Here we let you know what’s new on the site and what we’ve added so you don’t miss out!
Become an Autistic Ally – complete neurodiversity and autism training provided by Chloe and Annette from SYA? and gain Autistic Ally status – see here to find the training we offer.
- W/C 25th November 2019
- Here is a link to our SYA? Amazon stim object wishlist so you can get an idea of things to buy: SYA? Stim toys wishlist
- W/C 7th October 2019
- W/C 2nd September 2019
- SYA? was invited to speak at the Kent Autistic Pride 2019. Find here the short live-stream video of Chloe’s talk about SYA? and what pride means to us.
- W/C 10th June 2019
- A note on where we got our logo and how you can use the Autistic Ally badge
- W/C 20th May 2019
- UPDATE: Detailed what IS autism?
- W/C 7th May 2019
- A brief post (to be updated when have spoons) on our involvement in the Autism Arts Festival
- Work-in-progress page on University Reasonable Adjustments for autistic/neurodivergent students, at present there is a document Chloe has compiled on Guidance for Viva examination of Autistic PhD students
- W/C 15th April 2019
- SYA? Student Attendees Creative Work – This slide show exhibits student appliques from our Spring 2019 programme – positive words or phrases students came up with about them being autistic, sewn on to fabric.
- W/C 1st April 2019
- W/C 25th March 2019
- The importance of language – what’s in a name? Blog and permanent page on autistic preference for identity-first language; and further clarification on the issue of e.g. functioning labels; disorder, condition, or neuro-divergence? and more
- W/C 18th March 2019
- New post and permanent page on “Notes on Diagnosis & Assessment/Diagnosis Process”
- Anonymous feedback from our first SYA? programme run attendees, from Autumn 2018
- W/C 18th February 2019
- New post on Alexithymia – difficulties in identifying, describing, and processing one’s own feelings
- W/C 3rd December 2018
- We have a new “Hire us – workshops and talks” page, with synopses of the different talks Chloe offers (Annette’s synopses to come after Christmas), and open opportunities to host us on e.g. festival and events talk panels
- We have Krysia Waldock‘s guest blog “An autistic’s guide to our senses: Tips, tricks & other possibly useful information“. Hopefully Krysia will be doing some further guest blogs on important autistic topics.
- New page on “Theories about autistic experience”
- W/C 22nd October 2018
- A word on the protective properties of embracing your autistic identity.
- A post on saying “Sorry” versus “thank you”…when autistic people say sorry for everything, and what you can say instead.
- The university’s Student Support and Well-being information is updated for the new academic year.
- Post on “Overload, meltdown, shutdown, burnout”
- W/C 10th September 2018:
- There is now information on post-programme support and societies etc. once you complete the SYA? programme.
- The SYA? resources list is now updated with links to the important external resources to help you avoid the bad and the awful information etc. that’s out there on autism.
- There is now an online, anonymous feedback form for those who attend SYA? – the link of which can be found on the private “Protected: SYA? – your contributions” page.
- W/C 3rd September 2018:
- Lovely video explaining autism – Amazing Things Happen – Autism
- How does masking affect mental health? With Kieran Rose (The Autistic Advocate) and Kerrie from the North East Autism Society
- A short blog post on Autistic imposter “syndrome” and perfectionism.
- #TakeTheMaskOff Campaign – Week 6 – Coping Strategies Taking Off The Mask, and updated Week 5, also#TakeTheMaskOff Campaign – Week 7 – How people have been affected by the week
- An Autism Observer are continuously compiling a list of autistic blogs that you may find useful.
- A brief blog and resources working in tandem with the session on the intersectionality between autism, & the fluidity of gender & sexual preference.
- W/C 20th August 2018:
- #TakeTheMaskOff Campaign – Week 5 – How diagnosis and/or self awareness of being autistic impact masking
- There is a brief word on diagnosis and the impact of diagnosis on the “Unofficial Autism Questionnaires, assessment & diagnosis” page
- A short blog on being a postgrad and asking for reasonable adjustments
- A blog on the vaccine-autism debacle: “Autistics cause vaccines…” – helping you to understand you are different, not disordered
- W/C 13th August 2018:
- #TakeOffTheMask Campaign – week 4 – autistic burnout: Excellent (if long) blog by The Autistic Advocate on autistic burnout: what it is; why it happens; what to do about it; and why it’s probably burnout, not depression
- A short piece on “The “negatives” of being autistic…” – which leads you to the original post, including information on:
- Initiation error
- Specificity (enough information to complete tasks)
- Spoon theory/energy
- Difference in working memory (why you forget what you did all week)
- Difficulty sleeping and shutting your brain off
- Struggling to sit still
- Clumsiness
- W/C 6th August 2018:
- Keeping-up with the #TakeOffTheMask Campaign, there are some new links for week 2 (stimming and masking) and 3 (mental health and masking)
- In-keeping with the sessions on stimming and masking, there is now a short post on “The importance of understanding harmful stims…“, which includes a video on dermatillomania (skin picking/scratching etc.)
- There is a post on “Autistic suicide risk, suicidal thinking, & camouflaging…“, please note the trigger warning.
- And a new post on “Autistic inertia…” …or why when there’s too many options you can’t move!
- W/C 30th July 2018:
- Found blog on the protective properties of meltdowns
- The SYA? site is now accessible without invites, and the “SYA? – your contributions” page is now password protected, so that only attendees to the SYA? programme can access it (please request the password here). This is in order to maintain privacy and anonymity.
- W/C 23rd July 2018:
- There’s a new link in “USEFUL RESOURCES” –> “What is autism?” for a “Welcome to the Autistic Community!” document.
- Chloe completed the online questionnaire using an unofficial checklist, which gives you a score at the end.
- There are two new links on the “Masking, camouflaging, & mimicking” page, linking you to the first week of blogs for the #TakeTheMaskOff Campaign. Look for “#TakeTheMaskOff Campaign – Week 1” toward the bottom of the page.
- We’ve added the TED Talks video “The Magic of Not Giving A F*** | Sarah Knight”, to the “Anxiety, overwhelm, and meltdown” and “VIDEOS” pages.
So, You're Autistic (think you are)? 
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