Desi Jones

What a great article! My SIL is a PT who had previously asked me for advice on working with autistic patients, so I forwarded it to her 🙂

Why we need research about autism and ageing - Cos Michael, 2016

"We know that autistic people have sensory differences, but we know nothing about how these are influenced by ageing. Why not? Autistics often live with high stress & anxiety—which can intensify some mental & physical health conditions." @cosmichael.bsky.social:

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Overall, we found that race, gender, and autistic traits can interact in complex ways. To understand the experiences and needs of Black autistic people, we must take an intersectional approach that accounts for for these nuanced patterns.
6/6

In line with this idea, we also found that the impact of autistic traits on ratings varied by race. For Black autistic adults, having more self-reported autistic traits was linked to more positive impressions. This same pattern did not hold for White autistic adults.
5/6

This finding may reflect masking higher masking in Black autistic people. In my previous study, Black autistic men reported that they frequently masked for their own safety. It's also possible that there are differences in how autistic traits are perceived across identities.
4/6

We found that Black autistic adults were often rated more favorably than White autistic adults. This was unexpected, and to be clear, it doesn’t mean Black autistic people face less stigma. My qualitative work shows that they experience significant bias. So what could explain this finding?
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In our study, non-autistic adults watched brief videos of Black and White autistic adults and rated their first impressions of each person. We looked at traits like likability and trustworthiness, as well as the rater's interest in talking to or hanging out with the person.
2/6

So excited to share my ✨️new paper✨️ with @noahsasson.bsky.social on how race and gender shape first impressions of autistic adults. You can read it here: journals.sagepub.com...

If you don’t have access, feel free to message me for a copy or request it on Researchgate!
1/6

Kennedy’s lies endanger public health and the disabled community The science is clear. As the American Academy of Pediatrics stated, “Since 1998, independent researchers across seven countries have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 mill...

Dozens of rigorous studies with millions of children show vaccines don’t cause autism, as health organizations around the world and the leading autism organizations recognize. RFK Jr. and Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill are a danger to science and public health.
autisticadvocacy.org/2025/11/kenn...

Thanks so much for listening!!

I agree that the framing is very NT oriented! We did have good aside where Steve asked if he was neurodivergent because of his depression, and we talked about inclusivity of the label and how it could potentially be helpful, but it was edited out 😞

YouTube video by Alive with Steve Burns Dr. Desiree Jones on Neurodivergence: Who Decides What’s “Normal”?

So cool: Autism researcher @desirjones.bsky.social talks with the original Steve from Blue's Clues about autism and neurodivergence! Available on YouTube or as a podcast.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLKV...

#autism #neurodiversity #BluesClues

Thank you for sharing!!

Grave Concerns About Profound Autism The label "Profound autism" bungles the support needs of autistic people with complex disabilities, and will endanger autistic lives.

Why it's important to push back against the dangerous #ProfoundAutism label; + CN: Suicide:

"Stereotypes created by 'Profound Autism' risk denying suitable support from many Autistic persons, which will predictably result in more Autistic suicides."

thinkingautismguide.com/2023/09/grav... #autism

I had an amazing opportunity to talk about autism and neurodiversity with Steve Burns, one of my childhood heroes! You can listen to the full podcast now, or watch on YouTube starting at 4pm today (11/12). I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

lemonada.lnk.to/AlivewithSte...

Beyond Masking and Towards Supporting Autistic Authenticity — THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO AUTISM Dr. Amy Pearson on why the ability to express one’s authentic autistic self is much more complicated than an individual choice to unmask.

On autistic masking: "people can reflect & develop a deep self-awareness and understanding of your own needs, but without society being a safer place for autistic people, the onus on autistic people to unmask is cruel at best & incredibly dangerous at worst."

thinkingautismguide.com/2023/11/beyo...

The experiences of autistic people with intersecting marginalized identities—especially Black autistic adults—"remain underexplored in research, contributing to a limited understanding of stigma’s impact across diverse communities." @desirjones.bsky.social et al:

www.liebertpub.com/doi/epub/10....

The thing is, being autistic doesn't need to be "stopped" or "cured" or further demonized. The entire conversation is wrong.

OK folks, the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit #SNS25 is underway. We're here to "treasure the strengths" of neurodivergent people. SNS is an outgrowth of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project, founded in 2018, which includes the Adult Neurodevelopment Clinic. The first SNS was in 2020. #neurodiversity

I'm so proud of @desirjones.bsky.social for this important paper and all the hard work she put into it. I'm also very grateful for @drmbothapsych.bsky.social for their many contributions in shaping this project.

RFK Jr's big September autism announcement | What autistic students want RFK Jr is obsessed with mitochondria, probably thanks to the wellness whisperers around him.

If Robert F. Kennedy the Lesser's Big September Announcement "does indeed come out favoring folinate or folate as a 'cure' or 'treatment' for autism, then move over ivermectin bc there’s gonna be a new grift in town." @ejwillingham.bsky.social in the TPGA Newsletter:

buttondown.com/TPGA/archive...

"Black autistic adults, along with autistic women and LGBTQ+ autistic people, may encounter compounded barriers to acceptance, identity development, and belonging. [We need] more inclusive research & supports that attend to the diversity of autistic experiences."

www.liebertpub.com/doi/epub/10....

@noahsasson.bsky.social @drmbothapsych.bsky.social thank you both for all of your support and guidance. I'm so proud of this paper and happy to have it out in the world!

Why Race and Autism Cannot Be Separated in Lived Experience The comment (below from a substack user) suggests that being Black and being autistic are “two different things that don’t have a significant effect on each other.” This statement overlooks the realit...

I also encourage anyone who is interested in this topic to read this incredible post from @ayannasanaa.bsky.social

phenomenallyautistic.substack.com/p/why-race-a...

Why Race and Autism Cannot Be Separated in Lived Experience The comment (below from a substack user) suggests that being Black and being autistic are “two different things that don’t have a significant effect on each other.” This statement overlooks the realit...

phenomenallyautistic.substack.com/p/why-race-a...

For anyone without journal access, the full preprint is available here:
osf.io/preprints/psy...

#BlackAutisticAdults #Intersectionality #AutismResearch #Neurodiversity #DisabilityJustice #AutismAcceptance
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“I’m Kind of Stuck in the Middle. I Don’t Know Where to Go”: Race, Autism, and Intersectional Stigma Among Black and White Autistic Adults | Autism in Adulthood Background: Autistic adults frequently experience social stigma, which may be compounded by additional marginalized identities such as race, gender, and sexual orientation. Black autistic adults, in particular, may face unique challenges at the intersection of racial bias and autism stigma. However, the experiences of autistic people with intersecting marginalized identities remain underexplored in research, contributing to a limited understanding of stigma’s impact across diverse communities. Methods: We used qualitative methods to explore how intersecting identities shape autistic adults’ experiences of stigma and marginalization, with an emphasis on Black autistic adults. In total, 32 autistic adults (16 Black and 16 White) completed a semi-structured interview regarding their social experiences. Participants shared recent stories of peer exclusion, acceptance, discrimination, and support that they had experienced, as well as their feelings surrounding these events. We recorded and transcribed these interviews and used an inductive, or data-driven, approach to thematic analysis to identify salient themes in the data. Results: We generated three intersectional themes, which encompassed the unique impact of stigma on those with intersecting identities. Specifically, these themes included: (1) identity-based discrimination shaped by race, gender, and LGBTQ+ status; (2) challenges in obtaining and processing an autism diagnosis; and (3) difficulties navigating personal identity, particularly among Black autistic participants. While autistic adults broadly reported stigma experiences, Black participants often described layered forms of exclusion related to both their race and autistic traits. Across racial groups, women and LGBTQ+ participants also reported distinct forms of marginalization and erasure. Conclusion: These findings highlight how autism stigma intersects with other marginalized identities to shape social experiences. Black autistic adults, along with autistic women and LGBTQ+ autistic people, may encounter compounded barriers to acceptance, identity development, and belonging. These results underscore the need for more inclusive research and supports that attend to the diversity of autistic experiences.

Black autistic adults are too often left out of conversations about stigma and autism.

Our new paper shows how stigma is shaped by race, gender, and sexuality, creating unique challenges for Black autistic adults, women, and LGBTQ+ autistic people.

www.liebertpub.com/d...
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JCPP Advances | ACAMH Child Development Journal | Wiley Online Library Background Accounts of emotional dysregulation in autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are typically based on external adult observations anchored in neurotypical notions of em...

acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... Very useful but sobering new research by this fine team, on the upsetting experiences that autistic and ADHD young people endure in e.g. schools...and why the resulting distress/dysregulation isn't because of autism/ADHD.

The Critical Need for Research Examining Mental Health Risk and Protective Factors in Black Autistic Youth

New commentary in JAACAP! Here, we highlight gaps in the literature on Black autistic youths' mental health, and call for research that examines risk and protective factors across individual, family, community, and societal levels.
Free access thru 8/31.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Think Elon Musk is out of Washington? Think again. DOGE is quietly building a massive data collection system designed to centralize unprecedented access to your personal information Social Security, taxes, medical diagnoses, and more.