Divergent Minds

27/03/2026

Dr Pathologise A Lot with their insightful facts again AUsome Training

27/03/2026

A must read or watch Autistic Realms 💛

Our Re-Storying Autism course offers a neuro-affirming framework for families, carers, and professionals supporting Autistic people —centering lived experience, connection, and understanding.
Reimagining how we understand and support Autistic people “Autistic experience emerges through continuous interaction between neurology, sensory systems, relationships, and environment.”
✨ 7 modules + workbook✨ Learn at your own pace✨ Grounded in Autistic-led knowledge
📘 Workbook available: https://amzn.eu/d/0938qkqz
🌱 Learn more about the course: https://neurohubcommunity.org/re-storying-autism/

27/03/2026

Such an empowering story about how important identification can be. Thank you Aurora Consulting 💛

Today is eight whole years since I received my official identification that I am Autistic. It’s my Autiversary. Just a couple years till a decade!

It’s a day I now approach with mixed feelings. I will still celebrate and I am still happy. Yet with everything that has happened over the last year with restrictions and the closure of multiple pathways I am incredibly aware how very privileged I am. So much of the last year has been spent campaigning hard with Autistic Disabled People’s Organisations and advocates locally and nationally so that everyone has access to a good quality neuroaffirming assessment and support.

The attack on our access to assessments is beyond unconscionable to me. Axing services to save money while acknowledging it will cost lives should never happen. And I was further distressed and angered when Aberdeenshire HSCP removed that acknowledgment as it closed its pathways. Vulnerable people should never be used as political pawns as HSCPs play chicken with the government over funding.

Autistic people of all ages should have access to a neuroaffirming pathway which can assess for multiple neurodivergencies designed with Neurodivergent Disabled People’s Organisations and advocates, and good ND led post diagnosis support.

We need an end to the post code lottery. And I’ll be considering who is committed to deliver this as I choose who to vote for in May.

Accessing my own assessment process was hellishly difficult. It came during a period of burnout where I had desperately hoped to get answers. There was no official pathway and I had to fight hard to see a psychiatrist who may or may not assess me.

I had my referral denied three times before being given an appointment. Information was scant even after receiving the appointment and as I went into that first session I was still unsure if I was even going to be assessed or told no. Sitting in the waiting room I grew increasingly anxious, especially as they were a little late seeing me too. My heart thumped in my chest and I could not stop stimming even if I wanted to.

Fortunately I had an incredibly empathetic psychiatrist who was able to assure me that I am in fact Autistic. A couple minor things needed to be done to confirm the diagnosis, but she was confident they would show up exactly what she expected. Which they did.

Standing in the rain afterwards waiting for a taxi home I felt all the feelings. I had a moment where I thought “oh s**t, this means I’ll never be good at small talk” before belly laughing when I realised I’d gone my whole life so far without being good at it and managed. But the overwhelming feelings were relief the wait was over, elation that I had been right, and hope that I could finally get to know the real me under all those layers of masking.

My second thought after “oh sh1t” was “I wanna put on Autistic Pride” and we will have exciting announcements for that coming soon!

Three weeks after my assessment I joined the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership’s Autism Strategy working group which helped set up our local assessment pathway in the hope that nobody would have to fight like I did again. That fight continues.

I cannot believe that was eight years ago now. It really has flown by. I have learned so much about myself, I continue to learn so much about myself, and it’s all thanks to support from other Autistic people. Autistic professionals, Autistic advocates, Autistic bloggers, Autistic writers, and some who are all of the above. I am eternally grateful for that, and it’s why I choose to write so much myself! To help others on their journey too.

Before being assessed I dipped my toe into accessing the Autistic community and culture. I was too anxious to really join. What if I was wrong? What if it was just another mask? I desperately wanted to be right, but imposter syndrome was high. At the time I was worried I couldn’t trust my own judgement.

Had I known how welcoming the Autistic community could be, how supportive it can be of self-identification, I wouldn’t just have dipped a toe into the water. I’d have waded in deep and immersed myself completely. I’d have let it wash over me.

If anyone is looking for a sign that it’s ok to do that – here it is. Here’s that sign. Our self identified siblings need support now more than ever. Access to an assessment should it be a privilege but currently it is.

So to my Neurokin waiting to be assessed, to those whose pathways are closed, and to those who choose not to pursue an assessment, I am holding space for you today.

I see you.

I believe you.

Aurora will always be a safe place for those who self identify.



ID me blowing an enormous bubble at our very first Autistic Pride in Aberdeen

27/03/2026

This 👇👇👇👇Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint

26/03/2026

Dr Pathologise A Lot. AUsome Training

25/03/2026

This 👇👇👇👇Learn Play Thrive 💛

Hear me out: As OTs and SLPs, we absolutely can support our clients’ autonomy, skill-building, and long-term well-being. That matters. But the way we center “independence” as the ultimate goal deserves a closer look.

Where did this value come from?

Many Indigenous cultures have long emphasized interdependence: community care, mutual reliance, and shared responsibility. In contrast, “independence” as an ideal largely emerged from Enlightenment philosophy, colonial systems, and industrialization.

So who does it serve?

When independence is prioritized over collective care, it aligns neatly with capitalism: your worth is tied to productivity. If you can work and generate profit, you’re valued. Caregiving, on the other hand, is often unpaid, underpaid, or pushed onto families - especially within the isolated nuclear household.

This shift replaces community with pressure: be self-sufficient, no matter your needs. But humans aren’t meant to function in isolation - we all rely on each other.

And this doesn’t exist in a vacuum. These values are deeply intertwined with capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy - systems that prioritize efficiency, productivity, and control over collective well-being.

Instead of asking "How can my client be more independent?" The question becomes "What supports does my client need to get their deepest needs met?"

For example, many disabled people will access their best life by living interdependently with caregivers. In fact, all of us thrive when we mutually care for each other. That's a normal part of being human.

For communication access, a person who uses partner-assisted scanning for communication is communicating autonomously, but not independently. And that access is incredibly important.

Coregulating together with a child helps them develop the skills they need to self-regulate AND to coregulate with others for their entire lives.

We need each other. It was always supposed to be that way. Let's let our practices reflect the inherent worth and value of our clients.

24/03/2026

Anyone interested in the Autistic burnout conference with some of our wonderful neurokin 💛Viv Dawes Autistic Advocate

24/03/2026

Lovely 💛Thriving Autistic 💛

Discovering You're Autistic is a short animated film that explores what it means to be Autistic through a neuro-affirming lens underpinned by the social mode...

22/03/2026

Sharing via Aucademy - Education for everyone on Autistic experience 💛

Understanding different communication styles 🗣️

Sometimes misunderstandings happen because people communicate differently, not because anyone lacks empathy.

What you can do:
• Listen with curiosity
• Avoid assumptions
• Be open to different perspectives
• Show patience and respect

By trying to understand each other’s experiences, we can build stronger relationships and better support.

22/03/2026

For any of our Scottish neurokin, the release of the Scottish Government paper on 'Neurodivergence in Scotland'. A poignant note by our friend Dr Jason Lang of the University of Glasgow, who believes that there is culture where people need to fail before they get support. Thank you for being a part of this too AMASE - Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh, Aurora Consulting 💛
https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/committee-reports/ehrcj/2026/3/20/ehrcjs062026r04rev/pdf?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=the+scottish+parliament&utm_term&utm_content=c9f891b6-26dc-4779-a49b-978c81d498fa&utm_campaign=ongoing&fbclid=IwVERFWAQrKlRjbGNrBCrIamV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHsF-CmqaKvwNDOgboWiw6Y1YA5mhrNfLX6izQfrMtQLbgpyqL4fqtflMsWGR_aem_UYKaWuBHlRuTlDOzapmuRw

21/03/2026

It is so important for our fellow neurokin or those who support us to learn about the Double Empathy Problem & Monotropisim to help understand our identity. ‘Theory of Mind’ should be understood in terms of the harm it has caused us 😞