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Susan60

@Susan60@aus.social

Lifelong learner, leftie, AuADHD, Bunurong country, Australia. She/her. Won’t boost photos without alt txt (unless I forget!).

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yourautisticlife , to ActuallyAutistic group
@yourautisticlife@mast.yourautisticlife.com avatar

@actuallyautistic

I think the evidence is mounting that in some circumstances I can be rather slow to process emotions.

Sometimes it is not until the day after something happened that I get angry. During this "something" I keep a placid demeanor. This demeanor is not a strategy or a conscious decision.

Then, the next day, I realize how this very thing gives rise to emotions, often anger.

I'm wondering if it relates to alexithymia. I'm not confused about what I feel, but the feeling may get delayed.

Or maybe it is a combination of:

  • people pleasing,
  • autistic inertia,
  • alexithymia

Just thinking out lout about one of my characteristics here.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@yourautisticlife @actuallyautistic

Sometimes I think that delayed effect (affect?) has been helpful. It’s allowed me to do what needs to be done before dealing with how I feel. The problem has been when the “doing” has taken so long that I haven’t got around to the feeling, but the feelings are still there, burbling away, leading to unexpected meltdown &/or burnout.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@Zumbador @arisummerland @yourautisticlife @actuallyautistic

Been engaging in a conversation about how “that’s not me”. And now realise that alexithymia might be me after all.

LehtoriTuomo , to ActuallyAutistic group
@LehtoriTuomo@mementomori.social avatar

Yesterday I was wearing sunglasses when I went to the city centre as it was sunny. Oh my, what a difference it made to the sensory overdrive. As I mentioned earlier, I like to watch around but had finally noticed that I keep grounding myself by looking at ground due to all the visual input. Sunglasses took the edge off and it was way easier to look at things.

@actuallyautistic

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@LehtoriTuomo @actuallyautistic

I don’t like my sunglasses to be too dark, because I like to see as well as possible at all times (hence prescription sunnies), but they do make a difference. I frequently change glasses on days where it’s sunny but with a few clouds, especially when driving. Hats help too.

I went to the city today by tram & forgot earplugs/headphones. 😠

arcana , to ActuallyAutistic group
@arcana@shonk.social avatar

@actuallyautistic

it sucks having an unpopular opinion on the internet because i just assume everyone would hate me if they know

unpopular as in, if there's some kind of controversial topic with two sides, my opinion would draw ire from each of those sides

this is a common thing for me to experience because i'm autistic and i think about things differently than most other people, including other autists (we're obviously not a monolith!)

i think this is a very social-media problem, even on fedi where controversial content isn't pushed by an algorithm, because i think clout-chasing and virtue-signaling still influence overall community attitudes. unfortunately, due to various factors, social-media is one of the few options available for me to socialize at all right now

it gets very, very lonely to see people i might otherwise want to get to know clearly indicating that i need to mask up and pretend to agree, otherwise they'll bite my head off

at first it feels like it's not worth sharing those opinions and risking the drama-- and then it feels like it's not worth getting to know people in the first place

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@arcana @actuallyautistic

I’m all about nuance. I don’t like sweeping generalisations, & even if I disagree with someone, can often empathise with their feelings on the issue, to some extent.

The problem with taking the middle ground is that you get shot at by both sides.

theautisticcoach , to ActuallyAutistic group
@theautisticcoach@neurodifferent.me avatar

Autistic masking leads to significant harm to an human's sense of identity & mental health

It is a survival strategy that forces us to prioritize NT expectations over authentic self-expression, often leading to profound self-alienation & diminished self-worth.

@actuallyautistic

Susan60 ,
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@calispera @theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic

I’m guessing it would because you wouldn’t be devoting limited spoons to masking instead of important things. In my case, I’m still learning about where I mask, what my sensitivities are etc. A lot of my masking is automatic.

Susan60 , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

I nearly didn’t listen to this episode, because I’ve never had an eating disorder, but it’s almost more about identity & addiction & autonomy than eating disorders, and is fascinating as a result.
@actuallyautistic

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/divergent-conversations/id1662009631?i=1000655158496

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@actuallyautistic

Wow. I did have some sensory issues with food as a kid. They were very limited, mainly to fatty or grisly meat. (I loved food generally & as a child who was always growing, very tall, always had a healthy appetite.) And I remember a couple of unpleasant episodes with my mum trying to insist that I just swallow something. (Tablets were another problem.) But she must’ve backed right off, because they didn’t persist. And she was always very supportive & caring when I had gastro, which always distressed me & hit me hard.

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @actuallyautistic

My sensitivities seem to have been just a few for each sense. I’ve always worn a hat in summer & worn prescription sunglasses outside for years. Stuffy classrooms. High pitched noises make me nauseous & low pitched rumbling, like that noise used for sound effects in movies & TV, unnerves me. Chemical smells like paints, thinners, insecticides etc. And big disorganised department stores & shopping malls. We went to a big centre yesterday to buy cat stuff & couldn’t get out quickly enough. (Will they ever finish renovating/extending/altering Chadstone shopping centre? Doesn’t really matter. Wouldn’t go often anyway.)

Very emotionally sensitive. Always cried in the right places when watching videos on camps with my students, much to their delight. 😂 But also very sensitive to trauma in fiction, like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Once & dystopian fiction.

Was terrified of dogs when the new puppy jumped up to lick my face when I was 2. It went back to the breeder. I’d force myself to walk down a neighbouring street where lots of dogs were able to wander out of their yard in an attempt to desensitise myself. Didn’t work, but I did eventually grow out of it.

I’m probably more sensory seeking - naturally fragrant flowers & foliage, textures, colours, music of all types (but I need quiet time too). And I like people. I just don’t always get them, or perhaps more accurately, they don’t get me. And I like activity, games & sports, even though my physical coordination isn’t great. (Much much better than it used to be.)!

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @actuallyautistic
I “ate like a horse”, had “hollow legs” & needed to have a heavy “ book on her head”. Was the youngest in my cohort (double whammy on poor social skills), but often the tallest.

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@miaoue @actuallyautistic

It made a lot of sense to me, & gave me a little insight into people I’ve known with various addictive behaviours, people who might well be or have been ND. Glad you found it useful.

mariyadelano , to actuallyadhd group
@mariyadelano@hachyderm.io avatar

Question for fellow @actuallyautistic and @actuallyadhd neurodivergent folks:

How do you explain your ideas to neurotypicals?

I constantly struggle because my brain has made connections that are not obvious to others, and when I try to guide them through my thinking I confuse them with details or by skipping explanations that seem obvious to me but completely surprising to anyone else.

Frameworks, links, anything is appreciated!

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@woozle @CynAq @mariyadelano @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

I think being self deprecating helps, although that can make it too easy for people to be dismissive. It also helps if I’m sure what I want to say, have rehearsed & made it concise.

I also have trouble knowing when something that is obvious to me is not to others, but the reverse too. Sometimes I go into too much detail & people are offended because, der!

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@EVDHmn @woozle @CynAq @mariyadelano @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd
Oh no! 😂😂😂. I realise that I’ve made it sound like everything I say is well planned. It’s not! I like conversations in real time with people I “get”. But if there’s a complex issue that needs to be discussed & I’m not sure that we’re thinking the same way, I need to prepare & rehearse.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@EVDHmn @woozle @CynAq @mariyadelano @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd
😂😂😂😂
One of the problems in finding a therapist is finding one who is smart enough & either already knows enough or is willing to learn, & from you. If they’ve got their own ego issues about such things, they’re not up to the task.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@EVDHmn @woozle @CynAq @mariyadelano @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

In therapy years ago I learned that I think without considering how my feelings influence my thinking. Then I had to work on “getting in touch” with my feelings, partly through recognising what was going on in my body. This was without any discussion or recognition of autism. I now think I’m more aware of my feelings than some/many autistic people, but hadn’t realised how out of touch I was generally. I’d feel vaguely uncomfortable, but couldn’t narrow it down.

theautisticcoach , to ActuallyAutistic group
@theautisticcoach@neurodifferent.me avatar

How do my comrades know when they’ve “peopled” too much ?

@actuallyautistic

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic

I’m learning.,, irritability, distraction (ADHD), feeling I need to leave & suppressing the desire to “fidget”….

Susan60 , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

Reading… so good. Sciency, but historical too which is my thing. @actuallyautistic

lifewithtrees , to actuallyadhd group
@lifewithtrees@mstdn.social avatar

“What do you want to do 5 years from now?”

🤔

😬

🤯

I am having a difficult time visioning 5 years from now, what I want to do and then how to get there.

Some of this is due to the chaos of the last few years, but I also think it could be a challenge due to

Also I am 42 so midlife stuff?

That all said, how do you vision 5 years from now?

@actuallyadhd @actuallyautistic

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@lifewithtrees @actuallyadhd @actuallyautistic

My life has been one of chapters, written by someone who didn’t start the book with a plan of the narrative arc, or if they did, they kept changing their mind.

I’m feeling better about myself & my life than I’ve ever done before, having truly realised my autistic identity in the last year, at 63, but I couldn’t tell you what I’ll be doing in 5 years. There are too many variables. What’s the point of even trying to work that out?

That question should be banned from job interviews.

However a desired direction is good. Not necessarily a goal, an endpoint, but a direction. I do think we make better decisions when we have some type of path in mind. For example, “I want to be a kinder person” leads to wanting to be kinder to oneself which might lead to therapy etc.

Susan60 , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

My oldest sent me this. My head just exploded. The first draft of my first 3000 word essay in uni was 8000 words long.

My history essays at uni were labours of love. I could never understand the concept of “pulling an all-nighter” the night before the essay was due. How was such a thing even possible? You had to do hours & hours of reading, note-taking, reflection…
And then write & write & write all that stuff that begged to be said, and then cull & cull & cull & then rewrite to knit the remaining pieces together fluently… And somehow end up with a piece that sent shivers down your spine & got you an HD.

Didn’t you? Or was that just me?

When teaching narrative writing to teens, I could only teach it in a formulaic way. I could only write formulaic model texts. They were quite good, with some character development, voice, interesting vocab etc, but the structure was formulaic.

I could never imagine myself as a writing a novel. Quirky short pieces maybe, but not a novel. And yet my oldest wrote their first novella as a teen.

I need to lie down. Oh, I am. It’s 5am and my cat adoption excitement has woken me. I’m discombobulated. Again.

@actuallyautistic

https://autisticphd.com/theblog/what-is-bottom-up-thinking-in-autism/

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@Coffeemug @actuallyautistic

😁It’s a great word that so perfectly expresses the way I feel at times. Quite often in fact, on my autism journey.

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@HardBeingGreen @actuallyautistic

I literally can’t do it. I just don’t know how. I have to do the broader reading & note-taking to process that material before I can even start to think what to write & how to write it. On the one hand that process is what made it possible to write excellent essays & to perform well in exams, not that we had many history exams. But I couldn’t throw something together at the last minute if my life depended on it.

It’s not just about being nerds with high standards etc. it’s that we simply can’t do it any other way.

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@HardBeingGreen @actuallyautistic

I was in my 30s, single parent & part time retail worker. Took 4.5 years for my arts degree, mostly HDs & Ds, but to have settled for a lower standard wasn’t possible. Assignments only came together in a presentable form at the very end. Pulling them together took hours, let alone all the rest of it.

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@spika @actuallyautistic

My uni essays were much better when I pared them back. Much more powerful, because the less relevant & redundant content had been edited out & the most pertinent stuff written concisely.

I learned to write more formulaic pre-planned stuff, but it was never as good, and still challenged me. ADHD didn’t help.

Susan60 , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this. A memoir, but relatable, funny & heartwarming. @actuallyautistic

theautisticcoach , to ActuallyAutistic group
@theautisticcoach@neurodifferent.me avatar

What does “unmasking” mean to my comrades?

@actuallyautistic

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pa @theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic

I’m currently trying to identify the sensory things I’ve managed to “cope” with excessively over the years, to my detriment.

Susan60 , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

I’ve always been a “coper”, constantly trying to find ways to manage, to do what “needs” to be done etc, except for those periods when I was burnt out. I remember when feeling overwhelmed years ago, a counsellor helped me to see that it was possible to achieve everything that I needed to do over the next few days, as a single mum, students, part time worker. Which was great in the short term…

We got home from several days in Sydney yesterday. Monday & Tuesday we went out after spending the weekend with family, but kept it low key. Today I was supposed to head out for a counselling appointment, treating myself to a tram trip to a lovely neighbourhood & a cafe lunch afterwards. Instead she’s going to send me a link for an online session. And I might have a nap afterwards. I’m learning. Slowly.
@actuallyautistic

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @actuallyautistic

Yes… it’s a useful skill on occasion, but not the way of life I’d made it.

pinkpenguin , to ActuallyAutistic group
@pinkpenguin@sakurajima.moe avatar

the autistic self help book i'm listening to just told me to quit my overpaid finance job to pursue my dream of a second hand hello kitty store

i have never managed to hold down a single job for longer than 18 months, and none of those ever paid me more than 15 bucks an hour

i wanna punch somebody in the face

@actuallyautistic

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pinkpenguin @actuallyautistic

Understandably.

niamhgarvey , to ActuallyAutistic group
@niamhgarvey@mastodon.ie avatar

3 hours silent work in was bliss. Then decided to treat myself to a cappucino so popped into shopping centre next door. Holy moly the assault on my was immediate and intense.
Thank goodness I had my or I would now be a dysregulated mess.
@actuallyautistic

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@niamhgarvey @ratcatcher @pinkpenguin @dmbaturin @actuallyautistic

I got the quiet ones. Not quiet enough! Thinking of trying quiet 2.

Zumbador , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Zumbador@mefi.social avatar

@actuallyautistic

Dreams are one of those things no one cares about, but in the interest of sharing internal experience to highlight how different we are from one another:

I have hypervisual lucid dreams when I'm half asleep but still conscious.

I had one just now (I'm in bed, trying to sleep) . I "saw" a person walking in front of me. She had dark hair in a glossy bob and dangling pearl ear rings, a mottled grey knitted top, felted, and luggage tags dangling from her waist. Leather tags holding slips of paper, something written in them in ink that blurred as if the paper was wet.

She was annoyed by the way these tags dangled and fussed with them. I couldn't see her face or her legs because my mind's eye saw her from behind, and was wide angle and distorting everything except that which was in the centre of my vision.

She was walking over asphalt with cars and buildings on the periphery of my vision.

I was awake during this, aware it's a dream-vision.

Brains are awesome.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@Zumbador @actuallyautistic
Wow!

pathfinder , to ActuallyAutistic group
@pathfinder@beige.party avatar

@actuallyautistic

Much to my shock I realised that I could be autistic when I was 53, roughly 7 years ago. And it was a shock, even though I suspect a very small, well hidden and very much ignored part of me, might have suspected. No one told me about it, or suggested that it might be the case. I did not see myself in relatives, the way so many of us do. I just happened to come across an autism test online and for no particular reason, took it.

It was that, that started me on my path to realising and finally accepting the truth that I was autistic. But, looking back, I sometimes find it hard to understand how I didn't know earlier. So much of my life now, just screams autism at me. But even ignoring the horribly ableist and medieval view I had of what autism was, the main reason why I didn't was probably because I could mask, both from myself and others, so well.

It was, I realise now, a life lived in denial. A denial of how much things bothered me, how much effort I had to put into things. Even a denial of the things I knew I couldn't do. Because this is the thing about appearing to mask so well, for so long. It is, in a sense, a lie. I couldn't mask well, if at all. Not all the time. Not in all situations or circumstances. There were things I just couldn't cope with, or even begin to deal with. But the trick was, that I either knew about them, or learnt the hard way about them and then I could manage my life to avoid them. Because they were things I could live without, without affecting how I appeared to be coping. Things that didn't affect the way I lived, even if they did affect my sense of worth. Because, how broken did you have to be, not to be able to go to crowded events, like a sports match, or a concert? Or to be able to deal with the socialising of a large gathering, or a family event, without having to hide in the kitchen, or forever outside, or break down in a toilet?

It was all part of how I masked myself from myself. The internal masking, as I like to call it. If I couldn't cope, then I was broken. If I couldn't stand something, then I was too picky, or sensitive, or I simply needed to learn to ignore it. And somehow I did learn. I learnt how to cope with noise and smell and visual overwhelm. I learnt to not let things bother me. To a point at least. There was always a step too far, when I couldn't, or didn't have the energy any more to maintain it. And this did take energy, a lot of it. Something I've only realising now that I don't have the energy to spare to even try it. Or the ability to, in many respects now that I know what I was trying so desperately to hide from.

Because when the truth is known, it's far harder to deny it. It's far harder to live the life where appearing to cope, is as good as coping. Where blaming yourself, is easier than seeing others faults. Where ignoring the pain, makes the pain go away. It's hard to see the mask as a benefit and always a good thing, rather than the shield and tool it always was.


Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @actuallyautistic

Hope you’re ok Kevin. It’s a shock, yet so obvious when we look back at how hard we had to work to fit in & get by.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @actuallyautistic

Love the acknowledgment of British understatement. Aussies can be the same. “Not bad” can mean excellent. “Bit ordinary” can mean awful.

I guess that there was no easy path open to us, due to ignorance, prejudice etc.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @Tooden @actuallyautistic

I don’t think I have a publicly funded option. It might be different for kids.

niamhgarvey , to actuallyadhd group
@niamhgarvey@mastodon.ie avatar

Doctor suggested I have but I don't think I do because:
I am able to force myself to do things even if I'm not interested in it.
I do not like spontaneity.
When I have a deadline, I cannot leave it to the last minute or anxiety would cripple me.
But I do struggle to pay attention unless am hyperfocused. And I do have executive function challenges. And I have to have a project. And I crave dopamine hits.

Anyone else similar to that?
@actuallyautistic
@actuallyadhd

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@niamhgarvey @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

I am AuADHD. One helps to mask & mediate the other. I am not impulsive but can force myself to join in with the spontaneity of those I trust. I am usually well organised, well in advance, but occasionally procrastinate & stress awfully as a result. And… the same as you. Diagnosed mild ADHD a year ago. My oldest dxd ADHD last month & also self realised autist. I’m 63, with decades of masking & strategising behind me.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@kkffoo @niamhgarvey @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

Definitely! 😁

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @niamhgarvey @Havoc_online @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

As with autism, the gendered aspect is very outdated. The fact is that we’ve recognised a certain form of ADHD in the past which is more common amongst boys/men, but other forms clearly aren’t confined to women.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@andrewhinton @niamhgarvey @pathfinder @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

We’ve gone from a single “male” version to an encouraging acknowledgment that it’s more complex than that, to a binary view. A big step forward, then a half step backwards, followed by stagnation?

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@pathfinder @niamhgarvey @Havoc_online @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

Yep!

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@niamhgarvey @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

I struggled awfully. Felt so isolated, living on an acre on the fringe of a town just outside of the metropolitan fringe. No mother to turn to, my few friends not close… Managed to find myself a breastfeeding support group &, unsurprisingly, threw myself into that. There were a lot of factors to explain my feelings, so ND never occurred to me.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@niamhgarvey @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

There were a lot of teachers & nurses in my local group, & I went on to train as a teacher. Need to know! I went on to train as a breastfeeding counsellor, group leader & regional trainer. No half measures here! Will keep an eye out for your book. Exciting!!

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@niamhgarvey @GinevraCat @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

ooh for goodness sake!

My meltdowns were the issue, & once in desperation, my mother said she might have to put me in a home. I was usually a very good, people pleasing girl. Of course the threat didn’t work, other than to scare me, & make me try harder to be a good girl, which did mean that learned to avoid or suppress a lot of my angst.

I think one of the issues for parents, now & then, is that we don’t necessarily present in the same way that they, their sibling, cousin etc did as kids. I’m pretty sure my mum was AuADHD, undiagnosed of course, and sufficiently different her from to make it hard to understand me. But she did teach me how to mask, & in some ways I’m grateful. Anything else might’ve had worse outcomes.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@GinevraCat @niamhgarvey @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

Took me 63. And yes, I think looking back, that there might’ve been a few neurodivergent women amongst us, desperately learning whatever they could about mothering generally as well as breastfeeding. Of course a lot of women are in a similar position in that smaller nuclear families & greater distances between families means that many women haven’t had much to do with babies until they have one of their own. But some of us were more desperate for knowledge, hanging on every word at meetings, reading every book in our little library…, almost as if we’d missed something…

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@niamhgarvey @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

It is isn’t it!!! 😂😂😂

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@niamhgarvey @GinevraCat @Zumbador @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

They can, but also embarrassing, relationship damaging…

DenisCOVIDinfoguy , to AusCOVID19 group
@DenisCOVIDinfoguy@aus.social avatar

Small group of scientists, clinicians call for CHO’s sacking, with shock claims of ‘let it rip’ COVID approach. By Jackie Sinnerton

@qldhealth @ShannonFentiman @auscovid19

Source: https://couriermail.com.au/coronavirus/small-group-of-scientists-clinicians-call-for-chos-sacking-with-shock-claims-of-let-it-rip-covid-approach/news-story/087cf90ce37adf5aca551e0ee8877e3f

A collection of respected scientists and clinicians has made an unprecedented call for the sacking of chief health officer John Gerrard. The group has made shock claims Dr Gerrard’s office adopted an “unscientific let-it rip” approach to the Covid pandemic and these policies cost lives and put many thousands of Queenslanders at risk of serious long-term illness. More than a dozen international, interstate and Queensland academics, researchers and medics have penned a letter to Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman outlining what they claim are several false and uninformed Covid statements from Dr Gerrard that have purportedly minimised the seriousness of the virus. “He has repeatedly made public statements that are objectively untrue and which failed to reflect the substantial scientific evidence available at the time,” the letter, which was sent this week, states. A senior doctor employed by Queensland Health backs the call for Dr Gerrard to be replaced and has signed the letter. “Thanks to his downplaying of the need for basic mitigations in healthcare, we now see patients exposed to infections from staff, visitors and fellow patients, with Australian data demonstrating a 5 to 10 per cent mortality rate from hospital-acquired Covid seemingly being ignored,” the doctor said. “Dr Gerrard has used his position of authority as chief health officer to promote falsehoods about Covid such as droplet mode of transmission
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman stands by her chief health officer and credits him for keeping Queenslanders alive during the pandemic. “Queenslanders can thank both Dr John Gerrard and Dr Jeannette Young for their expertise and leadership during the pandemic. Queenslanders are alive today because of them and their actions,” Ms Fentiman said. “Dr Gerrard is a renowned clinician and continues to provide expert advice around managing Covid-19, in line with agreed national and international approaches. When he says people should get vaccinated, to test if you have symptoms, to stay home if you’re infected and to mask up when needed, I take that advice seriously and so should Queenslanders,” she said.
A Queensland Health spokesman has also rejected the claims in the letter. saying it was important to judge the state’s response to the pandemic by the results. “With more than 20 per cent of Australia’s population, Queensland has fortunately seen only 14 per cent of the nation’s Covid-19 deaths. This is one of the lowest mortality rates in the world,” he said. Dr Gerrard is on leave. Dr Alan Baxter, another registered medical practitioner, and an Emeritus Professor in Cellular and Molecular Biology at James Cook and Monash Universities signed the letter and told The Courier-Mail that Dr Gerrard’s position is one of great responsibility which affects the welfare and longevity of most people in the state. “His recent announcements trivialising and dismissing long Covid, for example, has left many people — and not just in Australia — wondering. In most occupations, this would be more than enough to trigger review of performance; in a position of this nature,” Dr Baxter said. The academic who is living with multiple sclerosis, claims policies adopted by the CHO’s office failed to protect people at high risk of death and disability. Dr Baxter’s view and the views of all signees are entirely their own and not the view of associated institutions. Dr Gerrard was appointed chief health officer for Queensland Health in December 2021. He was the long-term director of Infectious Diseases at the Gold Coast Hospital.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@DenisCOVIDinfoguy @auscovid19

The contrast between his approach & that of his predecessor was striking at the time.

gri , to ActuallyAutistic group
@gri@neurodifferent.me avatar

Hi! I'm hoping for help with an art project exploring autism and 'barriers' (sensory, social, structural) that lead to overwhelm, shutdown, meltdown, exclusion... (Either via masking or directly). I'm starting by compiling a list of things - my own include stuff like being interrupted whilst focussed on a thing, crisp bag rustling, body spray, unnecessary 'chit chat' group emails, arbitrary changes... Any more that any of you would like to share would be much appreciated. Each 'barrier' will be written out within the artwork @actuallyautistic @actuallyaudhd

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@gri @actuallyautistic @actuallyaudhd

Low pitched sound effects on TV, movies.

High pitched performative conversations in public places, such as a queue at an airport where you don’t have an option to walk away.

Visual overload such as stickers, sale labels etc. A particular pharmacy chain uses 100s of fluoro labels in its shelves. It’s like the shelves are screaming at me.

Susan60 ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@gri @actuallyautistic @actuallyaudhd

And yes, excessively bright headlights make nighttime driving very unpleasant nowadays.

Susan60 , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

My thoughts exactly. The private school I worked in was better (& expensive!) but only because the atmosphere was generally calmer, & kids less inclined to bully. (I think this is often due to generally lower levels of finance related family stress & angst, not because more privileged kids are in any way “nicer”.) Some autistic kids have higher levels of tolerance (I’m an example) but that doesn’t mean that they’re doing better than merely “coping”.

And if we start “streaming” autistic kids for their “suitability” for mainstream schools, we could end up with a distinction between “high functioning” kids who are simple better at coping & masking but not necessarily any “smarter”, & those with greater sensory needs, some of whom might thrive in smaller, quieter classes &/or with more support. @actuallyautistic

To the parents of school-aged children with disabilities: it’s not your fault https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/article/2024/may/03/australian-schools-education-system-children-with-disability-support-ndis-review?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@samhkennedy @actuallyautistic

Definitely not. I wonder what the issue was? I think the best schools are “good” public schools. They tend to be more innovative & consultative with both staff & students, depending on the principal (but I’m sure there’s some very good private schools too.) Some cohorts of kids can be much harder to work with, because there’s a limit to what a school can achieve, when the cohort is dealing with a lot of poverty, DV, substance abuse etc.

The biggest advantage at a private school is a more privileged cohort. Money doesn’t buy everything, & some issues such as DV, substance abuse etc also happen in wealthier families, but financial stress is sometimes at the bottom of a family’s woes. Not enough money can definitely be a problem.

I think some parents work & save very hard & sacrifice a lot of things to put their kids through private schools, when they would’ve been better off spending more time with their kids, taking them on family holidays etc. But if the local public school is very tough & buying into or renting in the zone of a “good” public school isn’t an option…

Susan60 , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

What do people read?

I was an avid reader of fiction when I was a child. Novels about challenging issues or strange fantasy worlds. In many ways reading was an escape to a safe place, but those books were also places where I could learn about how “people” worked. How they thought, felt & behaved. The diversity in those things.

I loved The Little Princess and The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, because they were about children who were different & how they coped. I loved The Chronicles of Narnia because, although quite dated now, the girls had real adventures alongside their brothers. There was a series of books about witches, good & bad, which I loved but can’t remember the titles or author.

I loved Ivan Southall’s books, where tweens & teens faced dangers, often without the support of adults. (Marsden’s Tomorrow when the War Began is reminiscent of Southall.)

And as an adult, I still like youth & YA fiction, probably for the same reason, because I’m still learning how humans work. I also like adult fiction, but the naivety of youth fiction appeals.

And TBO, I read much more non-fiction than fiction nowadays. Obviously there’s the Autism & ADHD stuff that is currently dominating my reading, but also social commentaries of all sorts, by feminists, sociologists, etc.

@actuallyautistic

Susan60 OP ,
@Susan60@aus.social avatar

@Fizzfizzpopop @actuallyautistic
I started reading the Narnia books to my oldest when they were 4. If I was having a bath, they’d drag a chair down to the bathroom & bring the book so I could read to them. They’ve just published the final volume of their portal fantasy trilogy.

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