no personal relationship to the authors. Just a psychologist, wanting practical research for best outcomes for a marginalised community.

The best way forward from my time in clinic and research?

Identity-driven, strengths-focused, needs-based, person-centred supports.

Hope this helps tease it apart a little.

You can't cure away Autism and history says we've tried (!!) but you can lean into it and make a better life with Autistic-informed care.

15/11/2025

There's so much I could say about the future of work within the Autism field as I saw at APAC 2025.

But for now? I want to focus on the good we did.

Sandy ( Colours Speech) and I wouldn't have existed together if it hadn't been for establishing community at the intersections, and connecting through our Zoom meetings.

We spoke about bringing culture to the forefront of our work, looking at astrology and religion and just HUMAN ways of being and meaning making that deserve to be recognised.

We discussed language and limitations of translating affirming practice outside of the English world.

We got to share the wonderful website I created out of pure stubbornness, www.asianandaudhd.com, to represent what life is like at the intersection.

The room was quiet.

But.... we're a quiet bunch.

To thrive after colonialism has meant to keep our head down.

Standing there, feeling that, I saw the issues that people like Zohran Mamdani are bringing to light, that deep, steady knowing that our communities have always done world-building in the shadows.

We’ve carried culture, language, faith, ancestors, and story in our bones and in quiet spaces, and are so used to *never* seeing it reflected in bigger spaces.

We've grown accustomed to being grateful for bare minimum inclusions, because the wider field has never made it a point of importance.

Sandy and I though? We're not keeping quiet.

We're going to continue to push until cultural safety and accompanying training is as recognised as an integral part of neuroaffirming practice.

Understanding culture as context shapes every moment of interaction, care, understanding and support.

We're not asking for space, but rather bulldozing our way into importance. We're building it.

We're starting conversations.

So that when we say everyone belongs, we mean... e v e r y o n e.

We're showing up to show Asian, AuDHD, q***r, migrants can take up space on an international stage.

So if the room stays quiet? That's fine.

So people don't pay enough attention to it? Less fine.

But know that we'll be over here, continuing to speak up and claiming space.

14/11/2025

Pinch me.

Still can't believe this is real, getting to talk about neurodiversity, inclusion and The Brain Forest on Wiggle Talk. 🥹

*The Book That’s Opening Big Conversations About Little Brains*What if the way your child’s brain works isn’t a problem to fix - but something to celebrate? ...

13/11/2025

We talk a lot about “evidence-based care.” But we've also got to deconstruct who the evidence was built on and the context of our training.

The tools, language, and expectations in many assessments reflect Western norms of communication and development, not the deep collectivist, interdependent values that shape many Asian cultures.

Then we scream "cultural safety", yet have no idea what it *actually* looks like in practice.

You see, culture shapes everything, and can't just be summarised into questions.

It's about how we respond to questions, how we understand behaviour and development, how we frame our parenting role...

E V E R Y T H I N G.

So I'm pleased as punch to be speaking at Asia Pacific Autism Conference today and co-present with Sandy Lin on highlighting our unique strengths and challenges as professionals representing different areas of the Asian diaspora.

We've got 20 minutes tomorrow to talk about cultural framing with support.

The nuance is going to matter just as much as representation.

Because cultural values aren't barriers to overcome, but the very framing for support which makes it meaningful.

Wish us luck!

11/11/2025

Ever been curious about energy accounting, especially accurate energy accounting for Autistic folk?

We're taught to account wrongly for our neurotype, and we're changing that now for more accurate accounting.

This episode is for you if you've ever looked at your heartwatch telling you your stress levels are high and you thought "Couldn't be!".

This episode is for you if you're still battling with the stories that begin with "I should...."

Or if you’ve ever pushed through exhaustion because “everyone else seems to manage.

Get in, because we’re unlearning the wrong maths we were taught about our energy together.

Let’s talk about what accurate energy accounting looks like for Autistic people, and how to start rewriting your own ledger.

Tune in at Neurodivergent Pulse Podcast with .Zoe, available wherever you like to get your podcasts.

11/11/2025

We're often taught that we need to teach Autistic children how to play.

But what happens when we watch how they play organically, and be curious about their inner world?

Here's what we'd want to do: take the cars and make them race. "Which one is the faster car?" is the play we've been taught to expect.

But this play isn't about that.

It's about "Which cars go together?"

Joining into play doesn't mean to disrupt it with my own ideas. So how I would join in would be to try to find MORE cars to add in. In this example, I've noticed they're lining up by colour so I'd find more cars and go "Oh, would this red car go here?" and let the child show acceptance (or a very loud not!) of that suggestion.

If I ran out of cars and had another object, I'd again check in and go "Would this red wheel sit with the cars?". If no, we'd start a different line for other coloured objects. We're examining the world through play... just in a different way.

Every spin, line-up, echo, or story they build tells you something real about how their brain finds joy, safety, and meaning.

In this play, we're not just playing but really building bridges of trust, connecting and belonging. Places where we feel understood and not just when we're alone.

Let us preserve the power of play for our Autistic children, and not turn all play into adult-led work.

10/11/2025

The stories kids tell when they do.... 💔

When you stop to consider the system that creates the challenges our clients come knocking with, it's.... a lot to carry, and strategies for systemic injustice are grossly inadequate.

I walked away from client work, because I had to stop working with kids like this, who told me similar stories like this, believing deeply they were the problem and I had to try to undo that.

I want to change systems so they never have to bear this in the first place.

This isn't a client of mine, but at the back of the Rainbow Brain, there's a little QR code so kids get to have a direct line to the author. This was a submission that allowed me to share their story. 💔

"Please LISTEN TO ME when I speak even if my ideas might sound silly, too much, too loud.

I get hurt when you don't listen or see me and I withdraw into my shell like a slimy snail and my tears leave the snail trail.

I wish you could read my hurting snail trail that says "I have thought deeply about making you feel safe, good, loved and happy even though I can't express this.... I am in here and hurting" 🐌

May we keep children's voices as the centre when we push for more inclusive spaces. It's not about ego, but about the space to be seen. ❤️

09/11/2025

To add to my previous post, here's a list of nonspeaking advocates and allied advocates, professionals and organizations. Add to it in the comments if you know of others.

Bri Guerra, Nonspeaking Advocate for Change
Swarit Gopalan - My truisms unfiltered
Gregory C Tino
Niko Boskovic
Cards by Jakob
Danny With Words
Ben B. - "My Own Words: Reflections of a Non-Speaking Autistic
Fidgets and Fries, author of NY bestselling book A Day with no Words
Elizabeth Bonker and her nonprofit Communication 4 ALL
Hari Srinivasan, instructor at Berkeley, president of Spectrum at Cal, and fellow at Frist Center for Autism & Innovation
Nigh.functioning.Autism
The North Star and the Compass - blog
Neuromess
Fighting for my Voice: My life with Verbal Apraxia
SEEN: Spellers Empowering Education for Nonspeakers
Communication First
Communication for Education
Reach Every Voice
Jeremy's Vision
Autism Level UP
Thinking Person's Guide to Autism
The Occuplaytional Therapist

Helpful groups:
Spellerverse Connect
Ask Me, I’m an AAC user! (24 Hour Rule!)
Natural Language Acquisition Study Group
Autistic Researchers Researching Autism (ARRA)

07/11/2025

What an excellent initiative in SA! What makes this even better is the Autistic Led deisgn, because “Nothing about us without us”. If you’re in South Australia and have used the bus, let me know how it goes, or look out for it!

We’ve converted a Metro bus into South Australia’s first Sensory Bus.

Wrapped in artwork created by members of our autistic community (Lili and Amanda).

Designed by the autistic community - for the autistic community.

So that this purpose-built sensory bus can provide a welcoming environment for autistic people and their families who want to access a sensory space at major events.

07/11/2025

Here's the follow up to that story.

I know many of you were seeking resolution to that story, and it turned out to be... the most beautiful next chapter. 🥹

I was comforted already in the stories that emerged, of how you saw yourself in Hugh's story, and the Autistic communication style of "Yup, cool". Next!

That was enough resolution for me to bear witness to that. Getting the next step of not just confirmation but an invitation was.... an absolute dream as a parent who has driven Melbourne to Sydney solely upheld by Wiggles albums while they were awake.

That, and getting to talk about my ABSOLUTE passion area.

I've been sitting with this the past week of how exciting it can be to bring new understanding to parents, who may not have neuroaffirming perspectives easily available.

I'm excited to talk about person-environment fit on podcasts.

We got to talk about what unpacking neuronormativity is, and the stories we were told.

We got to talk about inclusion as something that impacts us all.

I really hope that what we did today has ripple effects in the way we talk about it and bring it into the everyday.

Thank you SO much to my lovely community for making this happen, but also to for inviting a neurodivergent parent in to talk about it all and letting me NOT play it cool in the slightest.

❤️❤️❤️

06/11/2025

Why do we tell children about their diagnosis?

Because it’s not just a diagnosis ;it’s their neurotype.

It’s language for how they move, feel, and process the world around them. It helps them understand…

• why the noise feels too loud,
• why their thoughts run fast,
• why something feels so big for them when no one else seems to feel it.

Back in the 90s, when I was working it out, I thought I was an alien; an observer trying to understand these Earthlings and their strange social rituals. I resonated so deeply with Mr Bean being dropped to Earth and working his way round.

That was the only language I had.

Now I know: it wasn’t alien. It was autism. It was ADHD.

So many adults say, “I wish someone had told me sooner.”

Because when you don’t have that language, you grow up believing you’re bad at being human (or like me, a really good secret spy alien) when really, you were just neurodivergent in a world that didn’t explain or meet your difference kindly and easily.

When we tell children about their brains early, we give them something therapy can’t: self-trust.

It's a map to understand themselves that puts them in the driver's seat and gives them choices that fit their nervous system. It does wonders somatically for the nervous system when individuals are in charge.

That’s why I write books that help adults have these conversations with care and compassion.... so kids don’t have to wonder if they’re alien too.

Welcome to the Not-Alien, Autistic/ADHDer club. 🧠💫

06/11/2025

On my way to talk about neurodiversity acceptance to a broader audience and am SO EXCITED.

There aren't that many people I'd jump on a plane last minute to meet in person. In fact, I've written extensively about my distaste of the amount of transitions that airport travel takes.

So.... let's take guesses. Who would I be talking to tomorrow? 😊