BLOG PODS #40 - Jonny Update & Some Links

Introduction

I wanted to pop on quickly to break the radio silence and say,’ Hi.’

My Mum’s serious health situation lasted many months and she passed away on Saturday 27th September - bless her! I’m prioritising spending time with my sibs and my Dad just now, as well as my own recovery from a traumatic few months, so not yet writing regularly.

I’m mindful of and very grateful for you guys’ patience with my silence in the bloggosphere - it’s not for lack of desire on my part but my head just isn’t fully in the game again just yet.

That said…

That said, I’m continuing to read a bit and grapple with the many issues that characterise our work with troubled kids and their families - as well as disparate other stuff.

So I thought I’d ping over a few bits that might of interest. Some of these I’ve posted as Substack Notes, but others not:

- Blog post by Thom Hartmann - (read it here)

This post, called ‘ADHD & the Dopamine Myth - What Motivation Science Gets Wrong.’ is a corker. It came up on my email feed and thought I’d share it - the focus is on understanding differences with motivation in folk with ADHD.

Thom’s book is fab and absolutely one of my favourite ADHD reads.

- Book by Peter Singer - (learn more here)

Singer is a world renowned philosopher who’s written on a vast array of subjects including ethics, animal rights and the morality of wealth, among other things.

The book is a philosophical deep-dive and data-informed exploration of giving; how individuals, organisations and charities can best direct their resources to maximum effect. It’s helped me think more clearly about where I route my own giving.

It’s not for the faint-hearted but the audio book is my recommended format for this one - it’s absolutely worth the effort.

Autism-related

I’ve come across a few situations recently that have tested me on what I know, or more honestly what I don’t know*,* about autistic spectrum conditions (ASCs) and how best to work with them.

Now, while I’m a massive believer in being clear when I’m out of my depth, I also can’t stand not knowing stuff. Hence what follows…

Temple Grandin reads

I’m really enjoying Temple Grandin’s book, The Autistic Brain, at the moment. It came recommended so I thought I’d give it a go - I don’t regret it. Just reading it is a clinic in what we can learn from people with ASCs.

The other Grandin book I have in process at the moment (yes, I know, I’m down an ADHD rabbit hole chasing autism just now - it’s how my brain works!), is Navigating Autism.

It lays out 9 mindsets (for us) when helping ‘kids on the spectrum.’ Here they are:

1. Every child is more than autism

2. Whole child evaluations are vital

3. Steps to take before beginning any intervention

4. Know these medical conditions associated with autism

5. Know these psychiatric conditions associated with autism

6. Prepare kids for the real world

7. Focus on strengths, not deficits

8. Work on the growth zone

9. Envision a successful adult

I haven’t quite finished either book yet, but I’m finding them really helpful - not least because of the unique perspective brought to the subject by an author who is autistic herself.

ASCs and criminality

My main reason for deep-diving into autism just now relates to some work I want to do in the Prevent field. This connects with one or two previous posts where autism (and numerous other factors) and criminality have overlapped - notably the Southport tragedy and the Ammanford school stabblings.

My passion, as always, is to fight for kids whose needs are not properly understood such that they get a raw deal, not least when their behaviour means they falls foul of the criminal law. So I did an Elicit search to get a summary of what we know on the subject fr recent academic research and thought.

The various summary sections are useful in themselves but, as always, the bibliography is gold dust for anyone wanting to read more detail.

CSA & Safeguarding

The CSA Centre for expertise published their guide for developing a strategic response to child sexual abuse - it’s good stuff this. It’s primary aim is local safeguarding children boards and partnerships, but there’s useful data here for others, too.

Based on a review of 170+ SCRs, rapid evidence and child practice reviews, it’s a useful repository of up to date thinking on the subject - on that basis it’s well worth a read. It’s a an absolute must read for anyone with a policy that hasn’t been updated for a while.

Final Thoughts

Apologies, once again, for the lack of new blog material. I expect this to continue for another few weeks, but absolutely will be back tapping away at the keyboard as soon as possible - my list of potential future posts is now massive!

In the meantime, I hope these few bits and bobs will inspire you to keep reading.

Thanks again for your kindness in staying subscribed here - it means more than you know!

Cheers, Jonny

More information:

See Jonny’s temporary website - here

BOOK: ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmers World (link)

WEB ARTICLE: Temple Grandin entry in Wikipedia (link)

BOOK: The Autistic Brain: Exploring the Strength of a Different Kind of Mind (link)

BOOK: Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets For Helping Kids on the Spectrum (link)

DOCUMENTS: Developing Your Strategic Response to Ch9ld Sexual Abuse: A Guide for Safeguarding Children Partnerships (document download link, webpage link)

ELICIT REPORT on ASCs & CRIMINAL VULNERABILITY: This is the AI-generated summary report in response to my question: What is the prevalence and nature of criminal vulnerability among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder across different age groups and severity levels? **** (link)

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