Autistically Authentic

Last Friday was the launch for the Su***de Prevention for Autism Neuroaffirmimg (Span.toolkit) which is an evidence based, co-produced toolkit for mental health professionals to assist their autistic adult clients.

Link below:

home | span.toolkit The Su***de Prevention for Autism Neuroaffirming (span.toolkit) is an evidence-based, co-produced resource portal designed to support mental health professionals working with autistic adults.

Trichotillomania & Autism.

What is trichotillomania?
Trichotillomania, or trich for short, can be described as an OCD like trait. It is compulsively pulling of hair on the scalp, eyelashes or other areas of the body. Hair pulling can temporarily release tension, giving a feeling of relief. The impacts include significant thinning and shortening of hair including bald patches. Trich sits under it's own category of Obsessive, Compulsive and related disorders under the DSM 5.

Sufferers of this condition can be negatively effected mentally and socially. They can have feelings of shame related to the disorder and may tend to keep it secret. Trying to stop the hair pulling more often results in heightened anxiety. Stress is the most well known trigger for it and increased bouts can be related to menstral cycles in women.

It is recommended to speak to your health professional to get treatment to assist you in overcoming impacts of the condition.

Some things people with trich have found to assist include:
Tying the hair up, covering it with thick headbands or head coverings, covering fingers with bandaids, numbing spray for scalp (also to help reduce pain from the high tension) and having fidgets that help to replace the behaviour.

Trichotillomania can be more common in the Autistic population due to sensory differences & heightened anxiety. People with trichotillomania can often also experience dermotillomania or skin picking.

I do not believe it is helpful to say to someone suffering from this to stop doing it. If they could, they would have. Saying this will only increase their feelings of shame and may delay them from getting the support they need.

* Picture is black and white, of a woman holding up some of her hair to show the damage caused by trich - hair that is significantly shorter and thinned.

📣 Medicare updates for autism support rebates

As of 1 March 2023, children and young people up to 25 years of age can access Medicare rebates for autism assessments (previously only children up to 13 years of age could access these rebates).

Amaze is pleased to see the age cap increased to 25, and welcomes the positive impact this will have on our community. We will also continue to advocate for the age cap to be removed entirely, as we believe everyone should be able to access affordable, accessible, and timely autism assessments.

We’ve updated our factsheets for Medicare supports to reflect these changes and you can find them here:
👉 Under 25:https://amaze.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Medicare-benefits-for-children-and-young-people.pdf
👉 25 and older:https://amaze.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Medicare-benefits-provided-for-adults.pdf

It’s important to understand that the rebates are capped, meaning they may not cover the full cost of an assessment, so you should speak with your health and allied health providers about any extra amounts you may have to pay.

In addition to the assessment changes, if you are diagnosed with autism (or another eligible disability, such as Fragile X) you are also eligible for further rebates to develop a treatment and management plan. You may also be referred for up to 20 allied health treatment services (for example with a speech pathologist, occupational therapist or psychologist).

For more information about undergoing an autism assessment and eligibility for these rebates, please contact your GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist.

Our national Autism Connect info line is also a great source of free, confidential and independent information. You can call, email or webchat our Autism Connect Advisors Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm. Visit our website to find out more: http://amaze.org.au/autismconnect/