iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 15h

Eric Morrow then brought the complexity, and the curiosity, that researchers need to keep asking better questions about autistic people's lives.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 15h

Frances Jensen then set out how the brain changes during the teenage years. Simon Baron-Cohen picked up the thread, pointing to the social changes that interact with those developments.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 15h

At the #EaglesAutismFoundation, Simon Baron-Cohen is speaking about the varied needs of autistic people. He is highlighting that 1 in 4 autistic adults experience suicidal ideation. Autistic people who mask are often hidden from services, which makes support harder to find.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 16h

Today's Fonagy review has been read several ways. Overdiagnosis risk (Mirror, BBC). Distress is real (Guardian). Not every trait needs a diagnosis (Independent). Reform and regulation (Gov). The headline you see will shape what you think it said.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 17h

##AutismResearch I am a proponent of having multiple ways of supporting folk. Do (as researchers) we need to ‘sub-type’ people to create the many supports needed; or do we just need to create the helps… and then let them choose?

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 19h

#EaglesAutismFoundation Simon BC spoke on physical & MH wellbeing as highest priority. Principles of community engagement: from the earliest stage. Values in science, care not cure. The change in autism field and our need as researchers to change with it.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 20h

The panel asked for: • Fund pre-application grants, so co-production starts before the proposal is written • Make paying people easy And can I add • Give joy the time it needs, because joy is messy #EaglesAutismFoundationConference (4/4)

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 20h

Damian Milton (Kent) rounded out the panel by being magnificent. So why isn't participation simply the norm? Participatory methods are flexible by design, and standardisation isn't. Inflexible university systems get in the way, however good the intentions. (3/4)

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 20h

Mary Doherty on dual insider positioning as the route to genuine co-production. Tasha Cullingham (Manchester) and Una Rennard (PPI) shared STAR-CAT, the co-produced anxiety intervention, and Una added a line I'm keeping: ChAAMPs worked because there are no egos in the room. (2/4)

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 20h

Opening panel at the Eagles Autism Foundation Conference. Fab to have it start with co-pro. Nicholas Putts (King's) spoke on sensory experience. Eva Loth (King's) on social context and personalised neurotech . (1/4)

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Reposted by Brian Irvine

Centre for Research in Autism and Education @craeioe.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#ADHDAwarenessMonth Hard to focus = can't filter? Meh. In CRAE's SuPer study, ADHDers matched autistic, AuDHD and PNT adults on an attention task and showed no difficulty filtering out distractions at the simplest level. Autistic folk were seeing more. doi.org/10.1016/j.ac... 1/2

doi.org

Superior perceptual capacity is specific to autistic cognition

To systematically measure perceptual capacity for autistic, ADHD, autistic people with ADHD (AuDHD), and neurotypical adult populations, and to examin…

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Reposted by Brian Irvine

Naomi L. Jacobs @naomijacobs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

On Tues 13th October I'm giving the annual Hook Lecture in Leeds, on disability, belonging and justice in churches and society. Please share with anyone who might be interested. Hope to see you there! #DisabilityTheology #DisabilityStudies www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-hook-l...

eventbrite.co.uk

The Hook Lecture 2026: Just Belonging

Disability, Justice and Churches by Dr Naomi Lawson Jacobs

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Reposted by Brian Irvine

The Daily Tism @thedailytism.com · 15/09/2026

An autistic woman has branded her expensive noise-cancelling headphones “useless” after they failed to filter out her horrifying rumination cycle, it has been announced. Read this and other exclusive articles on Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheDailyTism...

A woman smiles as she holds large over-ear headphones over her ears

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Reposted by Brian Irvine

Ann Memmott @annmemmott.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

www.autismcentral.nhs.uk/events/when-... Free webinar from two top people at the fantastic Autism Central team, 25 Sep, UK lunchtime 12-1. About the impact of school on many autistic children and young people. Strongly recommend. Limited tickets.

autismcentral.nhs.uk

When coping at school comes at a cost at home | Autism Central

Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou and Pete Wharmby discuss the emotional burden that school can place on autistic children and young people, and what families and schools can do to help.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

You star. “As I say we - the collective we - have really really fucked up”

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

So… a book in a day 😁 40 notes made Now I can’t emphasise this enough, it’s a really great book for teachers (perhaps the best I’ve seen) and parents (it’s up there with Beardon’s Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Children). So go and buy a copy. www.goodreads.com/book/show/25...

goodreads.com

Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Ch…

If you have an autistic child, you will be painfully aw…

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

If burnout is inflicted, it requires rest. Not busy home time. Not anxious leave. Rest. Stopping guilt free.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Burnout - caused by a school that is not a kind place - needs avoiding a T all costs. It is the the first step into darkness. School attendance shouldn’t be a moral good if it harms our young people.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Meltdown golden rule DO NOT ADD ANY FURTHER STIMULI

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Collapse - days where routines are trashed. p226 “it is my view that pretty much every meltdown that an autistic child experiences is a total failure on the part of the people and circumstances around them. Blaming it on the child is no different to any other type of victim-blaming”

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

For AuADHDers p213-216 “a constant, whirling dance”. Getting to grips with the dual mode of wildness and routine was what turned my educational path around. Planning to not plan is a form of liberation. And if I were back in the classroom, I would be offering this to students who needed it.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

There is a huge interplay between the school pattern of assessment and those of who are kicked by rejection sensitivity. Teachers need to learn to be better at separating criticism of work from criticism of the person. It is a very tough skill to acquire, but so worth it.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Have now bookmarked Chapter 9 on assessments to pass over to CRAE’s Examine team whi are working with @nuffieldfoundation.org to find out whether features like multi-part questions or idiomatic wording disadvantage some students. Perhaps we can design exemplar papers that assess everyone fairly.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

So glad to see the monotropism and pain link being made. School can be hellish for all pupils and teachers in pain, and perhaps this is magnified for those who are wired for just one thing. Nurse’s offices are now gone. Places where our pupils could go and take a moment to regulate and find care.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Fairness, empowered empathy, demands justice - these are what we should be nurturing, not punishing. To quote me - teaching rebellion is the first step towards self-advocacy.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Justice. There is little justice in schools; we must be better.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

To quote “Do not demand eye contact, allow for pauses and gaps in conversations as they marshal their thoughts, avoid using unnecessary idioms and metaphors and give them space to develop their unique sense of humour. Above all, defend them from 'neuro-normative’ teachers” p175

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Just saying. If you want to be a great teacher - make room to enjoy a good infodump. p168

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

p166 I never knew about British ‘negative politeness’ and trying mitigate the impact we have on others. I think I’ll stick to the ‘I’m lovely and my impact will be awesome’ approach of the last 50 years, thank you very much.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

School and the incredible energy drain of constant masking. It sucks. But we mask when it’s unsafe to be authentic; and schools are a particularly unsafe arena. In particular, breaktime is not a break from having to put up with other kids expectations.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Excellent list of environment adjustments from p139 onwards. If you’re a teacher this far down my live reading notes… go and buy it! www.goodreads.com/book/show/25...

goodreads.com

Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Ch…

If you have an autistic child, you will be painfully aw…

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I don’t think enough attention is paid to classroom lighting, heating and smell. Florescent lights are evil, anything over 18° is hell, and lavender in particular can die an ugly smelly death. Believe your kids when they say “eeewww, sir….”

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Into the sensory world of the classroom!!! Yay! Something I know a bit about. CRAE had me on a project on the Superior Perceptual Capacity in Autism. Tldr: autistic bandwidth is wider, this pipes more good info into the brain.. and also pipes in more distracting crud. See more, hear more, feel more

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

How do we challenge unthinking bias? Call it out. Make sure our children never apologise for their existence. Find autistic role models. Let them know they don’t have to listen to the dismissal of supply (or any) teachers.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Am having a moment of not-reading-silence for Stefan - and all autistic folk who have ended their own life. www.stak.life

stak.life

STAK life – Stefans Acts of Kindness

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Autism training need to shift teachers from their twitchy reactions to difference - through self-reflection - to a love of difference. p107 More - we need to teach PNT kids how to do this too (and while autistic kids are often astute in this, teaching all of us to love difference better might rock)

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

A message to @petewharmby.com - we’ve met a couple of times, and it was such a relief to have someone who walks away without saying goodbye (p105); I never know how to tie up chat. You are fab. Thank you.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

p98 Pete on how anchoring - by giving teachers a list of diagnoses without context - can skew practice. Which makes me very glad of my gloriously inattentive teacher memory which deleted all such knowledge shortly after I read it.

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Reposted by Brian Irvine

Dr Krysia Waldock @krysiawally.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I also forgot to let you all know about this! @brianirvine.bsky.social @naomijacobs.bsky.social

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

First sweary word on p95. Joe’s feelings towards the microtraumas of eye-rolling, sniping, impatience and anger from others are fully justified. Also I will contend this book needs more sweary words earlier.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

How might we hold SPINs with care - lots of autistic folk carry shame given by others who’ve told them they’re a bit too much when it comes to a special interest. Yet SPINs are educational cat-nip.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Top tip for PDA - remove the imperative. “Time to answer emails” Not “I/you must answer my/your emails”

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

A little of coloum A, added to a lovely office with a bean bag (and abusing a yearly review where I set a target to carve out time for educational themed reading 😁)

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

As a teacher, beware the label of lazy. There is a world of difference between choosing not to a thing, and being so locked up with spirals that the thing is an impossibility.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Next up: teaching with spiked profiles, PDA & special interests in mind. Beware restrictive curriculums, assume the best, never shame, appreciate variation. Non-compliance is complex (but who - outside of restrictive political regimes - wants compliant folk anyway, they’re boring)

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Monotropic - sniper focus Polytropic - grenade launcher focus p.57 My dodgy aphant memory - mutual assured destruction focus 😁

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Two cold coffees is not quite surrounded. Though I’ve just made a third.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The disjunction of moving lessons is an issue. p53. And as secondary teachers we often forget this, particularly on the days where we have our own classroom to stay out as the kids come to us. There is a social distance between our teaching experience and our pupils experience.

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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

In Pete’s bit on low-arousal mornings, and the parental intent that can soak up change and fluster; leads me to think about how easier it is to operate in caring mode. I would endure fluorescent lighting for my kids sake if I had to (also I am now apt at breaking lights and denying all knowledge).

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