
Themes: Spiky ProfilesThere is consensus regarding some neurodevelopmental conditions being classed as neurominorities, with a ‘spiky profile’ of executive functions difficulties juxtaposed against neurocognitive strengths as a defining characteristic. Neurominorities, Spiky Profiles,... More, Safety, Niche Construction, ConstructionismPapert was one of the founders of constructionism, which builds on Piaget's theories of constructivism — that is, learning occurs through the reconstruction of knowledge rather than a transmission of... More, Intermittent CollaborationThe best solutions come from "intermittent collaboration" -- group work punctuated by breaks to think & work by ourselves.Daniel Pink Our cave, campfire, and watering hole moods map to the red, yellow,... More, Neurological PluralismANI launched its online list, ANI-L, in 1994. Like a specialized ecological niche, ANI-L had acted as an incubator for Autistic culture, accelerating its evolution. In 1996, a computer programmer... More, and Flow
Entering flow states or attention tunnels
Fergus MurrayEntering flow states - or attention tunnels - is a necessary coping strategy for many of us.Fergus Murray People need to feel appreciated and safe, to give themselves to an... More is a necessary coping strategy for many of us.
Purpose
We are all about reframing.
We ReframeWhen we successfully reframe public discourse, we change the way the public sees the world. We change what counts as common sense. Because language activates frames, new language is required... More
WE, STIMPUNKS
We reframe out of the confines of the medical model and pathology paradigm and into the respectfully connected expanse of the biopsychosocialThe proposed biopsychosocial model allows us to provide therapeutic intervention (medical model) and recommend structural accommodation (legislative obligation) without pathologization (social model). In other words, we can deal pragmatically with... More model and the Neurodiversity paradigm. We reframe from deficit ideologyBriefly, deficit ideology is a worldview that explains and justifies outcome inequalities— standardized test scores or levels of educational attainment, for example—by pointing to supposed deficiencies within disenfranchised individuals and... More to structural ideologyEducators with a structural ideology understand that educational outcome disparities are dominantly the result of structural barriers, the logical if not purposeful outcome of inequitable distributions of opportunity and access... More.Stimpunk combines “stimming” + “punk” to evoke open and proud stimming, resistance to neurotypicalization, and the DIY culture of punk, disabled, and neurodivergent communities. Instead of hiding our stims, we... More
Today, we reframe learning and learners.
Introduction
Reframe these states of being that have been labelled deficiencies or pathologies as human differencesOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More.
NORMAL SUCKS: AUTHOR JONATHAN MOONEY ON HOW SCHOOLS FAIL KIDS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES
Our spiky profiles need anti-ableist space that isn’t designed against us. We need space without behaviorism
TweetUltimately behaviorism provides a simplistic lens that can’t see beyond itself.Why is the doctrine of behaviorism still being used, at all?How can ABA be the gold-standard for autism when it... More, segregation, or ableism
able·ism /ˈābəˌlizəm/ nounA system of assigning value to people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply... More. We need human-centered space designed to our edgesFor me this space of radical openness is a margin a profound edge. Locating oneself there is difficult yet necessary. It is not a “safe” place. One is always at... More. #DIYEdge #Stimpunks #RollinOnOurOwn
Reading
- What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.
- Monotropism
- Classroom UX: Designing for Pluralism
What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.
Main Takeaways
- Autistic
Autistic ways of being are human neurological variants that can not be understood without the social model of disability.If you are wondering whether you are Autistic, spend time amongst Autistic people, online and offline. If... More people tend to have “spiky skills profiles”.
- Spiky Profile
There is consensus regarding some neurodevelopmental conditions being classed as neurominorities, with a ‘spiky profile’ of executive functions difficulties juxtaposed against neurocognitive strengths as a defining characteristic. Neurominorities, Spiky Profiles,... More: a phenomenon whereby the disparity between strengths and weaknesses is more pronounced.
- The spiky profile may well emerge as the definitive expression of neurominorityThere is consensus regarding some neurodevelopmental conditions being classed as neurominorities, with a 'spiky profile' of executive functions difficulties juxtaposed against neurocognitive strengths as a defining characteristic.Neurodiversity at work: a... More.
- Spiky profiles exist for a reason.
- Disability and differenceOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More are engines of innovation, collaboration, and collaborative niche construction
Positive Niche Construction--practice of differentiating instruction for the neurodiverse brainNeurodiversity in the Classroom Positive niche construction is a strengths-based approach to educating students with disabilities. Reimagining Inclusion with Positive Niche... More.
- Autistic people have built many niche communities
What I have always been hoping to accomplish is the creation of community.Community is magic. Community is power. Community is resistance.Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-First-Person-Stories-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B082ZQBL98/ https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-Adapted-Young-Adults-ebook/dp/B08VFT4R9T/... More from the ground up.
- People with disabilities are the original life hackers.
- Collaborative niche construction allows people to participate in the evolutionShe tells of a radical fringe of scientists who are realizing that natural selection isn’t individual, but mutual—that species only survive if they learn to be in community.Emergent Strategy: Shaping... More of a living system.
- Special interests
I don’t know who invented the phrase “special interest.” Probably some researcher. Autistic people don’t really love the term because the term “special” has become tied so closely with terms... More feed niche construction.
- Understanding spiky profiles, learning terroir, collaborative niche construction, and special interests is critical to fostering neurological pluralism
Pluralism refers to people of diverse and conflicting beliefs coexisting peaceably, linked by their adherence to a shared social contract which commits members of different groups to treating others fairly... More.
- Let’s be weird
"Weird Pride Flag" by Ferrous and Autistamatic Be proud of what you are.We’re weird, and we’re glad we are.Weird Pride Promo 2021 Autistic Pride is inconceivable without weird pride, and... More.
- Let’s be proud of what we are.
- Difference is a teacher.
Monotropism
Main Takeaways
- Monotropic
Monotropism is a theory of autism developed by autistic people, initially by Dinah Murray and Wenn Lawson.Monotropic minds tend to have their attention pulled more strongly towards a smaller number of interests at... More minds tend to have their attention pulled more strongly towards a smaller number of interests at any given time, leaving fewer resources for other processes.
- Monotropism
Monotropism is a theory of autism developed by autistic people, initially by Dinah Murray and Wenn Lawson.Monotropic minds tend to have their attention pulled more strongly towards a smaller number of interests at... More provides a far more comprehensive explanation for autistic cognition than any of its competitors.
- This interest model of mind is ecological, embodied, and exploratory.
- Monotropism offers a valuable lens for understanding and working with the intense interests of autistic students.
- Entering flow
Entering flow states - or attention tunnels - is a necessary coping strategy for many of us.Fergus Murray People need to feel appreciated and safe, to give themselves to an... More states “or attention tunnels“ is a necessary coping strategy for many of us.
- Flow states are the pinnacle of intrinsic motivation.
- Flow allows us to recharge.
- Embrace the obsession
I don’t know who invented the phrase “special interest.” Probably some researcher. Autistic people don’t really love the term because the term “special” has become tied so closely with terms... More. Special interests are intimately tied to the well-being of autistic peoples.
Classroom UX: Designing for Pluralism
Main Takeaways
- Cavendish Space
Cavendish Space: psychologically & sensory safe spaces suited to zone work, intermittent collaboration, and collaborative niche construction. Since reading NeuroTribes, we think of psychologically & sensory safe spaces suited to... More: psychologically & sensory safe spaces suited to zone work and intermittent collaboration.
- Inform spaces with neurodiversity
Neurodiversity is the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species.NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS Neurodiversity is a biological fact. It’s not a perspective, an approach, a... More and the social model of disabilityIn the broadest sense, the social model of disability is about nothing more complicated than a clear focus on the economic, environmental and cultural barriers encountered by people who are... More so that they welcome and include all bodyminds
Bodymind: A term used to challenge the idea the body and mind are experienced separately (Descartes). Written in various ways, Bodymind or Body-mind, this usage foregrounds the understanding that experiences... More.
- Provide quiet spaces for high memory state zone work where students can escape sensory overwhelm, slip into flow states, and enjoy a maker’s schedule.
- Create caveFuturist David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning (bit.ly/YvRuWC)Australia’s Campfires,... More, campfireFuturist David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning (bit.ly/YvRuWC)Australia’s Campfires,... More, and watering holeFuturist David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning (bit.ly/YvRuWC)Australia’s Campfires,... More zones.
- Develop neurological curb cuts.
- Fill our classrooms with choice and comfort, instructional tolerance, continuous connectivity, and assistive technology.
- Make spaces for both collaboration and deep work.
- The best solutions come from “intermittent collaboration” — group work punctuated by breaks to think & work by ourselves.
- Design education “to the edges” and take into account the jagged learning profile of all students.
- Design is tested at the edges. We design for everyone when we design for neurodiversity and disability.
- Design for our spiky profiles.
- Edge casesCompassion Isn't CoddlingPeople often mistake compassion for “being nice,” but it’s not.The point of compassion isn’t to soften bad news or stressful situations with niceties. It’s to come from a... More define the boundaries of who and what you care
The activities that constitute care are crucial for human life. We defined care in this way: Care is "a species activity that includes everything that we do to maintain, continue,... More about.
- Design with, not for.
- Neurodivergent
Neurodivergent, sometimes abbreviated as ND, means having a mind that functions in ways which diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.”NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS Neurodivergent is quite... More & disabledThe label "disabled" means so much to me. It means I have community. It means I have rights. It means I can be proud. It means I can affirm myself... More students are great flow testers.
- There are great opportunities for project & passion-based learning in giving students agency to audit their context and design something better.
- What do kids see? What do they feel? What do they smell? What do they hear? What is their experience as they move through your school?
What Safe Collaboration Can Do

Josephmooon is a neurodiverse, multi-age, distributed musical collaboration featuring the work of two teenagers and their mentors. The greater Stimpunks communityWhat I have always been hoping to accomplish is the creation of community.Community is magic. Community is power. Community is resistance.Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-First-Person-Stories-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B082ZQBL98/ https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-Adapted-Young-Adults-ebook/dp/B08VFT4R9T/... More helps the band with websites, lyrics transcription, art
The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly,... More, marketing, e-commerce, fulfillment, tax collection, and everything else that goes into hanging your shingle, running a business, and releasing music on every platform. Stimpunks is rich with learning curves and constructionism.
There is also something uniquely satisfying about working with other people effectively, towards a shared goal; in my experience there is no substitute when it comes to building a community.
Craft, Flow and Cognitive Styles
Lately I've been feeling out of tune, out of tune I don't know why, but I would like to know why And I want to get back in tune Out of tune, that's what I am Being out of tune pains my head (can't get out of bed) Hurts from being out of tune and I just so want to get back in tune Out of tune, that's what I am, out of tune When I get back in tune My good days will come back, and I'll feel better If you're feeling out of tune like I am now Get back in tune, like I said I will get back in tune But I don't know when (hopefully soon) I know it could take time But let's make it happen I'm back in tune Back in tune, that's what I am Back in tune In tune, back in tune
Josephmooon is what you get when you embrace the obsession and go where self-directed learning leads. #DIYEdge #Stimpunks #RollingOnOurOwn
Tweet
Reflection Activity
Have you ever nurtured a splinter skillThere is consensus regarding some neurodevelopmental conditions being classed as neurominorities, with a ‘spiky profile’ of executive functions difficulties juxtaposed against neurocognitive strengths as a defining characteristic. Neurominorities, Spiky Profiles,... More?
Does your classroom have spaces for intermittent collaboration?
Activities
Appreciate our spiky profiles.
What spiky profiles do you see in your classroom, school, workplace, family? Use our Autism and Kinetic Cognitive Style vocabulary pages to familiarize yourself with some common traits.
Constructionism, collaborative niche construction, bricolageIn the arts, bricolage (French for "DIY" or "do-it-yourself projects") is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or... More, and toolbelt theoryToolbelt Theory is based in the concept that students must learn to assemble their own readily available collection of life solutions. They must learn to choose and use these solutions... More go great together. Imagine the possibilities in your spheres, especially for spiky profiles.
Take It further
Our spiky profiles need anti-ableist space that isn’t designed against us. We need space without behaviorism, segregation, or ableism. We need human-centered space designed to our edges.
Main Takeaways
- The place where we belong does not exist. We will build it.
- The need for anti-ableist learning space for neurodivergent and disabled people is now.
- My kids have been kicked out of many, many places for being different—just like I was.
- The question is simple: Is there room for disabled kids at a piano school? On a swim team? In most classrooms? The answer, right now, seems to be no.
- Creating paths to equity
EquityA commitment to action: the process of redistributing access and opportunity to be fair and just.A way of being: the state of being free of bias, discrimination, and identity-predictable outcomes... More and access for all children remains the grand challenge of public education in America.
- A humane education is one whose organizing principle is the innate capacity of students to be critical, empathetic
Empathy is not an autistic problem, it’s a human problem, it’s a deficit in imagination.We all need to work on imagining things we have not been through.Empathy, Imagination and Autism... More agents in their communities and on the global stage.
- A human-centered classroom is needed now more than ever.
- We have created a system that has you submit yourself, or your child, to patient hood to access the right to learn differentlyOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More. The right to learn differently should be a universal human right that’s not mediated by a diagnosis
Self diagnosis is not just “valid” — it is liberatory. When we define our community ourselves and wrest our right to self-definition back from the systems that painted us as... More.
- Neurodivergent and disabled learners need anti-ableist space, and we need it now.
- In anti-ableist space, there is no segregation of “special”.
- The word “special” is used to sugar-coat segregation and societal exclusion – and its continued use in our language, education systems, media etc serves to maintain those increasingly antiquated “special” concepts that line the path to a life of exclusion and low expectations.
- Special EducationThe word “special” is used to sugar-coat segregation and societal exclusion – and its continued use in our language, education systems, media etc serves to maintain those increasingly antiquated “special”... More continues to be marinated in behaviorist
Ultimately behaviorism provides a simplistic lens that can’t see beyond itself.Why is the doctrine of behaviorism still being used, at all?How can ABA be the gold-standard for autism when it... More assumptions and practices despite the fact that numerous resources for teachers, therapists, and parents offer alternatives to behavior control.
- In anti-ableist space, there is no behaviorism.
- ABA
Ultimately behaviorism provides a simplistic lens that can’t see beyond itself.Why is the doctrine of behaviorism still being used, at all?How can ABA be the gold-standard for autism when it... More is loathed by autistic adults who are able to describe their experience with it.
- Autistics have been excluded from all committees, panels, boards, etc., charged with developing, directing, and assessing ABA research and treatment programs.
- The most restrictive virtual straitjacket that educators face is behaviorism.
- The value of any book, article, or presentation intended for teachers (or parents) is inversely related to the number of times the word “behavior” appears in it.
- The more our attention is fixed on the surface, the more we slight students’ underlying motives, valuesRemind yourself that shared values, rather than shared beliefs, are what matter when it comes to interacting with others, and that there is no replacement for doing the hard work... More, and needs.
- Trainers are rejecting behaviorism because it harms animals emotionally and psychologically. What does that say about classrooms that embrace it?
- We cannot replace agency with response to stimuli.
- I make the right mistakes, and I say what I mean. Spare Me From The Mold!
- Our non-complianceNoncompliance is a social skill.Noncompliance is one of the most important social skills. Noncompliance skills make it possible to say no, even when others want your right to say no to... More is not intended to be rebellious. We simply do not comply with things that harm us. But since a great number of things that harm us are not harmful to most neurotypicals, we are viewed as untamed and in need of straightening up.
- In anti-ableist space, there is no “earning your token”
- “When I was a little girl, I was autistic. And when you’re autistic, it’s not abuse. It’s therapy.”
- Too much autism
Autistic ways of being are human neurological variants that can not be understood without the social model of disability.If you are wondering whether you are Autistic, spend time amongst Autistic people, online and offline. If... More research has been done without autistic input.
- The failures of autism science are not random: they reflect systematic powerThe 20th Century political scientist Karl Deutsch said, “Power is the ability not to have to learn.”I quote this statement often, because I think it’s one of the most important... More imbalances.
- The problems associated with ABA run very deep. It is a human rights violation to continue to ignore and discount the voices of Autistic people about deeply traumatising and harmful “therapies” such as ABA.
- Behaviorism is a repudiation, an almost willful dismissal, of subjective experience.
- Current research has suggested ABA as causing a severe level of trauma
In expanding our definitions of trauma, we must make sure we see trauma as a structural issue, not just an individual one. Scholars now recognize what people from marginalized communities... More from childhood participation.
- Bring voice into empirical constructs. Translate voice into academic comprehension.
- ABA has never been shown to be even slightly efficacious for the nonverbal Autism population.
- Research in ABA continues to neglect the structure of the autistic brain, the overstimulation of the autistic brain, the trajectory of child development, or the complex nature of human psychology.
- The conditions created by ABA foster psychological ill-being.
- ABA is negatively affecting the autistic population.
- Adult autistics who have undergone ABA have described as violating the fundamental tenets of bioethics, as well as the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Until ABA updates its scientific methods, its functions of behavior, and incorporates modern day psychology – including neurology, child development, educational psychology, and other vital research – it cannot be considered to be a safe, effective, or ethical field.
- I don’t need a cure for me.
- In anti-ableist space, we are active agents in our own embodied experience.
- I am not a manifestation of stimuli and response. I am agential. I am Autonomously Autistic.
- Despite progress toward new models of disability, Autistic subjectivity is still locked within medical pathologies and assumptions of deficit.
- Self-Determination TheorySelf-determination Theory (SDT) is... — a model, a macro theory, of human motivation. It’s one of several models of human motivation, but it’s one that has been confirmed over and... More positions itself as directly and unapologetically antithetical to behaviorism.
All these elements were part of Skinner’s teaching machines: the elimination of inefficiencies of the teacher, the delivery of immediate feedback, the ability for students to move through standardized content at their own pace.
Today’s ed-tech proponents call this “personalization.”
The Monsters of Education Technology
Main Takeaways
- CavesFuturist David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning (bit.ly/YvRuWC)Australia’s Campfires,... More, CampfiresFuturist David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning (bit.ly/YvRuWC)Australia’s Campfires,... More, and Watering HolesFuturist David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning (bit.ly/YvRuWC)Australia’s Campfires,... More
- Dandelions, Tulips, and Orchids
According to empirical studies and recent theories, people differ substantially in their reactivity or sensitivity to environmental influences with some being generally more affected than others. More sensitive individuals have... More
- Niche Construction
- Cognitive Diversity Exists for a Reason
- Social Buffering“It was diversity between people which led to human success and it is particularly important as it gives you different specialised roles.“We are arguing that it is the rise of... More and Collaborative Morality“It was diversity between people which led to human success and it is particularly important as it gives you different specialised roles.“We are arguing that it is the rise of... More
- Interdependence
Interdependence acknowledges that our survival is bound up together, that we are interconnected and what you do impacts others. If this pandemic has done nothing else, it has illuminated how... More and Collaboration
Resources
The Need: Space without Behaviorism, Segregation, or Ableism
The Need: Space without Behaviorism, Segregation, or Ableism
- In anti-ableist space, there is no segregation of “special”.
- In anti-ableist space, there is no behaviorism.
- In anti-ableist space, there is no “earning your token”.
- In anti-ableist space, we are active agents in our own embodied experience.
The Answer: Reframing, Respectful Connection, and the Presumption of Competence
The Answer: Reframing, Respectful Connection, and the Presumption of Competence
- Instead of behaviorism, segregation, and therapies ingrained with ableism, we practice respectful connection.
- Instead of deficit ideology and the pathology paradigmWhen it comes to human neurodiversity, the dominant paradigm in the world today is what I refer to as the pathology paradigm. The long-term well-being and empowerment of Autistics and members of... More, we reframe.
- Instead of presuming incompetence, we presume competence.
- Instead of behaviorist control, we pursue self-determinationSelf-determination Theory (SDT) is... — a model, a macro theory, of human motivation. It’s one of several models of human motivation, but it’s one that has been confirmed over and... More, intrinsic motivation, and flow.
The Feeling: Electric Belonging and Soaring Inclusion
The Feeling: Electric Belonging and Soaring Inclusion
- We create cripSome people with disabilities call themselves “crips.” “Crip” used to be a mean word for disabled. It is short for “cripple.” But some disabled people call themselves “crips” on purpose.... More space that evokes the electrifying feeling of belonging.
- We foster the feeling of access intimacyAccess intimacy is that elusive, hard to describe feeling when someone else “gets” your access needs. The kind of eerie comfort that your disabled self feels with someone on a... More.
- The Learning: Passion-Based, Human-Centered LearningA human-centered education: • Cultivates Purpose-Driven Classrooms • Ends Dehumanizing Practices • Demands Social Justice • Builds a Human-Centered World https://youtu.be/JsrsgM6LqiI https://youtu.be/h9gQXG9T1RM Build human-centered classrooms around four values: • Learning... More Compatible With Neurodiversity and the Social ModelIn the broadest sense, the social model of disability is about nothing more complicated than a clear focus on the economic, environmental and cultural barriers encountered by people who are... More of Disability
- Come As You Are to Cavendish Space
- We Create Anti-Ableist Space
- We Find Our People and Co-create Ecologies of Care
- Stimpunks Foundation Presents: Stimpunks Space