Tourette's, Babe

The most help that I've ever had from Tourette's associations has always been programs that aren't associated with the TAA. For me I appreciated Camp Twitch and Shout most of all but I also appreciate my local support groups. The TS community that I have locally has been way more beneficial to me than anything from the TAA.

https://shorturl.at/8VD8B

The articles below are free to access, they cite their sources if you wanna check out the studies themselves.

(For anyone who doesn't know, the subject of a movie about living with severe Tourette Syndrome was in the audience at the awards and had a tic of saying the n word slur while two Black awards nominees were presenting)

Two things can be true at once.

This man deserves to be at an awards show where a movie about his life had been nominated. He does not deserve to be "physically gagged" as some people on social media have said. He does not deserve the harassment he is currently receiving. He was having coprolalia (swearing) tics throughout the show at various presenters, and did excuse himself from the audience after having the n word tic.

And the two Black presenters did not deserve to be humiliated on what was supposed to be one of the greatest nights of their lives. Any and all reactions they (or any Black person that was at the event or watching the awards at home) have to having the most offensive racial slur shouted while they were on stage are valid and should not be judged.

It is my personal belief that the man should apologize. As people with Tourette Syndrome, we know our tics hurt people regardless of their involuntary nature. Apologizing for the pain that tics cause is the right thing to do in this situation and it's not ableist to say that.

While John Davidson had every right to be there, as everyone does, and he cannot help his tics, it should have been a priority for him to not only apologise for the harm caused, but to name Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo in that apology.

Nowhere in his statement does he apologise, he says that he is mortified, but nothing about concern for the people who were on the receiving end of the racist tics. Again, it's not his fault, but the harm needed to be acknowledged, and it wasn't.

The statement is only about explaining himself (which isn't necessarily a bad thing to do) but does not acknowledge or apologize for the very real harm that was caused. It's important to reiterate the involuntary nature of tics and that they don't represent a persons' character but this isn't just about the Tourette's community, it's about the Black community and it's about racism in general.

I have seen and am disappointed in the statements released by the Tourette Association of America and by Tourette's Action (UK) as well because they similarly focus solely on defending Davidson rather than apologizing for the very real pain of Jordan and Lindo (and others in attendance). You could say that should be expected from organizations that advocate for people with Tourette Syndrome, but I think that it's extremely important in this situation to understand that tics can be hurtful and slurs (especially the n word) are so much more than "just words" and these organizations' responses seem to me like they carry an air of "it was just a tic so get over it", which is awful. Many of the responses from the TS community have been disrespectful and judgemental towards Jordan and Lindo.

Enter "How to Eat Well for Adults With ADHD" by Rebecca King.

I am about to sound like a sponsored ad, but this book is absolutely incredible. It's written by a nutritionist with ADHD, and does include some recipes, but they only make up a part of the third section of the book. The rest of it is focused on practical, broadly applicable advice for neurodivergent folks (and frankly, other disabled people) on unlearning internalized ableism around food, how to best organize your kitchen and meal plan (and what to do when meal plans fail), the connections between food and dopamine and how best to use food for stimulation in a healthy way, how hyperfocus and time blindness can get in the way of eating well, how to make sure you're eating enough while on stimulants, the fact that many ADHD people also have ARFID (and the book even emphasizes that ARFID is an eating disorder, not just "picky eating"!!), and takes the strong stance that we should do away with the idea of "picky eaters" altogether in favor of a more compassionate stance on people's complicated relationships with food and eating.

It is strongly anti-diet culture while still emphasizing that good nutrition is important. It has extremely specific tips that make my ADHD heart sing a little, like how best to store specific vegetables so they last the maximum amount of time in your fridge (since we are all very good at forgetting they are there) and what tools can make doing the dishes more manageable. And perhaps most importantly, as someone with severe sensory sensitivities and some very real trauma from having them ignored as a kid and being shamed for them, it made me cry a little bit with how understanding and compassionate it is.

Anyway. I am going to buy a copy of my own immediately, and I cannot recommend it enough. If you, like me, are trying to unfuck your eating habits and neat someone to hold your hand a little in the process -- while still making you feel like an adult, and still offering actionable tips along the way -- this book could be a lifesaver.

This is the new flag, the old one was more vivid and in a z shape, but it's been made more neutral to be inclusive of people with seizures or sensory issues.

Each stripe represents a different aspect of disability:

Red: Physical disabilities

Yellow: Cognitive & intellectual disabilities

White: (And this is the key one I think) Invisible AND undiagnosed disabilities

Blue: Mental illnesses

Green: Sensory disabilities

Only to then get smacked in the face in the group chat with a very raw Scottish accent scream-singing, "I'm going to get up and try if it's the last thing I do. I've still got something to give, though it hurts sometimes. I'm going to get up and live, until the day that I die, I swear to God I'll survive."

At the moment it lets me about half a meal without help (apart from putting it on) in certain situations with my arm supported, and I can even use it with my hand splints on

ID two photos showing an adaptive spoon with a long, curled grey handle. In the first Photo it’s is lying on a tray next to a bowl of rice and an adapted mug. In the second it's been around echos wrist while they eat rice sat in bed with their arm supported by a pillow / end ID

They specialise in aids for people who have upper limb impairments and have an incredible range of stuff. It was started by a quadriplegic guy who found it hard to find quality products online/ even know what products exist and it’s like a treasure trove of useful things. I’ve never had a bad product from them.