<![CDATA[Orchid Advocacy - NEURO-DIVERSITY Wednesday]]>Fri, 17 May 2024 06:15:21 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Mitochondria, Fatigue and chronic Homelessness]]>Tue, 07 May 2024 18:58:26 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/mitochondria-fatigue-and-chronic-homelessness
Val's Take
  • It's the extreme, sensational aspects of Neuro-Diversity that make the news.
  • The low grade fatigue and/or mild to moderate executive functioning challenges have until recently flown under the radar.---
  • What we may see is the person has a hard time holding a job or with relationships --- and maybe they need some motivational interviewing.
  • Mental Health didn't get everything wrong, but they got a lot wrong and that is why it is so important to bring these new understandings to the forefront.
  • These new understandings will get us out of Mental Health America's --- STAGE 4 DIAGNOSIS.
Picture
ADHD Fatigue: Understanding the Connection (2024)
Our World And Autism

Why are Autistic People So Tired? Exploring Fatigue in Autism (2023)
Picture
Beyond the serotonin hypothesis: mitochondria, inflammation and neurodegeneration in major depression and affective spectrum disorders (2010)
"For many years, a deficiency of monoamines including serotonin has been the prevailing hypothesis on depression, yet research has failed to confirm consistent relations between brain serotonin and depression.

"High degrees of overlapping comorbidities and common drug efficacies suggest that depression is one of a family of related conditions sometimes referred to as the "affective spectrum disorders", and variably including migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and generalized anxiety disorder, among many others."
Picture
The relationship between fatigue and psychiatric disorders: Evidence for the concept of neurasthenia (2009)   
"Previous cross-sectional studies have demonstrated a close association between chronic fatigue and psychiatric disorders .

"Up to two thirds of people reporting fatigue lasting longer than 6 months will also be suffering from a comorbid psychiatric disorder."
TedxTalk: 
Solving the Housing Crisis for Neurodiverse Adults
Lyric Rivera --- Neurodivergent Rebel
Stop Asking Neurodivergent People to Keep A Neurotypical Pace at Work
CBS Colorado
Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis calling for more accountability at newest homeless shelter
Picture
In Schizophrenia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome- and Fibromyalgia-Like Symptoms are Driven by Breakdown of the Paracellular Pathway with Increased Zonulin and Immune Activation-Associated Neurotoxicity (2023)
]]><![CDATA[Intelligence as a Symptom]]>Sat, 06 Apr 2024 01:27:32 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/intelligence-as-a-symptom
Val's Take/Conjecture
People who are very intelligent in their 20s --- have a greater risk for Parkinson's.

This is definitely conjecture --- but I think Stephen Hawking's brilliance was not just due to his brain but also his immune system and ALS.    He paid a big price for that.

High IQ does seem to be related to an over-active immune system that is having not only classic mental health impacts but also physical impacts.
Antoine Giraud
Perinatal inflammation exposure and developmental outcomes after neonatal stroke.
Val's Note:  Results of IQ Scores of children with perinatal inflammation exposure were actually higher than that of "normal" children.

I think this is getting to something fundamental in the complicated picture that people with neuro-developmental inflammation present and hinting at why many "gifted" individuals are getting a LATE DIAGNOSIS as adults.
Picture
Star Institute is located in Centennial, Colorado
A pilot study by the STAR Institute found that the 35% of the children in one large sample (n=550) from a gifted and talented center exhibited symptoms of SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder).

This is significantly more than the 5% that pilot studies have found in the general population.
Picture
Picture
Neuroscience News
The Hidden Vulnerabilities of High IQ

Val's Take:  On the other hand, we do need to bring giftedness down to earth.
Picture
The Good, the Bad and the Hyper-Connected Brain

Hyper-connected brains are associated with Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders.

There are often some significant gifts, just as there are real challenges.
Psychiatric Disorders: 
  • Maternal Immune Activation 
  • Developmental Aspects  
  • Common Genes  
  • Epigenetics
  • Executive Functioning Differences / Deficits
  • Hyper-Connected Brains
]]><![CDATA["It's a broad church"]]>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 00:48:24 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/its-a-broad-church
FOREWORD

For too long the criminal justice system has been ignoring a glaring and inconvenient truth.

A significant proportion of service users are neurodiverse.

In far greater numbers than the general public, people inside the criminal justice system live with autism, ADHD, speech/communication disorders, intellectual disabilities, learning disorders, neurogenetic disorders like Down Syndrome, traumatic brain injuries…

it’s a broad church.
USER VOICE

“NEURO…WHAT?”
NEURODIVERSITY IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM (2021)
River (Sundance/PBS)
The RIVER OF TRAUMA rarely is a nice, neat Karma.
]]><![CDATA[PAIN In ADHD & AUTISM]]>Wed, 24 Jan 2024 11:21:41 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/pain-in-adhd-autism(Differences in sensory Processing are at least recognized in Autism as affecting perceptions of PAIN)
Val's Take/Conjecture
  • I'm going to be focusing initially on "emotional pain" and then "physical pain."
  • The History of "REJECTION SENSITIVE DYSPHORIA" (RSD) is interesting as told by now retired Colorado Psychiatrist William Dodson ---- who is not only considered a national expert, but also an international expert.
  • But it is NOT just ADHDers --- many in the Autism Camp have said --- "Hey, that sounds like me."
  •  Further, ADHD and Autism are now at least by the researchers viewed as very BLURRED --- and part of a Neuro-Developmental -- Psychiatric Continuum.
  • Additionally, EMOTIONAL INTENSITY is the calling card of the "gifted"/asynchronous.

BUT --- it is NOT just emotional pain that neuro-diverse folks are more sensitive too --- they are also more sensitive to PHYSICAL PAIN.
Picture
Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
Associations between Chronic Pain and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Youth: A Scoping Review.

January 2023

"We also outline future directions to inform future research and interventions directed to youth with comorbid pain and ADHD. Design: A scoping review of the literature was performed in MEDLINE, PsycInfo, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews using a wide range …"

"Conclusions:  Findings from this scoping review suggest an association between chronic pain and ADHD among youth. Little research was found to examine the etiology of this association. Future studies should examine underlying mechanisms of comorbid chronic pain and ADHD."
Effect of atomoxetine on ADHD-pain hypersensitization comorbidity in 6-OHDA lesioned mice.

April 2023

BACKGROUND: Methylphenidate and atomoxetine are used for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Our previous studies established the validity of the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) mouse model of ADHD and demonstrate …

Conclusion: "These findings demonstrated that when administered chronically, atomoxetine has a significant effect on ADHD-associated pain hypersensitization, likely mediated by both α- and β-adrenergic and D2/D3 dopaminergic receptors, and suggest new indications for atomoxetine that will need to be confirmed by well-designed clinical trials."
The Current View on the Paradox of Pain in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

July 2022

"Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which affects 1 in 44 children and may cause severe disabilities. ...An integrative view on the regulation of the pain cycle offers a more robust framework to characterize the experience …

"A growing body of evidence is challenging the idea of alterations in pain processing in ASD due to a single factor, and calls for an integrative view.

"We propose a model of the pain cycle that includes the interplay between the molecular and neurophysiological pathways of pain processing and it conscious appraisal that may interfere with pain reactivity and coping in autism.

The role of social factors in pain-induced response is also discussed. Pain assessment in clinical care is mostly based on subjective rather than objective measures.

This review clarifies the strong need for a consistent methodology, and describes innovative tools to cope with the heterogeneity of pain expression in ASD, enabling individualized assessment.
Incidental physical pain reduces brain activities associated with affective social feedback and increases aggression.

February 2023

"Thus, this study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying pain-induced aggression using functional magnetic resonance imaging. ...The results revealed that participants in the pain group exhibited more aggression than those in the control …
]]><![CDATA[Homelessness, Employment & IDIOSYNCRATIC BRAINS]]>Wed, 20 Dec 2023 09:39:51 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/homelessness-employment-idiosyncratic-brains
Picture
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman
Aurora mayor hones in on "work first" approach to homelessness in state of city speech -- The Denver Gazette
  • I agree --- but like so many things --- if a lecture was going to fix it --- we wouldn't have a problem.
  • We'd like to see more partnerships with Voc ReHab and others to make this the SUCCESS --- everyone wants it to be.
Unfortunately, Neuro-Diverse folks are over-represented in the chronically homeless population and that Neuro-Developmental Continuum is also a Psychiatric Continuum.

Addressing this has been hard to do --- but we have more understanding and tools then we ever have had before.
Idiosyncratic brains

"When researchers superimposed non-autistic brain scans on top of each other, the brains were all very similar.

"However, when the same thing was done to autistic brain scans, the autistic brains were all very different.

"The autistic brains all had areas of high and low connectivity, but no distinct areas of high and low connectivity were discernible.

"In other words, autistic people have more individualized, idiosyncratic connectivity patterns than controls do; each autistic brain differed from the norm, but each did so in its own way."
National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices & Systems
 October 2023

Screening for Autism Spectrum Condition Through Inner City Homeless Services in the Republic of Ireland

"These findings suggest a high estimate of autism prevalence and support emerging evidence that, people with autism are overrepresented in the homeless population, compared to housed populations.

"Autism may be a risk factor for entry into homelessness and a challenge to exiting homeless and engaging with relevant services."
Nov. 2016

Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Homelessness: A 33-Year Follow-Up Study
"Conclusion:

"Among boys of white ethnicity who were followed into adulthood, childhood ADHD was associated with an elevated rate of homelessness.

"Findings point to the need for clinical monitoring of childhood ADHD through adolescence, even when ADHD does not persist, in hopes of mitigating a cascade of malfunction that includes homelessness."
]]><![CDATA[Uncertainty, Complexity and Stigma are Driving the Need for Better Treatments and Answers]]>Tue, 19 Dec 2023 20:14:19 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/uncertainty-complexity-and-stigma-are-driving-the-need-for-better-treatments-and-answers
Conjecture
  • I came across a Harvard Course on STIGMA and they were looking at it from various perspectives including mental health, weight, sexuality, poverty, etc.
    • I thought it was very interesting the discussion on "Mental Illness" and it was very much looking at PUBLIC ATTITUDES to various explanations of Mental Illness.
      • None of which seemed particularly accurate given current research.
 
The point I'm trying to make is that PUBLIC ATTITUDES are not IRRELEVANT  ---
  • But the keys that are really going to alleviate that UNCERTAINTY ----
  • Are better understandings and treatments.
Further, our CHRONIC DISEASE CRISIS is driving the need for PRECISION, INDIVIDUALIZED MEDICINE.The NUMBER OF FACTORS to be considered is also driving the development of AI in Medicine.
]]><![CDATA[Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders and An IQ over 70]]>Mon, 11 Dec 2023 02:14:27 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/neuro-developmental-psychiatric-disorders-and-an-iq-over-70
For people with neuro-developmental & psychiatric disorders and an IQ over 70 ---
  • I would submit they need pretty much the same things as people with an Intellectual Disability and IQ under 70 ---
    • But tailored to their specific higher intellectual needs

The American Psychiatric Association lists the following needs for people with Intellectual Disability --- I'm adding some of the MODIFICATIONS I think need to be there for Neuro-Diverse People with an IQ Over 70:
  • Early intervention (infants and toddlers).
  • Special education.
    • Providing Specialized Educational Support for "gifted"/asynchronous kids is at least theoretically recognized in Education.
  • Family support (for example, respite care support groups for families).
  • Transition services from childhood to adulthood.
    • I'm 60 years old and some of the Senior Neuro-Diverse People I'm running into could use those TRANSITION SERVICES ---NOW.
      • Couldn't we all.
  • Vocational programs
    • This is a HUGE ISSUE
    • For Neuro-Diverse People with an IQ over 70-- you have to INCLUDE THEM in the STRUCTURE & DESIGN ---
      • Because they may be "SMARTER" than anybody in the room
      • Even if they are struggling with
        • Short Term Memory
        • Sensory Processing Issues
        • Organization
        • Emotional Regulation
        • Etc.
      • BUT DON"T MAKE THEM MINI OR LARGE-SCALE DICTATORS
        • Even if they think they are BENEVOLENT, they generally aren't.
  • Day programs for adults.
  • Housing and residential options.
  • Case management.
Our Mental Health Crisis and our Addiction Crisis are putting into HIGH RELIEF that Neuro-Diversity is becoming much more the NORM than the EXCEPTION.

Further, I think DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION DRIVES IT --- BUT that can be many things and many combinations of things.
The Society has largely thought it didn't need to make ACCOMMODATIONS or WORK-AROUNDS or EXPLICIT GUARD-RAILS for Neuro-Diverse People with an IQ over 70:
  • that just hasn't turned out to be the case
  • further we've been using Unconscious Bias, Hierarchy and our spoken and unspoken CASTE SYSTEM to manage ---
  • a great deal of HUMAN COMPLEXITY
  • See also Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste -- The Origins of our Discontents"
The Bottom Line is it IS WORSE TO BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SOCIAL HEAP:
  • But if we're NOT CAREFUL --- we're just playing MUSICAL CHAIRS
    • That's becoming very obvious to a lot of people in 2023.
  • "EQUALITY" is part of the WAY OUT
    • But we're NOT CLONES
    • Equality of What?
      • What works for me --- doesn't work for others --
      • And what works for them --- doesn't work for me.
]]><![CDATA[What Is "MINORITY STRESS" ---???]]>Sat, 09 Dec 2023 17:12:58 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/what-is-minority-stress
Val's Take/Conjecture
  • I would say there is MORE going on here than we may realize.
  • Specifically, I think there are some POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOPS that when we're under STRESS -----
    • We're becoming "MORE SENSITIVE"
    • We're RAMPING UP that SENSORY PROCESSING ---
      • Ostensibly --- so we can REASON and get out of the STRESSFUL SITUATION.
 
  • When you're in a COMPLEX SOCIETY and you're being MARGINALIZED ---
 LGBTQ+ are often Neuro-Diverse ---
  • Not everyone who is Neuro-Diverse is LGBTQ+
  • BUT the percentages of Non-Heterosexual People are HIGHER in Neuro-Diverse Populations ---
The Link Between Neurodiversity and the LGBTQIA+ Community
I will just say this as a Heterosexual Neuro-Diverse woman --- the smartest women at my college were lamenting the fact that many (not all) of the smart men were gay.

So there was a lot of competition for those heterosexual smart men.


Understanding The Weight Of Minority Stress

"Minority stress is a type of stress felt by members of minority groups that involves emotionally taxing situations and experiences specific to one’s race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or gender."
  • ETC.
]]><![CDATA[Rock-n-Roll Baby --- Making Autism Cool]]>Tue, 05 Dec 2023 14:17:28 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/rock-n-roll-baby-making-autism-cool
Grateful Dead --- "Touch of Grey"
I think the Modern Music Scene is "ADAPTED" for people with Autism ---
  • gives people something to do with their hands
  • there's plenty of "ROCKING" which is a physical release and could be thought of as a form of "stimming"
  • repetitive sounds and vocals -- can be done in COMPLICATED PATTERNS
  • "ACCOMMODATES" --- Circadian Rhythms that might be a little different .
  • Musical Artists and Artists in general are often very concerned about being "HONEST" ---
    • I think that is being driven a lot by INTENSE EMOTION and sometimes the MAJORITY ---
      • does not want to hear it.
      • so I think Neuro-Diverse people often turn it into a "VIRTUE" or "ART" or at least try.
I think there is a lot behind the statistic below right (73% of independent music makers experience symptoms of mental illness)  ---
  • one of the things (not necessarily the only thing) is that Neuro-Diverse people are having a hard time fitting into the dominant economy.

See"Go With the Flow."

There's a big need to "CO-CREATE OPPORTUNITIES" for the people we actually have.
Picture
Why Do Autistic People Rock Back and Forth?
Picture
Image Credit the Conversation
Music and Autism | Spectrum Disorder

  • Music therapy has been shown to improve symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), such as anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity.
 
  • In addition, music therapy has also been found to increase attention span, reduce aggression, and improve language development.
On the other hand . . .
Picture
The Music Industry is Having a Mental Health Crisis

"More than 73 percent of independent music makers experience symptoms of mental illness.

"And this statistic was released before the pandemic. In 2019, Swedish digital distribution platform . . ."
]]><![CDATA[Neuro-Diverse Professionals --- BIG STRENGTHS and BIG CHALLENGES]]>Tue, 10 Oct 2023 19:55:33 GMThttps://orchidadvocacy.org/neuro-diversity-wednesday/neuro-diverse-professionals-big-strengths-and-big-challenges
Conjecture

I remember a judge in Oklahoma County who was extremely smart and he was verbally abusive to pretty much all the attorneys and anybody else who appeared before him ---

So there was a certain EQUAL OPPORTUNITY aspect to this.

AND HE GOT AWAY WITH IT --- because he was in a position of AUTHORITY.

I don't think it was clear to anybody what his problem was --- and I don't think it was clear to him either. 

I think that would be a little harder to get away with in Colorado because of surveys involving the Judiciary --- but not impossible.  

There were also at least a couple of Oklahoma judges who routinely obliquely shared their own problems with alcohol to DUI Defendants.  

I don't think that kind of "SHARING" is a magic bullet --- BUT I do think it's PART of creating a MORE HONEST and GROUNDED SOCIAL REALITY. 
What we need from the Medical Profession is MORE HONESTY about the LIMITS OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE and TREATMENTS.

We need something MORE SOPHISTICATED than tagging many if not most people in the Criminal Justice System with "ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER."

If we don't have something "MORE SOPHISTICATED" we need to be honest about that as well as the REASONABLE DOUBTS that are being created by CURRENT RESEARCH.
]]>