Always get super psyched when I see autistics making frameworks for socialization and communication that empowers them rather than pushes them into conformity. It's desperately needed.

jarps.net/journal/arti... (Forgot to link it.)

This is different, but somewhat similar to the framework I built for teaching advocacy skills through autistic led social skills groups. Really, REALLY great stuff. Great work!

This is *fantastic* and absolutely critical work.

Photo from Neurodiverse NW, put on by Ryther, just a fun opportunity to network and support neurodivergent programs through Aspiring Youth. Also nice to see fellow social skills DM Adam Davis, we've been in the applied RPG space for... A long time.

I just had a provider email me with some *almost* sensitive information about a patient, and there was an existing AI response generated when I hit reply.

This is so beyond not ok. This email was for my eyes only.

"You're the only person who asks me questions that make sense."
"Nobody else gets what it's like. It's so hard."
"Everything is so loud. But it bugs you too."
"I wish I could stop hurting my mom."

Lived experience and frank conversation made all the difference in building buy in.

When I worked in intensive services (8 years), I was known as the 'angry autistic boy whisperer' because I specialized in working with autistic aggression in boys. I had lived experience and autistic social skills that helped me build a strong bond.

And that allowed me to help them open up.

Sure, you could argue that there's a stigma around autistics, etc, etc, but the reality is that aggressive behaviors around meltdowns are a serious issue.

And if the people who can talk about it respectfully, frankly, and knowledgeably can talk about it, solutions can be worked out.

Also, something that is interesting that I want to touch on-

Sometimes people get upset when I talk about aggression. Often times, weirdly enough, it's therapists.

Talking about aggression is important, but it needs to come from within the community. It's a real issue.

The pathway for a better future for autistics is based on communities coming together and sharing their insights, breaking down barriers, and collaborating on their common goals. This is possible, but requires inviting and empowering those with authentic and diverse lived experience to lead.

So, in the same way we need more pathways and supports for autistics in mental health services (ideally a peer counseling model), we need better pathways and outreach for autistic representation in parent communities (ideally from autistic parents.)

There were also autistic moms who felt more comfortable geeking out about their autism because I was there. Having someone who was very much happy with his autism helped them open up. And I hope I empowered them to be an autistic voice.

It was mostly moms, and there were times when it was awkward, and I didn't go every time, but the vibe overall was one of genuine curiosity. Being able to contextualize behavior, validate good parenting, and provide an alternative perspective was really good. I miss doing that.

Now I'm not saying the solution is parents of autistic kids with aggressive behaviors should flood autistic advocacy spaces- But, I think there should be a place for more cross over, with self advocates being invited into parent spaces.

I used to sit in on a parent to parent group, it was great.

But, a lot of the time, parents don't come into autism spaces. They go to parent groups, where, depending on the group, it can be full of support,good advice, and healing, OR really bad and dangerous advice. So you end up with kids being shipped off to awful inpatient centers where they get worse.

I've seen it happen- parents come onto autism forums, and genuinely ask for help- and autistics talk about their own experience having meltdowns, what works, what doesn't, and how to come up with safety planning, all that stuff. There's clinical interventions that can do this very well.

In almost all these cases, the parents just want help. They don't see their kid as a tragedy, but are genuinely afraid- both for their safety and the kid's future, they don't want them to grow up to be in prison, or someone who beats women.

And the autism community *has* answers.

support needs autistics.

So, as someone who has done extensive work in the community, in homes, etc- largely with autistic boys with severe aggression behaviors, I've seen a lot of violence, often times directed at mom, pets, or smaller siblings. Broken noses, cracked ribs, black eyes, groping.

These are autistics who are usually very intelligent, and have really struggled in society- Having a hard time getting a job, living independently, finding romance, etc. I've seen some borderline incel stuff here. They are a minority, but they do exist, and they often have not interacted with high-

Most parents I talk to are trying to do best by their autistic kids. But a small handful are 'warrior moms' who oft engage in ablest behavior. That's what the autistic self advocacy community perceives.

Meanwhile the autistic self advocacy community is very diverse, but there's auti-supremacists.

Recently did a number of parent talks, and something that came up a lot is autistic aggression, and I think this is one of the core pieces that divides the parent community and self advocacy community into silos.

I want to highlight that both communities are VERY diverse, but there are perceptions.

There were a lot of other reasons why I have serious concerns about an AI autism therapy chatbot that I won't get into here, but at the end of the day, autistics need human connection, need autistic connection, and need authenticity. We need more peer counseling in autism services, less ABA and AI.

The frustrating thing is, there's actually a lot of really good ways therapists *can* use AI- for the paperwork side of things. It can help with scheduling, billing, all kinds of tedious paperwork. That's where things should be going, not an AI chatbot that will validate delusions and toxicity.

-AI does have a place in autistic mental health, I believe- Apps like Goblin.tools and the Autism Translator are wonderful *tools* that can help autistic people. But a therapeutic AI chatbot ain't it.

Specifically to autistics. I've already got some serious concerns around it acting as a 'social alternative' that doesn't really teach social skills. Learning social skills should be messy and uncomfortable, and AIs are sycophants. They also never challenge you like a good therapist will.

A few things stuck out:
-I knew more about AI than she did. I've been fascinated by AI since reading Kurzweil 20 years ago, but I'm no longer excited about it. But I know how AIs work, and I don't think they're safe to use for therapy.
-There's a lot of issues with AI that actually may be harmful-

I recently had a mental health nurse practitioner reach out to me about an autism and mental health app she was building, and she wanted my perspective as an autistic self advocate and screentime expert.

It was an AI therapy bot.

I gently told her it was not a good idea.

I think autistics don't actually mind discipline if it's logical.