Chloe (she/her)
@chloeapter.bsky.social
880 followers 220 following 270 posts
Autistic ADHDer, mental/physical illness, iatrogenic harm, co-production, SEND Commissioner, uoppald.bsky.social student, charity trustee. Views own, personal account.
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chloeapter.bsky.social
I'm so pleased to be featured in an NHS England co-produced short film about strategic co-production in the design of services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Please do have a watch!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=a4pZ...
SEND Co Production
YouTube video by NHS London
m.youtube.com
Reposted by Chloe (she/her)
uoppald.bsky.social
Hi! We are a part-time (can work alongside) online ("live" *options*; costs the same in/outside the UK, can study from everywhere) MSc course on learning/intellectual disability, autism, and neurodiversity. Students have own tutor. We are recruiting for this term:
www.port.ac.uk/study/course...
chloeapter.bsky.social
This sheds light on a childhood experience I have had to make sense of as a later dx autistic adult:

Aged ~5, I was told I was lip-reading so had a hearing test (my hearing was fine).

I couldn't understand this "accusation" of lip-reading as I was just processing the only way I knew how.
drstevenkapp.bsky.social
Auditory hypersensitivity helps to explain avoidance of eye contact and lifelong benefits from lip-reading (which provides audiovisual integration: it combines speech speeds & lip motion) among autistic ppl, who often have a monotropic processing style favoring processing one modality at a time. 10/
chloeapter.bsky.social
As a child growing up in the "Tumblr era", I had a blog that attracted many people seeking advice from me: a child.

Undiagnosed autistic/ADHD & experiencing trauma, I felt morally obliged to offer support to people like myself.

This has left a legacy of complicated feelings towards peer support.
chloeapter.bsky.social
Similarly, my capacity for being able to engage in peer support spaces has completely depleted.

I can carry my own trauma & bear witness to the trauma of my close friends: the latter is a privilege.

I cannot hold space for strangers.

It's self-protection.
chloeapter.bsky.social
As someone with a dissociative identity disorder diagnosis, I used to consume a lot of media related to this condition.

In recent years, I haven't been able to. It's just too painful to bear witness to the consequences of trauma that is often perpetrated by other people.

It hurts.
chloeapter.bsky.social
I most certainly will! Thank you!
chloeapter.bsky.social
I totally agree.

Once I muster up the courage, I'm going to apply again this year. I feel like I now have the emotional capacity / spoons to put up a good fight should it inevitably be rejected initially & likely lead to tribunal.
chloeapter.bsky.social
TW: suicide attempt

The irony was that I didn't have the emotional capacity or spoons to get more time for mandatory reconsideration (once the initial period of acute distress had passed) because I was detained under the Mental Health Act after a suicide attempt.

I'm sorry you were asked it too.
chloeapter.bsky.social
TW: suicide

When I was assessed for PIP in 2022, I was asked why I hadn't "successfully" managed to kill myself.

I received zero points. I was too distressed to go to mandatory reconsideration or tribunal.

The assessment (& report) is utterly dehumanising.

#TakingThePIP
chloeapter.bsky.social
I had to let occupational health send a copy of my report to my line manager.

This is all well & good but it contained *a little too much* information for my liking, including specifying how many times a day I go to the loo.

Oh, the indignity of chronic illness & disability.
chloeapter.bsky.social
I'm all for amplifying the importance of co-production.

But does having a "Co-Production Week" encourage tokenistic attempts at it which inevitably fall short?

Genuine co-production shouldn't just happen during a designated week, it should happen all year round.
Reposted by Chloe (she/her)
drstevenkapp.bsky.social
Thanks for positive feedback, @chloeapter.bsky.social! The MSc in Psychology and Learning Disability is free, online and part-time, so you can complete it alongside work etc. anywhere. "Live" sessions are optional, in the UK early evening. Same cost in/outside the UK. www.port.ac.uk/study/course...
chloeapter.bsky.social
Am I proud of being autistic?

Yes.

Was I always proud of being autistic?

No.

Being proud of being autistic does not mean existing in an allistic world is easy, it just means that I am no longer ashamed of the associated struggles.

#AutisticPrideDay
chloeapter.bsky.social
As someone with ARFID, the most stressful part of going from living alone to living with family is what I eat now being constantly scrutinised (& inevitably criticised) by others.

I just want to be able to eat what I am able to eat in peace.
chloeapter.bsky.social
Medical professional: "Is your autism well controlled?".

Me: ...
chloeapter.bsky.social
Thank you, Kiri! Weirdly, I think it's my chronic illnesses flaring up around deadlines that makes me stressed, even if I wasn't consciously stressed about the deadlines! It's such a vicious cycle!
chloeapter.bsky.social
I have officially finished the first year of my MSc despite chronic illness flare-ups around *practically every deadline*.

For anyone interested in learning disability, autism, & neurodivergence, @uoppald.bsky.social is utterly wonderful with the most supportive tutors - do check the course out!
chloeapter.bsky.social
As an adult who has just been diagnosed with ARFID yet deemed a "fussy eater" my whole life, I feel like that expression suggests that I'm being wilfully difficult & that I'm simply choosing not to eat certain food without a valid reason.
chloeapter.bsky.social
Oh wonderful, thank you for sharing! I'll definitely email the researcher!
Reposted by Chloe (she/her)
nmelzack.bsky.social
My #dissociated friends in the UK. Please consider getting involved with this research at @mrccbu.bsky.social !!

@didwewrite.bsky.social @chloeapter.bsky.social
Research opportunity for dissociative Identity disorder poster.
Do you have a diagnosis of DID? We are seeking individuals to take part in research at the MRC Cambridge cognition and brain sciences unit in Cambridge 
What do I do?
Questionnaires 
An interview 
Computer tests 
Two brain scans 

Am I eligible?
If you 
Are 16 or over 
Are native English speaker
Have DID and amnesia between identities 
Have never experienced neurological conditions 

If you are interested please contact
Julia beker
Julia.beker@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
01223769461