Scott Morizot @tmorizot@social.theliturgists.com

Not sure exactly which tangent I'll explore in this thread. For those who are unfamiliar with the description used in the content warning or who may have missed it in my earlier thread, this short talk by Nadine Burke Harris is the best brief introduction to ACEs I've found anywhere. If you have seen it (or read the transcript) take a moment to do so.

https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime

If you've read my past threads, buckle up. This may be a similarly challenging one. But I want to start by pulling together a lot of what we now know about the ways toxic stress alters the development throughout childhood of the central nervous system, immune system, endocrine system, and other bodily systems with lifelong effects.

This field of research and public health uses the umbrella term Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs.

I decided to write a thread on this topic since it is a critical one if we're going to move toward acceptance of autistic people and, frankly, thoughts of the things autistic children are enduring break my heart.

Fortunately, I escaped clinical notice as a child in the late 60s and 70s so was never subjected to "therapy" but aspects of my experience are still relevant.

My last boost covers something I don't think many consider when discussing childhood trauma. It alters the way the brain develops, the way it functions, and the way the entire body of the child operates. Approaches that are helpful to those who are not formed by toxic childhood stress can be actively harmful to those of us who are.

I want to discuss the sorts of pressures that push so many autistic people toward suicide. Take my content warning seriously, please.

There are also very few research studies that do not use problematic language and terms to describe us. If you are sensitive to that right now, don't read the studies I link.

Take care of yourself first. Always.

But the Millennials (and Gen Z) have faced the full brunt of the destructive economic and social factors, basically a reverse Robin Hood approach. And if nuclear war has seemed less likely, they have climate change, which is at least as bad if not worse.

Being GenX, experiencing the effects as all the things my parents and grandparents relied on and used taken away from us, was never pleasant. And for those of us on the leading edge, we grew up with a sense that the destruction of the world through nuclear holocaust was likely and looming well into our early adult life.

As they mention, I've had therapy, though none especially helpful until the last few years following my ASD dx. I had one child in crisis from abuse early on and who had years of intense therapy. And I've encouraged them all to seek therapy as adults whenever it sounded like it might be helpful and have helped them access it where I could.

Given my kids span the Millennial generation with the youngest turning 23 this year and the eldest 38, this article obviously caught my attention.

https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-mental-health-burnout-lonely-depressed-money-stress

Why we need white men out of media as much as we need them out of politics.

https://livelydust.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-amazing-disappearing-woman.html

Read danah boyd's speech accepting a 2019 Barlow/Pioneer Award. It's powerful. Hopefully we can all change.

http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2019/09/15/facing-the-great-reckoning-head-on.html

Heading to a fancy dress Downton Abbey screening!

I really like LaVonne Neff's post on the subject. It captured much of my own reaction when I heard about Trump's reaction to President Obama's statement.

https://livelydust.blogspot.com/2019/08/mr-trump-did-you-just-condemn-yourself.html

And if that universal experience is correlated, then obviously there would be higher rates among those with intersecting marginalizations because their experience would be even worse.

So autistic women and POC would have higher rates of suicidality. Those who also have ADHD would have higher rates of suicidality. Etc.

Isn't it interesting that's exactly the sorts of correlations the study found.

Given that's a near universal experience, wouldn't the first thought be there might be some relationship with higher rates of suicidality?

But no. It's because our brains work differently.

Aaarrgghhh!

Seriously? The first thing that occurs to people is some sort of neurobiological difference causing higher rates of suicidality?

It seems like the first thing anyone should explore is how we're treated and what our experience of the world around us is like.

I have yet to hear any autistic person who hasn't faced rejection, hostility, isolation, abuse, or outright assault because we don't present and respond as others expect.

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autistic-women-twice-as-likely-as-autistic-men-to-attempt-suicide/

Across the board, there's an increased risk of suicide among autistic people. I find one of the quoted musings by a researcher pretty awful, though.

"Autism in and of itself, independent of intellect, seems to be an important contributor to suicidal thought — which makes one wonder if there’s a neurobiological relationship between the brain of someone with autism and the brain of someone who has mood problems and suicidal ideation,"

Gaslit Nation has published an anniversary special reviewing their first year as a podcast. I highly recommend it.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/dear-graduates-27828824

It's not yet published on their website with a transcript, but I'm sure it will be soon. Lots to read on their site and if you haven't listened to past episodes, it's a good time to catch up.

https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/

"In effect, then, the Republican Party decided that a few massacres were an acceptable price to pay in return for tax cuts."

Yep. Pretty much describes the past four decades with roots extending pretty much through my whole life since I was born the year the now gutted Voting Rights Act became law.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/opinion/republicans-white-terrorism.html

Not a surprise to anyone paying attention, but an excellent talk on media bias toward white men. Lots of data and research.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xudkTG-wM6s

Reverend Ann McLemore's sermon I referenced in this thread from this past Sunday is online for anyone interested. It's not some rhetorical masterpiece, but she faced and spoke to the reality of the events and the hatred and malice behind them. Isn't that the least people should expect from spiritual leaders?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9XfKqGlsiU