Sue Fletcher-Watson
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suereviews.bsky.social
Sue Fletcher-Watson
@suereviews.bsky.social
4.1K followers 2.1K following 260 posts
Prof of Developmental Psychology at Uni of Edinburgh
Dean of Equity Inclusion & Community for my faculty
Editor of @journalautism.bsky.social
Creator of #AutRes and Edinburgh! feeds
Founder of SuperTroop
"a loose canon"
Queer, cis, she/her
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suereviews.bsky.social
Sue Fletcher-Watson @suereviews.bsky.social · Sep 13
So my keynote at #AECongress25 involved a lot of memes to illustrate my points about how to understand and apply the neurodiversity paradigm.

The focus is on LIBERATION from OPPRESSIVE systems and beliefs.

This will work best, I believe, when we COLLECTIVISE our action.

Here we go…
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
thinkingautism.com
Want to help with autism research? The Social Experiences of Loneliness of Autistic Adults (SELA) Project at the AJ Drexel Autism Institute is forming a Community Council of autistic adults (ages 18–35) to help guide a 5-year study on loneliness and social connection. Info in flyer and alt-text.
Flyer with text reading, “Calling Autistic Adults! “Want to help shape research on loneliness for autistic young adults? “We invite autistic adults (ages 18-35) to join our Community Council on a 5-year research study on how big life changes affect loneliness for autistic young adults. “Community Council members will partner with researchers to make sure that all parts of the research reflect the experiences, priorities, and needs of the autistic community. “We hope this research will lead to a better understanding of loneliness and help create better supports. “• Community partners meet regularly and are paid for their time. “• No prior research experience is needed. “• Your lived experience and perspective are what matter most, and all voices are valued. “For more info or to apply, email kc3673@drexel.edu”
November 6, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
ketanjoshi.co
just....enjoy this
November 3, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
soc-researcher.bsky.social
What a beautifully written and breathtakingly honest paper. It's rare to see this level of honesty, reflexivity, and creativity in academia.
thesociologicalreview.org The Sociological Review Foundation @thesociologicalreview.org · 27d
Failure hurts. How can the concept of bipolar time help us understand it?

@lizziereed.bsky.social @robinskyer.bsky.social reflect on an unsuccessful research project, relentless demands for productivity, and the importance of radical acceptance.

#OpenAccess @journals.sagepub.com buff.ly/zb4uVL6
Lizzie Reed and Robin Skyer Research failure, crip temporalities and bipolar time in UK higher education https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00380261251388708 The Sociological Review #OnlineFirst
October 28, 2025 at 1:16 PM
suereviews.bsky.social
Just discovered this neurodivergent bookshop - very cool!

And not just because it has our forthcoming book on neurodiversity-affirmative classrooms on their front page...

@drrachaeldavis.bsky.social @claruineill.bsky.social

makessensetome.co.uk
MAKES SENSE TO ME | The Neurodivergent Bookshop
Discover the world’s first neurodiversity-specialist bookshop! This disabled-led ND community offers books on ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Tourette’s & Mental Health. Resources for neurodiversity at work, ...
makessensetome.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
valoisdubins.bsky.social
Oh look - standing up for what you believe might just be a good idea
santiagomayer.com Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 20d
Republicans thought they had a permanent hold over young men. They didn't.

Spanberger wins men 18-29 by 14%, Sherrill by 10%, and Mamdani by a stunning 40%.
November 5, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
birdrespecter.bsky.social
For a bit I forgot that the current political movement was won with a weak minority and is managed by annoying dorks who nobody likes who have terrible vibes. This video has 1.3 million likes and is a good reminder that better things are possible, even for those of us outside NYC. A good night!
November 5, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
jimmusilpainter.bsky.social
My painting PACIFIC NORTHWEST
October 30, 2025 at 9:18 PM
suereviews.bsky.social
Interesting article examining how a neurodiversity-informed understanding of autism does / doesn't align with both traditional and modern cognitive neuroscience models

link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007...
Cognitive Neuroscience and Neurodiversity: Implications for Autistic People and Clinicians
link.springer.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
journalautism.bsky.social
A huge thank you to the Autism community, from our Editor-in-Chief @suereviews.bsky.social

🌏 Over the past two years, we’ve received over 1000 submissions from 65 countries.

journals.sagepub.com...
October 27, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
thinkingautism.com
Learning about autism in a neutral and non-stigmatizing manner, through the lens of autistic lived experience, benefits autistic children’s self-understanding, emergent autistic identity, sense of belonging, and communication/self-advocacy skills.

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

#neurodiversity
“I like being autistic”: Assessing the benefit of autistic-led psychoeducation for autistic children
Background Despite receiving autism diagnoses in early life, autistic children are not routinely supported to understand these diagnoses post-diagnostically ([1][1]). Consequently, they typically grow...
www.medrxiv.org
October 26, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
mindtheflap.bsky.social
You would think from this framing that "special needs children" made up the majority of that number. Or that the majority of them received single-occupancy transport. And you would be wrong on both counts.

The data: explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statist...
October 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
cosmichael.bsky.social
I'm doing this talk on Friday 31st Oct. Preparing for it reminded me how much a period of burnout has set me back. That can happen to any of us. But now I should re-start taking my own advice.
#AutisticElders #Autism #AutismAgeing #Autistic
Poster for Brighter Living Fair, for autistic people aged 50+, without learning disabilities. Fri 31st Oct. At Devas Club, 2a, Stormont Rd, Battersea SW11 5EN Includes presentation by Cos Michael, 'Getting Physical: The benefits of moving more. At 12-12.45pm.
October 27, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
respectlabkcl.bsky.social
📣The ARCH seminar is back!
Join us on October 22nd to hear from Nell Fahey (with introduction from Dr Gavin Stewart) about their work on the social experiences of middle-aged and older autistic adults.
More info on our mailout - sign up and get tickets @ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arch-semin...
This is a poster advertising the ARCH (or Autism Research) Seminar Series. This talk takes place on the 22nd of October, 2025, at 2pm on Zoom. The talk is being given by Nell Fahey, who uses she and her pronouns, and is an MSc graduate from King's College London. She is being introduced by Dr Gavin Stewart, who uses he and him pronouns, and is a senior research fellow at King's College London. The talk title is "Exploring the Social Experiences of Autistic Adults in Midlife and Old Age: a co-produced qualitative study". The abstract reads "Being connected to other people and having good access to social support are often linked to a better quality of life as we get older. However, autistic people often experience barriers to being socially connected. Our co-produced study set out to explore the social experiences of middle-aged and older autistic adults, with a particular focus on the types of social connections they would like as they age. We interviewed 33 autistic people in midlife and old age and conducted a reflexive thematic analysis of their responses. Our findings highlighted the varying impact that ageing can have on people’s social experiences and suggest that social motivations and barriers to social interaction may differ for autistic adults in midlife compared with those in old age. In this talk, we will describe our co-production process and highlight these key findings and what they mean for autistic people."
October 1, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
cathyabbott.bsky.social
Really looking forward to this- we can probably accommodate a few last minute sign-ups 😊
earthowned.bsky.social Theo @earthowned.bsky.social · 28d
Today I'm excited to being talking at the Edinburgh Neuroscience Afternoon about the real cost of academic publishing and big deals. Spoiler: they are expensive and not really transformative.
Agenda for the Edinburgh Neuroscience afternoon being held on Monday 27th October 2025
October 27, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
autisticrealms.bsky.social
@autismeurope.bsky.social 2025 Congress is now freely available on this website:

www.autismeurope.org/what-we-do/i...

Also:
www.youtube.com/@AutismEurope

Lots of very exciting presentations including @drmbothapsych.bsky.social @autisticdoctor.bsky.social and many more!
14th Autism-Europe International Congress, Dublin, Ireland, 2025 – Autism Europe
www.autismeurope.org
October 22, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
seismatters.bsky.social
I agree 💯% with this take.

I once mentioned this on Twitter in response to people calling Donald Trump “fat” and “orange”.

Some people got quite cross with me 🤷🏾‍♂️
kaiserneko.bsky.social Scott Frerichs @kaiserneko.bsky.social · Oct 19
It doesn't matter how despicable a person is, mocking their innate physical appearance is always wrong.

Not because it's cruel to them, but because it perpetuates the harmful idea that innate physical appearance has anything to do with one's character / beliefs / actions.
zachweinersmith.bsky.social Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · Oct 16
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 19, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
goodlawproject.bsky.social
Over 10,000 people have added their name to keep Hampstead women's pond inclusive.

It only takes 1 minute. Will you join them?
https://goodlawproject.org/petition/keep-hampstead-womens-pond-inclusive
Keep Hampstead women’s pond inclusive
A transphobic pressure group is trying to ban trans women from Hampstead women’s pond – we’re fighting back
goodlawproject.org
October 13, 2025 at 2:14 PM
suereviews.bsky.social
happy to share this new article on reporting standards in autism intervention science: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41070555/

Autistic people deserve the highest standards of evidence based practice and reporting practices in this field fall woefully short. We offer recommendations to improve that.
Maximizing the Quality and Reporting Standards of Autism Intervention Science - PubMed
Although there are clear international standards for intervention science and reporting in healthcare, implementation and uptake have been limited within autism intervention research. To address this ...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
October 14, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
kellylynnedang.bsky.social
Want a fast and easy way to make your Indigenous Peoples Day impactful for years to come?

I made this list of 100+ Indigenous Voices who post daily about our lives, our truths, and our fight. Easily auto-follow all 🪶

Come honor these beautiful Native voices!
October 13, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
justrena.bsky.social
If you want the best laughs today, read #SmeartheBejaysis tag.
( context for non-Irish folks: A ghastly politicians said his tactics to destroy socialist Catherine Connolly's presidential campaign would be to 'smear the bejaysis out of her- you'll see how people approach mockery here )
October 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
recombobulating.bsky.social
neurotypicality is a myth as in an ideal concept that cannot exist in material reality

but it is also a social construct that does exist in material reality

because nothing is just one thing

everything is lots of things
recombobulating.bsky.social r @recombobulating.bsky.social · Oct 5
some people think that's how brains work

it's a relic of the natural philosophy of Newton's era that still dominates some areas of academia

the ideal rational actor has access to the instruction manual and therefore never makes mistakes
October 5, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
thementalelf.bsky.social
Our first #CMHP25 keynote is Dr Mary Doherty @autisticdoctor.bsky.social Clinical Associate Professor at UCD & founder of Autistic Doctors International.

She will explore how autistic psychiatrists’ insights can help improve mental healthcare for autistic people. autisticdoctorsinternational.com
Autistic Doctors International
Do you identify as autistic and have a medical degree?
autisticdoctorsinternational.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
kashhill.bsky.social
Not the point of this piece exactly but a great example of how chatbot validation could increase polarization

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/w...
September 27, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Sue Fletcher-Watson
jessaiston.bsky.social
**CALL FOR PAPERS**

Upcoming workshop at QMUL in January, looking at autism, focused interests, and communication across diverse contexts. How can we centre autistic interests as a strength rather than a symptom?

Contributions outside academia welcome.

Please share widely!
Workshop: Focused Interests, Identity, & Autistic Communication Across Contexts. 8-9th January, Queen Mary University of London. Speakers: - Dr Liam Cross & Dr Gray Atherton, leading a co-design session to create a board game highlighting strengths of neurodiversity - Pete Wharmby, neurodiversity advocate - Professor Rebecca Wood, Glasgow This workshop will explore how autistic people engage with focused interests in diverse communication settings. Bringing together discourse, narrative, interactional approaches, sessions will examine how intense interests shape storytelling, knowledge exchange, and social connections. We consider how focused interests are differently valued in society and ask what it would mean to centre interests as a strength rather than symtom. We invite proposals for individual papers and contributions to a roundtable discussion. Contributions from autistic individuals and allies, practitioners, clinicians, and education professionals are especially welcomed. Submit your proposal to j.aiston@qmul.ac.uk by Friday 14th November
September 24, 2025 at 8:47 AM
suereviews.bsky.social
Amazing postdoc job with absolutely lovely Jelle Van Dijk in Twente, Netherlands

Closing date October 10th

Please shared widely on academic jobs lists.

www.linkedin.com/posts/jellev...
Postdoc Neuro-Inclusive Participatory Interaction Design - Looking for a job that matters? | Jelle van Dijk | 10 comments
Please share widely: We are hiring! Are you the Postdoc we are looking for? 📌 Deadline: Oktober 10! Design for Neurodiversity! University of Twente is looking for a Postdoc on a project about co-de...
www.linkedin.com
September 23, 2025 at 10:27 PM