Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
@larakalaidjian.bsky.social
ExeterUni MentalHealthinSchools; Neuroaffirmative SpecialEd; Bristol EdNeuro; UCLA native; RT-ing smart cog{sci, neuro, psych}, Φlosophy, policy, & ( #ADHD ) creativity posts; Lisztless romantic pianist; Radio4, satirical sci-fi & humanist literature lover
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
#CRAEwebinar #archive
“I liked school, but school didn’t like me” with Jo Billington (14-Nov-24)
www.youtube.com/watc...
@drjobillington.bsky.social
“I liked school, but school didn’t like me” with Jo Billington (14-Nov-24)
www.youtube.com/watc...
@drjobillington.bsky.social
“I liked school, but school didn’t like me” with Jo Billington (14-Nov-24)
There is much literature which shows that autistic pupils in mainstream schools in England are much more likely than their non-autistic peers to experience academic underachievement, formal and informal exclusion, bullying and victimisation, and poor mental health. However, how autistic children and
www.youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:18 AM
#CRAEwebinar #archive
“I liked school, but school didn’t like me” with Jo Billington (14-Nov-24)
www.youtube.com/watc...
@drjobillington.bsky.social
“I liked school, but school didn’t like me” with Jo Billington (14-Nov-24)
www.youtube.com/watc...
@drjobillington.bsky.social
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Targets have always had a mechanistic, dehumanising element. This seems very much in that tradition. School leaders' points seem well-made: reaching for another target (or test) is so much easier for Whitehall than ground-up improvement. schoolsweek.co.uk/ai-to-set-mi...
Attendance: AI-generated targets to be set for all schools
AI-generated targets will be set for all schools in England, government has announced, as it looks to crackdown on absence rates.
schoolsweek.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Targets have always had a mechanistic, dehumanising element. This seems very much in that tradition. School leaders' points seem well-made: reaching for another target (or test) is so much easier for Whitehall than ground-up improvement. schoolsweek.co.uk/ai-to-set-mi...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Why this is so potentially controversial is easy to see. If the government gets this wrong it will put itself on a collision course with parents-these are parents are used to fighting on behalf of their children against a system that many feel is stacked against them
www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/blog...
www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/blog...
The government cannot afford to get this wrong - SecEd
Reform is needed to the SEND system and government plans will be set out in the Schools White Paper this autumn
www.sec-ed.co.uk
June 30, 2025 at 6:03 AM
Why this is so potentially controversial is easy to see. If the government gets this wrong it will put itself on a collision course with parents-these are parents are used to fighting on behalf of their children against a system that many feel is stacked against them
www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/blog...
www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/blog...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
“In We See Things They’ll Never See: Love, Hope, and Neurodiversity, Chantelle Jessica Lewis and Jason Arday address the largely unquestioned discrimination against divergent neurotypes, such as Autism and ADHD.”
thesociologicalreview.org/reviews/we-s...
thesociologicalreview.org/reviews/we-s...
September 11, 2025 at 1:53 AM
“In We See Things They’ll Never See: Love, Hope, and Neurodiversity, Chantelle Jessica Lewis and Jason Arday address the largely unquestioned discrimination against divergent neurotypes, such as Autism and ADHD.”
thesociologicalreview.org/reviews/we-s...
thesociologicalreview.org/reviews/we-s...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning
Abstract. The effects of using large language models (LLMs) versus traditional web search on depth of learning are explored. A theory is proposed that when
academic.oup.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:14 PM
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
So people demand "AI" sycophancy, refuse to interact w/ *less* sycophantic "AI", & then get increasingly ill-disposed toward interacting w/ other human beings, preferring, again, an "AI" system that is actively locking them into a loop of skills dependency, bias confirmation, & hostility.
SEEMS BAD
SEEMS BAD
October 24, 2025 at 2:53 PM
So people demand "AI" sycophancy, refuse to interact w/ *less* sycophantic "AI", & then get increasingly ill-disposed toward interacting w/ other human beings, preferring, again, an "AI" system that is actively locking them into a loop of skills dependency, bias confirmation, & hostility.
SEEMS BAD
SEEMS BAD
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Learning from others:
In our latest @ippr.org ‘Talking Inclusion’ podcast, it was my privilege to talk to global expert Professor Mel Ainscow about what we might learn from some other countries’ approaches to inclusive education:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
In our latest @ippr.org ‘Talking Inclusion’ podcast, it was my privilege to talk to global expert Professor Mel Ainscow about what we might learn from some other countries’ approaches to inclusive education:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
"Reforming Inclusion" with Pro…–Talking Inclusion… With Geoff Barton – Apple Podcasts
Podcast Episode · Talking Inclusion… With Geoff Barton · 02/09/2025 · 21m
podcasts.apple.com
September 2, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Learning from others:
In our latest @ippr.org ‘Talking Inclusion’ podcast, it was my privilege to talk to global expert Professor Mel Ainscow about what we might learn from some other countries’ approaches to inclusive education:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
In our latest @ippr.org ‘Talking Inclusion’ podcast, it was my privilege to talk to global expert Professor Mel Ainscow about what we might learn from some other countries’ approaches to inclusive education:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
New blogpost on my concerns about Wellcome LEAP new $50m program on autism/microbiome links. deevybee.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-le...
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
A LEAP into the future, or off a cliff: Wellcome LEAP's new $50M program
A few days ago, I saw this post on LinkedIn: How does the gut microbiome shape early brain development? That’s what FORM, a new $50 million...
deevybee.blogspot.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:53 PM
New blogpost on my concerns about Wellcome LEAP new $50m program on autism/microbiome links. deevybee.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-le...
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
My concern is that even if/when the child can observably manage without scaffolds from a cog point of view, withdrawing them can have unintended consequences, eg re the overall ‘demand’ of school, including sensory, emotional etc. I’m thinking specifically about autistic & ADHD children (dx or not)
October 11, 2025 at 9:12 AM
My concern is that even if/when the child can observably manage without scaffolds from a cog point of view, withdrawing them can have unintended consequences, eg re the overall ‘demand’ of school, including sensory, emotional etc. I’m thinking specifically about autistic & ADHD children (dx or not)
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
In my latest podcast, @ensermark.bsky.social explained why he thinks Ofsted is wrong to combine 'attendance' and 'behaviour' in their upcoming inspection framework because they are different issues that require different remedies.
Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com
Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com
September 27, 2025 at 7:39 AM
In my latest podcast, @ensermark.bsky.social explained why he thinks Ofsted is wrong to combine 'attendance' and 'behaviour' in their upcoming inspection framework because they are different issues that require different remedies.
Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com
Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
The timing of this with an overdue report from the ADHD Taskforce… Part 1 in June had solid recommendations.
Publish Part 2, commit to ownership, delivery and a national strategy. Not bury it under another review.
Looks like we’ve got our work cut out at @adhdpathfinding.org.uk
1/2
Publish Part 2, commit to ownership, delivery and a national strategy. Not bury it under another review.
Looks like we’ve got our work cut out at @adhdpathfinding.org.uk
1/2
Exclusive: Streeting orders probe of mental illness overdiagnosis
The health and social care secretary is to launch a review of the prevalence of mental illness and neurodivergence, with a particular focus on whether some conditions are being overdiagnosed, HSJ can ...
www.hsj.co.uk
October 7, 2025 at 7:50 AM
The timing of this with an overdue report from the ADHD Taskforce… Part 1 in June had solid recommendations.
Publish Part 2, commit to ownership, delivery and a national strategy. Not bury it under another review.
Looks like we’ve got our work cut out at @adhdpathfinding.org.uk
1/2
Publish Part 2, commit to ownership, delivery and a national strategy. Not bury it under another review.
Looks like we’ve got our work cut out at @adhdpathfinding.org.uk
1/2
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Simon Wessely — the controversial psychiatrist once dubbed “Britain’s most hated doctor” has been appointed vice chair of Labour’s review into overdiagnosis of mental health and neurodivergence.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...
Controversial professor to investigate overdiagnosis of mental health and neurodivergence for Labour
Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments...
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk
October 6, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Simon Wessely — the controversial psychiatrist once dubbed “Britain’s most hated doctor” has been appointed vice chair of Labour’s review into overdiagnosis of mental health and neurodivergence.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Some people think ChatGPT has a place writing things like news briefs, stuff written to a specific style and tone and, y'know, kinda boring.
So Science did a study.
ChatGPT failed.
Why? It got stuff wrong. "Also, extensive editing for hyperbole was needed." www.science.org/content/blog...
So Science did a study.
ChatGPT failed.
Why? It got stuff wrong. "Also, extensive editing for hyperbole was needed." www.science.org/content/blog...
Can ChatGPT help science writers?
www.science.org
September 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Some people think ChatGPT has a place writing things like news briefs, stuff written to a specific style and tone and, y'know, kinda boring.
So Science did a study.
ChatGPT failed.
Why? It got stuff wrong. "Also, extensive editing for hyperbole was needed." www.science.org/content/blog...
So Science did a study.
ChatGPT failed.
Why? It got stuff wrong. "Also, extensive editing for hyperbole was needed." www.science.org/content/blog...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
ADHD care in the UK is a postcode lottery.
Different rules. Long waits. Services that don’t talk to each other.
We’re mapping all this, starting with lived experience.
If you’ve been through ADHD assessment, diagnosis or treatment, your story matters.
No personal info, just what happened.
Different rules. Long waits. Services that don’t talk to each other.
We’re mapping all this, starting with lived experience.
If you’ve been through ADHD assessment, diagnosis or treatment, your story matters.
No personal info, just what happened.
Your ADHD assessment experience
The information collected will be used to understand and describe the experiences of people seeking ADHD assessment. There is no identifying information collected with the form unless it is typed into...
docs.google.com
August 11, 2025 at 8:26 AM
ADHD care in the UK is a postcode lottery.
Different rules. Long waits. Services that don’t talk to each other.
We’re mapping all this, starting with lived experience.
If you’ve been through ADHD assessment, diagnosis or treatment, your story matters.
No personal info, just what happened.
Different rules. Long waits. Services that don’t talk to each other.
We’re mapping all this, starting with lived experience.
If you’ve been through ADHD assessment, diagnosis or treatment, your story matters.
No personal info, just what happened.
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Explaining AUDHD
a fascinating video discussing the 5 hidden signs of AUDHD,
with Dr Khurram Sadiq on ADHD chatter podcast
#adhd
#autism
#AUDHD
youtu.be/IdFpeUTnDA8?...
a fascinating video discussing the 5 hidden signs of AUDHD,
with Dr Khurram Sadiq on ADHD chatter podcast
#adhd
#autism
#AUDHD
youtu.be/IdFpeUTnDA8?...
No. 1 AuDHD Expert Reveals 5 Hidden Signs of AuDHD | Dr Khurram Sadiq
YouTube video by ADHD Chatter Podcast
youtu.be
June 16, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Explaining AUDHD
a fascinating video discussing the 5 hidden signs of AUDHD,
with Dr Khurram Sadiq on ADHD chatter podcast
#adhd
#autism
#AUDHD
youtu.be/IdFpeUTnDA8?...
a fascinating video discussing the 5 hidden signs of AUDHD,
with Dr Khurram Sadiq on ADHD chatter podcast
#adhd
#autism
#AUDHD
youtu.be/IdFpeUTnDA8?...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
One of the researchers told the event: “The biggest concern that teachers had was the loss of [any] autonomy they had to make lessons to meet the needs and interests of their students,” with notions of consistency of approach often shading into “boring” standardisation.
September 25, 2025 at 11:32 AM
One of the researchers told the event: “The biggest concern that teachers had was the loss of [any] autonomy they had to make lessons to meet the needs and interests of their students,” with notions of consistency of approach often shading into “boring” standardisation.
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
New: Shouldn’t they concentrate on their own schools? Five MAT CEOs, picked by government to advise on school improvement, have academies on list of those needing improvement educationuncovered.co.uk/analysis/dia...
Education Uncovered | Diary| Shouldn’t they concentrate on their own schools? Five MAT CEOs, picked by government to advise on school improvement, have academies on list of those needing improvement
Analysis of schools and advisers on "RISE" lists shows the paradoxes and complexities of school improvement within England's fragmented organisational environment. Plus: we are leaked some "outdated" ...
educationuncovered.co.uk
September 29, 2025 at 9:39 AM
New: Shouldn’t they concentrate on their own schools? Five MAT CEOs, picked by government to advise on school improvement, have academies on list of those needing improvement educationuncovered.co.uk/analysis/dia...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
also, here is a discount flyer for my book!
May 28, 2025 at 12:55 PM
also, here is a discount flyer for my book!
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
More evidence of LLM homogeneity on creativity tasks. Even across different LLM models/families, their outputs are more similar to each other than human responses are, lacking semantic diversity. @yoedkenett.bsky.social
We're Different, We're the Same: Creative Homogeneity Across LLMs
Numerous powerful large language models (LLMs) are now available for use as writing support tools, idea generators, and beyond. Although these LLMs are marketed as helpful creative assistants, several...
arxiv.org
February 7, 2025 at 2:18 PM
More evidence of LLM homogeneity on creativity tasks. Even across different LLM models/families, their outputs are more similar to each other than human responses are, lacking semantic diversity. @yoedkenett.bsky.social
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
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…
The focus is on LIBERATION from OPPRESSIVE systems and beliefs.
This will work best, I believe, when we COLLECTIVISE our action.
Here we go…
September 13, 2025 at 9:35 AM
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…
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 Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
When I work with teachers on behaviour we talk about how many expectations it is realistic to expect young people to remember, especially at the start of the year. I have a joke that the optimists say 3 and the pessimists say 1. Nobody ever says 10. 🧵⬇️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
New Lowestoft school rules are overly strict, says parent
The rules around classroom behaviour include a countdown from three to one.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 12, 2025 at 5:32 AM
When I work with teachers on behaviour we talk about how many expectations it is realistic to expect young people to remember, especially at the start of the year. I have a joke that the optimists say 3 and the pessimists say 1. Nobody ever says 10. 🧵⬇️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Wrapping up: it's long been recognised that how mental disorders are explained shapes public and professional attitudes.
Preferred explanatory frameworks for mental disorder are often a matter of taste and trend, with many alternative framings being scientifically compatible.
Preferred explanatory frameworks for mental disorder are often a matter of taste and trend, with many alternative framings being scientifically compatible.
September 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Wrapping up: it's long been recognised that how mental disorders are explained shapes public and professional attitudes.
Preferred explanatory frameworks for mental disorder are often a matter of taste and trend, with many alternative framings being scientifically compatible.
Preferred explanatory frameworks for mental disorder are often a matter of taste and trend, with many alternative framings being scientifically compatible.
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
🎉New pre-print!🎉
“Our findings represent the most robust evidence to date that evolutionary psychiatry offers normalising causal stories with various positive effects, in this case by casting anxiety as a calibrated defence system that can overshoot in contemporary contexts."
“Our findings represent the most robust evidence to date that evolutionary psychiatry offers normalising causal stories with various positive effects, in this case by casting anxiety as a calibrated defence system that can overshoot in contemporary contexts."
September 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
🎉New pre-print!🎉
“Our findings represent the most robust evidence to date that evolutionary psychiatry offers normalising causal stories with various positive effects, in this case by casting anxiety as a calibrated defence system that can overshoot in contemporary contexts."
“Our findings represent the most robust evidence to date that evolutionary psychiatry offers normalising causal stories with various positive effects, in this case by casting anxiety as a calibrated defence system that can overshoot in contemporary contexts."
Reposted by Lara Kalaidjian - Լարա Գալայժեան
Episode 31: The Anxious Generation
Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? A middle-aged libertarian tells Joe Rogan that it is.
Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? A middle-aged libertarian tells Joe Rogan that it is.
If Books Could Kill on Apple Podcasts
Society & Culture · 2024
podcasts.apple.com
August 8, 2024 at 3:55 PM
Episode 31: The Anxious Generation
Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? A middle-aged libertarian tells Joe Rogan that it is.
Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? A middle-aged libertarian tells Joe Rogan that it is.