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Louise Ting

@neuro-observant.bsky.social

7.4K followers 1.3K following 3.4K posts

Neurodivergent. LGBTQ+ 🌈 Passionate about autism advocacy, mental health, and research. Community volunteer. Love 🐈, PPI, art and learning Creator of this popular PPI resource (used by research orgs & universities globally): tiny.cc/PPIdiagram

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 15h

Impressive work as always, Moti. Interesting to hear the context :) Very powerful!

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 1d

This encounter is a perfect illustration of why I made the post that I did yesterday…

Folks, AUTISM IS NOT A MONOLITH

It shows up in many different ways. That’s the beauty of the spectrum ❤️ The joy of diversity

Instead of questioning autistic people, try questioning your assumptions 😊

Randy Milholland @choochoobear.bsky.social · 1d

Not even 8am here and someone's informed me my daughter can't really be autistic because she can dress herself and use the bathroom on her own.

I could explain to them autism is a spectrum but making sure I never interact with them again seems better.

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

me feel lesser for them or any of my ND traits. The diagnosis
wasn’t necessary/ important for me to be seen, understood, and accepted by him

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

That’s beautiful… We need more of that in the world ❤️ When one of my best friends found out I was autistic, one of the things that I realised I loved about him and our friendship was that he also didn’t know and didn’t care… in that he always supported my autistic needs and never made

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

Me too ❤️

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

wellbeing), our strengths would shine (many exist but are not given light currently) and we’d have so much to celebrate, rather than spending a lot of energy every day on just trying to survive

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

Absolutely. So much of the disability comes from society and the way environments have been constructed. Imagine how different our lives would be if we were all able to live authentically and supported to flourish! I’m sure our health outcomes would be drastically better (especially mental

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

understand why others might just refuse to engage in that kind of debate at all and distance themselves/ let go of the friendship. Family has been a really tricky one for me too

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

Yeah, friends really should be more supportive. I struggled with a few close friends accepting my diagnosis for the first year or so but we’re in a good place now so it was ultimately worth it. Still, was an upsetting and stressful thing to go through so I can totally

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 2d

I wish I didn’t have to say this but…

If someone tells you they’re autistic and you find that hard to believe, it might be because:

- They don’t feel safe enough to unmask around you
- Your knowledge of autism is limited

Arguing won’t help. Kindness, curiosity, and listening to understand, will ❤️

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 4d

I felt the same way! We need more balanced and destigmatising research like this for sure 😊 Glad you enjoyed reading the summary ❤️

P.S. I’m halfway through my free book! It’s helping me through severe illness so thanks again for the recommendation :)

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 4d

Yeah, the effort required to manage even just one task (let alone switching to a different one or having multiple things to take care of in a day) can be so draining 😓

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 4d

6. Routines

7. Body doubling

8. Planning your day around your energy levels

9. Reduce the pressure of having to do something perfectly

e.g. helpful self-talk:
- “I don’t have to finish it- just start”
- “I can stop again if it’s too much”
- “Doing it badly is still doing it”

10. Self-compassion

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 4d

What might help:

1. Breaking down tasks into smaller steps

2. Gentle alarms or timers

3. Visual schedules and To Do lists

4. “Warm-up” actions e.g. sit up in bed for a few minutes before standing

5. Sensory tools to reduce overwhelm e.g. noise-cancelling headphones when leaving the house

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 4d

Autistic inertia is related to executive dysfunction (e.g. task initiation), motor planning (the brain sending signals to the body to carry out physical actions), nervous system regulation, and challenges with transitions

Can be worsened by stress, burnout, fatigue, and sensory issues

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 4d

Autistic inertia = difficulty with starting, stopping and switching tasks

It can happen even when:

- you want to do the task
- the task is important or urgent
- you have a clear understanding of what needs to be done
- it’s something as “simple” as getting out of bed or the shower

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 6d

Yeah, same. It can be really hard trying to have/ keep friends whilst also struggling so much with overwhelm and exhaustion 😢

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 7d

Aww, thank you for the support! Glad my content is helpful 😊

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 7d

Conventions can be SO overwhelming! It’s really hard cuz the themes are perfect for geeky autistics but the crowds, chaos, lights, noise and claustrophobia are very much not >.<

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 7d

As autistic people, we’re often excluded (either intentionally or unintentionally) so being included and invited means a lot

But even when we’re welcomed, we may need to be careful about pacing, what our needs are, and recognising that these can also fluctuate

#AutismAwareness

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 7d

Sometimes autism is wanting so badly to be a part of things but then being totally overwhelmed when you are 💔

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Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 9d

I agree! I think there are now some hiring programmes which you can now get onto more easily because of companies realising that they’re missing out on autistic talent (and seeking to be more inclusive in general when recruiting) but these schemes are not commonplace yet

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 9d

Aww, I’m glad it was useful 😊

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 9d

being Greek mythology month for me 😍 The only issue is both that and the game are intense so I’ll need the energy and nerves for them first 😅

Glad you’re having a lot of fun so far 😊

Louise Ting @neuro-observant.bsky.social · 9d

Ooh, good to know. The bloodstones were annoying haha but I did really like some of the upgrades you could get for them e.g. crystal laser.

Odysseus is one of the best myths! My pre-order for a book which is a retelling of Medea arrived the other week too so October may end up

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