Ann Memmott
@annmemmott.bsky.social
Autistic disabled researcher, carer & Mum.
#AutisticElder
Personal page, own views.
Like/repost = "I've read it"
See also LinkedIn
Encouraging moderation, a peaceful & fair society, & better research.
#AutisticElder
Personal page, own views.
Like/repost = "I've read it"
See also LinkedIn
Encouraging moderation, a peaceful & fair society, & better research.
Pinned
I am one of many whose family members gave their lives to defend this country, and others, against the extreme right.
On this Remembrance Sunday, watching with horror as so many become fooled by the same propaganda, and join in the same horrific hatemongering.
Praying, as ever, for peace.
On this Remembrance Sunday, watching with horror as so many become fooled by the same propaganda, and join in the same horrific hatemongering.
Praying, as ever, for peace.
My latest blog on some of the best/ most debate-worthy new research on autism and wider neurodiversity & intersectionality.
Inc. hearing in noisy places, what do we use assistance dogs for, ADHD lived experience, & does ABA enforcement link to mental health crises?
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/autism-...
Inc. hearing in noisy places, what do we use assistance dogs for, ADHD lived experience, & does ABA enforcement link to mental health crises?
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/autism-...
Autism, ADHD, Lived Experience and Inclusion—What’s New in November — Neurodiverse Connection
In this month’s research roundup, Ann Memmott brings together new work exploring Autism, ADHD, first‑person perspectives and inclusion. Ann reflects on sensory and communication challenges, access b...
ndconnection.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 11:52 AM
My latest blog on some of the best/ most debate-worthy new research on autism and wider neurodiversity & intersectionality.
Inc. hearing in noisy places, what do we use assistance dogs for, ADHD lived experience, & does ABA enforcement link to mental health crises?
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/autism-...
Inc. hearing in noisy places, what do we use assistance dogs for, ADHD lived experience, & does ABA enforcement link to mental health crises?
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/autism-...
New blog for the lovely national Autism Central team that I work with. This one, on autism and intersectionality. www.autismcentral.org.uk/news/blog-in...
The aim of the project? A world where autistic people and their loved ones can find joy.
I think that’s something worth aiming for.
Do you?
The aim of the project? A world where autistic people and their loved ones can find joy.
I think that’s something worth aiming for.
Do you?
www.autismcentral.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 9:13 AM
New blog for the lovely national Autism Central team that I work with. This one, on autism and intersectionality. www.autismcentral.org.uk/news/blog-in...
The aim of the project? A world where autistic people and their loved ones can find joy.
I think that’s something worth aiming for.
Do you?
The aim of the project? A world where autistic people and their loved ones can find joy.
I think that’s something worth aiming for.
Do you?
Are you using AI, as a professional? Check your insurance cover, because a lot of the big insurers are about to pull out of insuring it. Which means that if you let it write your stuff or control your operations, you are potentially personally liable for its errors...
“Insurers increasingly view AI models’ outputs as too unpredictable and opaque to insure, said Dennis Bertram, head of cyber insurance for Europe at Mosaic. “It’s too much of a black box.”
www.ft.com/content/abfe...
www.ft.com/content/abfe...
Insurers retreat from AI cover as risk of multibillion-dollar claims mounts
AIG, Great American and WR Berkley seek permission to limit liability from AI agents and chatbots
www.ft.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Are you using AI, as a professional? Check your insurance cover, because a lot of the big insurers are about to pull out of insuring it. Which means that if you let it write your stuff or control your operations, you are potentially personally liable for its errors...
Reposted by Ann Memmott
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. 🏳️⚧️
November 20, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. 🏳️⚧️
TLDR: In the unpublished guidance, women who don't look and behave exactly like they are 'supposed' to look can be banned from using toilets and changing rooms. No proof required.
What a "victory" for women this was going to be, eh? Not just toilet police, but appearance and conduct police.
What a "victory" for women this was going to be, eh? Not just toilet police, but appearance and conduct police.
"Trans people could be banned from single-sex spaces based on how they look. The Times has seen the equalities watchdog’s final guidance, which Whitehall figures fear Bridget Phillipson is delaying to avoid a political backlash" [Times]
www.thetimes.com/article/82ee...
www.thetimes.com/article/82ee...
Trans people could be banned from single-sex spaces based on how they look
The Times has seen the equalities watchdog’s final guidance, which Whitehall figures fear Bridget Phillipson is delaying to avoid a political backlash
www.thetimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:18 AM
TLDR: In the unpublished guidance, women who don't look and behave exactly like they are 'supposed' to look can be banned from using toilets and changing rooms. No proof required.
What a "victory" for women this was going to be, eh? Not just toilet police, but appearance and conduct police.
What a "victory" for women this was going to be, eh? Not just toilet police, but appearance and conduct police.
Financial penalties for benefits claimants who miss a single Universal Credit interview are larger than the fines handed out to most criminals, &have to be repaid 9 times faster than criminal courts recommend, a report by the Public Law Project (PLP) has found.
Well, that's....not good...
Well, that's....not good...
November 19, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Financial penalties for benefits claimants who miss a single Universal Credit interview are larger than the fines handed out to most criminals, &have to be repaid 9 times faster than criminal courts recommend, a report by the Public Law Project (PLP) has found.
Well, that's....not good...
Well, that's....not good...
Very funny...and also 100% correct in terms of what research teams do to autistic children. How dare they play in ways not approved of, eh!
Seven-year-old Finley Rice, who gets immense pleasure from arranging his toys by size and colour, has been told to stop it immediately and do something he enjoys a lot less.
Read this and other exclusive articles on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/119898...
Read this and other exclusive articles on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/119898...
November 18, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Very funny...and also 100% correct in terms of what research teams do to autistic children. How dare they play in ways not approved of, eh!
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025... Words fail. Well, nothing says, "We care about children" more than criminalising the parent trying to protect them from further trauma, eh?
Do we learn absolutely nothing from one year to the next, as a nation?
Do we learn absolutely nothing from one year to the next, as a nation?
Domestic abuse victims who flee with children overseas to be criminalised under new law
Change to crime and policing bill backed by fathers’ rights groups seeking support in cross-border abduction cases
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:50 AM
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025... Words fail. Well, nothing says, "We care about children" more than criminalising the parent trying to protect them from further trauma, eh?
Do we learn absolutely nothing from one year to the next, as a nation?
Do we learn absolutely nothing from one year to the next, as a nation?
www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/2562404... Wetherspoons pubs have apparently decided that fully trained and insured autism assistance dogs should be banned from their pubs, unless people provide some 'proof'. Proof that, in law, isn't needed.
Boy, 17, upset for days after Wetherspoons staff challenged assistance dog
Assistance Dogs UK told the Chronicle Wetherspoons' policy is not in line with their understanding of the law
www.readingchronicle.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 5:15 PM
www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/2562404... Wetherspoons pubs have apparently decided that fully trained and insured autism assistance dogs should be banned from their pubs, unless people provide some 'proof'. Proof that, in law, isn't needed.
Reposted by Ann Memmott
Summary: theconversation.com/what-autisti...
Team:
@dramypearson.bsky.social, Jen Leigh, @drmbothapsych.bsky.social, Steve Macdonald, @kat-williams.bsky.social, Gemma Williams, Kieran Rose, @annmemmott.bsky.social
(2 of 2)
Team:
@dramypearson.bsky.social, Jen Leigh, @drmbothapsych.bsky.social, Steve Macdonald, @kat-williams.bsky.social, Gemma Williams, Kieran Rose, @annmemmott.bsky.social
(2 of 2)
What autistic people – and those with ADHD and dyslexia – really think about the word ‘neurodiversity’
A new UK survey of more than 900 neurodivergent adults has revealed strong feelings about the language of neurodiversity.
theconversation.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Summary: theconversation.com/what-autisti...
Team:
@dramypearson.bsky.social, Jen Leigh, @drmbothapsych.bsky.social, Steve Macdonald, @kat-williams.bsky.social, Gemma Williams, Kieran Rose, @annmemmott.bsky.social
(2 of 2)
Team:
@dramypearson.bsky.social, Jen Leigh, @drmbothapsych.bsky.social, Steve Macdonald, @kat-williams.bsky.social, Gemma Williams, Kieran Rose, @annmemmott.bsky.social
(2 of 2)
Our new research paper is out!
" ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology." In Neurodiversity Journal, 3. doi.org/10.1177/2754...
" ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology." In Neurodiversity Journal, 3. doi.org/10.1177/2754...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
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doi.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Our new research paper is out!
" ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology." In Neurodiversity Journal, 3. doi.org/10.1177/2754...
" ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology." In Neurodiversity Journal, 3. doi.org/10.1177/2754...
I am one of many whose family members gave their lives to defend this country, and others, against the extreme right.
On this Remembrance Sunday, watching with horror as so many become fooled by the same propaganda, and join in the same horrific hatemongering.
Praying, as ever, for peace.
On this Remembrance Sunday, watching with horror as so many become fooled by the same propaganda, and join in the same horrific hatemongering.
Praying, as ever, for peace.
November 9, 2025 at 10:39 AM
I am one of many whose family members gave their lives to defend this country, and others, against the extreme right.
On this Remembrance Sunday, watching with horror as so many become fooled by the same propaganda, and join in the same horrific hatemongering.
Praying, as ever, for peace.
On this Remembrance Sunday, watching with horror as so many become fooled by the same propaganda, and join in the same horrific hatemongering.
Praying, as ever, for peace.
Reposted by Ann Memmott
This open-access book marks the first historical overview of the autism rights branch of the neurodiversity movement, describing the activities & rationales of key leaders in their own words.
Edited by @drstevenkapp.bsky.social
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Edited by @drstevenkapp.bsky.social
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
November 3, 2025 at 10:44 AM
This open-access book marks the first historical overview of the autism rights branch of the neurodiversity movement, describing the activities & rationales of key leaders in their own words.
Edited by @drstevenkapp.bsky.social
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Edited by @drstevenkapp.bsky.social
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Reposted by Ann Memmott
Labour's ugly rhetoric has consequences: a sentence I frankly wish I'd never felt the need to type. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Racist incidents against UK nurses surge by 55%
Royal College of Nursing calls on government to stop using anti-migrant rhetoric, which it says emboldens racist behaviour
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Labour's ugly rhetoric has consequences: a sentence I frankly wish I'd never felt the need to type. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Ann Memmott
This, by Jason Okundaye, on the bullying and the hypocrisy of the Right, is a piece I have been waiting some time to read. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
If the right really wants free speech in universities, why is it so obsessed with discrediting students? | Jason Okundaye
The media loves to manufacture outrage about what students get up to – and to discipline those who dare challenge conservatives, says Jason Okundaye, a Guardian assistant newsletter editor
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 11:12 PM
This, by Jason Okundaye, on the bullying and the hypocrisy of the Right, is a piece I have been waiting some time to read. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025... Allegedly we are one of the richest countries in the world. Can someone, anyone at all, explain this to me?
Nearly 150,000 aged 90 and above wait 12 hours in England’s A&Es each year
Older people left in their own excrement and wet beds for hours and forced to watch others die, Age UK report finds
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 9:20 AM
www.theguardian.com/society/2025... Allegedly we are one of the richest countries in the world. Can someone, anyone at all, explain this to me?
There are apparently Reform voters who think that migrants may arrive in the little town of Buxton, on a boat, up the river. The sea is about 50 miles away. The Channel is about 200 miles away.
👀
I just can't...
👀
I just can't...
That irrational fear is best expressed by the guy in this article who doesn’t want the river navigation opening up in case it brings “small boats” with immigrants into a town in the middle of the Peak District.
October 28, 2025 at 9:17 AM
There are apparently Reform voters who think that migrants may arrive in the little town of Buxton, on a boat, up the river. The sea is about 50 miles away. The Channel is about 200 miles away.
👀
I just can't...
👀
I just can't...
Reposted by Ann Memmott
Autism pseudoscience grifters "claim to offer wellness, but what their products really do is drain health and well-being from the children who are targets of these 'treatments.'”
@ejwillingham.bsky.social in the new TPGA newsletter. Share and subscribe—if you dare!
tinyurl.com/AutismZombieQuackery
@ejwillingham.bsky.social in the new TPGA newsletter. Share and subscribe—if you dare!
tinyurl.com/AutismZombieQuackery
October 27, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Autism pseudoscience grifters "claim to offer wellness, but what their products really do is drain health and well-being from the children who are targets of these 'treatments.'”
@ejwillingham.bsky.social in the new TPGA newsletter. Share and subscribe—if you dare!
tinyurl.com/AutismZombieQuackery
@ejwillingham.bsky.social in the new TPGA newsletter. Share and subscribe—if you dare!
tinyurl.com/AutismZombieQuackery
Reposted by Ann Memmott
🗣️ 65% of trans adults reported verbal abuse in public spaces
👊 24% said they have suffered physical violence
A new YouGov poll reveals safety crisis for trans people in the UK:
https://goodlaw.social/u5y8
👊 24% said they have suffered physical violence
A new YouGov poll reveals safety crisis for trans people in the UK:
https://goodlaw.social/u5y8
‘Abject terror’: survey shows 84% of trans people feel Britain is unsafe
YouGov poll reveals safety crisis for trans people in the UK
goodlaw.social
October 27, 2025 at 7:31 AM
🗣️ 65% of trans adults reported verbal abuse in public spaces
👊 24% said they have suffered physical violence
A new YouGov poll reveals safety crisis for trans people in the UK:
https://goodlaw.social/u5y8
👊 24% said they have suffered physical violence
A new YouGov poll reveals safety crisis for trans people in the UK:
https://goodlaw.social/u5y8
www.nature.com/articles/s41... Did having more ABA mean that autistic children 'behaved' better?
No.
"..the inclusion of cumulative hours of applied behavioral analysis ... did not yield significant changes... indicating that increased therapy hours did not predict greater improvement"
No.
"..the inclusion of cumulative hours of applied behavioral analysis ... did not yield significant changes... indicating that increased therapy hours did not predict greater improvement"
Predictive modeling of adaptive behavior trajectories in autism: insights from a clinical cohort study - Translational Psychiatry
Translational Psychiatry - Predictive modeling of adaptive behavior trajectories in autism: insights from a clinical cohort study
www.nature.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM
www.nature.com/articles/s41... Did having more ABA mean that autistic children 'behaved' better?
No.
"..the inclusion of cumulative hours of applied behavioral analysis ... did not yield significant changes... indicating that increased therapy hours did not predict greater improvement"
No.
"..the inclusion of cumulative hours of applied behavioral analysis ... did not yield significant changes... indicating that increased therapy hours did not predict greater improvement"
All the biggest autism charities in England and Wales use forms of ABA e.g. PBS on autistic people in their care.
Their income is more than £325 million a year between them, nearly all of it from Government sources.
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... & background research by me on the others.
Their income is more than £325 million a year between them, nearly all of it from Government sources.
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... & background research by me on the others.
Expert organisations with “challenging” and “complex” service users: Representation in English and Welsh autism charity reports and accounts
The language and imagery used in Autism charities’ communications influences societal understanding of, and attitudes towards, Autistic people. This, in turn, shapes perceptions of whether and how the...
journals.plos.org
October 26, 2025 at 10:40 AM
All the biggest autism charities in England and Wales use forms of ABA e.g. PBS on autistic people in their care.
Their income is more than £325 million a year between them, nearly all of it from Government sources.
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... & background research by me on the others.
Their income is more than £325 million a year between them, nearly all of it from Government sources.
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... & background research by me on the others.
Modern Slavery.
Sorry, but it is. If companies make vulnerable individuals work for zero pay, and have no intention of ever paying them, that is exploitation, not 'charity'.
Well done to ASDA.
Sorry, but it is. If companies make vulnerable individuals work for zero pay, and have no intention of ever paying them, that is exploitation, not 'charity'.
Well done to ASDA.
I’m so glad to hear Tom has had a job offer from Asda after Waitrose behaved appallingly. But it shouldn’t take a national backlash for disabled people to be treated decently. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Asda hires autistic man who was let go by Waitrose after years of volunteering
Waitrose asked Tom Boyd not to return when he asked for a few hours of paid work after years as unpaid shelf stacker
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Modern Slavery.
Sorry, but it is. If companies make vulnerable individuals work for zero pay, and have no intention of ever paying them, that is exploitation, not 'charity'.
Well done to ASDA.
Sorry, but it is. If companies make vulnerable individuals work for zero pay, and have no intention of ever paying them, that is exploitation, not 'charity'.
Well done to ASDA.
www.inclusive-church.org/llf-open-let... Are you a member of the CofE? Want to support your lovely LGBTQ+ church people, after the LLF consultation disaster? Please consider reading and signing the letter, and sharing widely.
@inclusivechurch.bsky.social
@inclusivechurch.bsky.social
LLF Open Letter – Inclusive Church
www.inclusive-church.org
October 23, 2025 at 2:09 PM
www.inclusive-church.org/llf-open-let... Are you a member of the CofE? Want to support your lovely LGBTQ+ church people, after the LLF consultation disaster? Please consider reading and signing the letter, and sharing widely.
@inclusivechurch.bsky.social
@inclusivechurch.bsky.social
Reposted by Ann Memmott
Waiting weeks to see a doctor when you're sick, worried, or in pain should be unheard of.
The Labour government must back our emergency plan:
🥼 A recruitment and retention drive for 8000 more GPs
🏥 A dedicated fund to reopen surgeries
📱 24/7 booking via 111
The Labour government must back our emergency plan:
🥼 A recruitment and retention drive for 8000 more GPs
🏥 A dedicated fund to reopen surgeries
📱 24/7 booking via 111
October 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Waiting weeks to see a doctor when you're sick, worried, or in pain should be unheard of.
The Labour government must back our emergency plan:
🥼 A recruitment and retention drive for 8000 more GPs
🏥 A dedicated fund to reopen surgeries
📱 24/7 booking via 111
The Labour government must back our emergency plan:
🥼 A recruitment and retention drive for 8000 more GPs
🏥 A dedicated fund to reopen surgeries
📱 24/7 booking via 111
So, Waitrose decided to exploit an autistic man, using him as unpaid labour for 600 hours, then 'cancelled' his contract once there was a request for him to be paid?
What the...!
Modern Slavery isn't just about keeping people locked in sheds & taking their passports away, employers. Think carefully.
What the...!
Modern Slavery isn't just about keeping people locked in sheds & taking their passports away, employers. Think carefully.
If you've not seen the #waitrose posts ⬇️
Where "volunteering" and work placement schemes are used to exploit chronically ill, disabled and neurodivergent people. It's dire...
All this talk about working people ah? @rachelcdailey.bsky.social
@francesryan.bsky.social
Where "volunteering" and work placement schemes are used to exploit chronically ill, disabled and neurodivergent people. It's dire...
All this talk about working people ah? @rachelcdailey.bsky.social
@francesryan.bsky.social
October 21, 2025 at 8:58 AM
So, Waitrose decided to exploit an autistic man, using him as unpaid labour for 600 hours, then 'cancelled' his contract once there was a request for him to be paid?
What the...!
Modern Slavery isn't just about keeping people locked in sheds & taking their passports away, employers. Think carefully.
What the...!
Modern Slavery isn't just about keeping people locked in sheds & taking their passports away, employers. Think carefully.