Blog Posts

NEURO-DIVERSE ACCOMMODATIONS --- ACCOMMODATING NON-TYPICAL COMBINATIONS of STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES.

4/5/2022

CONJECTURE

This is really about MINORITY RIGHTS and PEOPLE with COMPLICATED COMBINATIONS of STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES that can be on opposite ends of various SPECTRUMS ----

For Example, Frank Sinatra or Einstein or Sylvia Plath
Often we think of Ethnic and Racial Minorities, Gender and LGBTQ+ Rights when we think of MINORITY RIGHTS

Neuro-Diversity cuts across these CATEGORIES.

Because Neuro-Diversity directly implicates COGNITION and EMOTIONAL REGULATION it is important to UNDERSTAND.
- It also often comes with some BIG STRENGTHS in one or more areas.

There generally are challenges in EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING and EMOTIONAL REGULATION
- The Ramped Up Sensory Processing that is fueling the perception of some of these STRENGTHS is also fueling the perception of these CHALLENGES.

The STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES are TOO INTEGRATED to address UNCONCIOUSLY or INDIRECTLY.
- Trying to RAM that Round Peg in a Square Hole can create more problems than it solves.

The idea of "FLOW" is based on a BALANCE of STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES.

When you or someone else is coming in a more UNUSUAL COMBINATION of STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES --- that BALANCE has to be achieved MORE CONSCIOUSLY.

We do know ourselves in part by our observation of OTHERS --- BUT if we have significant differences --- we may have a hard time understanding what we need and standing up for ourselves------ and others may have a hard time understanding what we need.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi --- "FLOW"

FLOW: A BALANCE OF "CHALLENGES & SKILLS"

You Won't Have To Worry About Lazy Adults if you go with the flow

Platypus --- An Animal So Strange ---- It Almost Doesn't Look REAL.

We do need EXPERTS that can address these issues from an ACCOMMODATION STANDPOINT
- Working just on the TRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT end --- may not always work.
- Neuro-Diverse people are quite frankly often needing a lot of things REASONABLY ACCOMMODATED and INDIVIDUALLY TAILORED.
  - The LAW provides for it so long as it is "REASONABLE"--- but asking the INDIVIDUAL to fight that BATTLE is sometimes not realistic and it can result in a PYRRHIC VICTORY ---- you won the battle but you lost the war --- you're still in a HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT.
    - AND for people SENSITIVE to their ENVIRONMENTS & STRESS --- that is not going to be a good thing.

Incentivizing Entrepreneurs to Incorporate Neuro-Diverse people in the work force is a possible option.

Some technically minded Neuro-Diverse are IN DEMAND in HIGH TECH --- BUT not all Neuro-Diverse people are technically minded.

We are talking about how to INCENTIVIZE people to broach the LEARNING CURVE of NEURO-DIVERSE ACCOMODATIONS.

A lot of Neuro-Diverse people assumed the UNBALANCED VIEWS of THEMSELVES reflected in others.

Once Neuro-Diverse people get that HARD WON more BALANCED VIEW of themselves with COMPLICATED STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES --- that can drive a lot of improvement, too.

Supported Entrepreneurship is important.

The WORKFORCE SHORTAGE is an INCENTIVE to get on that LEARNING CURVE to TAP into the STRENGTHS of Neuro-Diverse people without BURNING THEM OUT.

When I refer to "Neuro-Diverse" --- I am generally referring to people who fall within current categories of ADHD, Autism, Gifted and Dyslexia or other Neuro-Developmental Conditions often:

Sharing Some Genes
Often subject to Maternal Immune Activation during Pregnancy
Possibly Ramped Up Epigenetic Positive Feedback Loops,
Increased Sensitivity to the Environment --- that is probably once again related to this Ramped Up Sensory Processing.
HYPER-CONNECTED BRAINS

They tend to be more VULNERABLE to PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS.

JUSTICE, IGNORANCE & the BIOLOGICAL BASIS of BEHAVIOR

3/24/2022

We use our MORAL and ETHICAL JUDGMENTS to protect ourselves --- BUT those JUDGMENTS look very different across time ----

often based on NEW INFORMATION, or
MORE THOROUGHLY INTEGRATING EXISTING INFORMATION.

Some of this is INTEGRATING the Poetic Understanding of a Seamus Heaney with the BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOR --- the "STREAM OF LIFE" we all find ourselves in.

The "INTEGRATIVE COMPLEXITY" of that "STREAM of LIFE" is putting PRESSURE on our current systems.

It has put pressure on systems in the past and it probably will continue to do so in the future --- since comprehension of this "STREAM OF LIFE" is not currently fully within our grasp.

In 2022, we're much more AWARE of :

Neuro-Developmental Differences and Disabilities
Neuro-Psychiatric Disabilities
Substance Issues, and
Brain Injuries as well as Brain Tumors and Lesions

as affecting Human Behavior and for that matter the behavior of other animals.

Something that is poised to change our concept of the Human Being ---- MICROBES that are NOT HUMAN that appear to be ESSENTIAL for NORMAL HUMAN BEHAVIOR and for the behavior of other animals.

What is JUSTICE in such a "STREAM OF LIFE" --- ?

Seamus Heaney reading
St. Kevin & the Blackbird ---

"in love's deep river"

Cognitive Changes in Patients with Brain Tumors
Memorial Sloan Kettering

Michael Specter is an American journalist who has been a staff writer, focusing on science and technology, and global public health at The New Yorker since September 1998. He has also written for The Washington Post and The New York Times. ---Wikipedia

Law & Reason as a BRIDGE between Science and Faith

3/24/2022

The Problem of a Mitigating Discipline based on a Scientifically Invalid Diagnostic Manual

When we think about the great intellectual problems of the last several hundred years --- the conflict between SCIENCE and RELIGION is right up there and RELIGION has sometimes shot itself in the foot by its REFUSAL to acknowledge the AMAZING DISCOVERIES of EMPIRICAL SCIENCE.

BUT in MODERN TIMES, we have an AMAZING FAITH in Empirical Science as the ANSWER to Every Question.

And in FAIRNESS --- maybe EMPIRICAL SCIENCE is NEEDED for many if not most questions.

BUT we've gotten ourselves into quite a CONUNDRUM because SCIENCE is often LAGGING BEHIND ---and sometimes FAR BEHIND ---- the demands to make MORAL and ETHICAL DECISIONS in the MOMENT.

In fact, EMPIRICAL SCIENCE may be LAGGING DECADES or MORE BEHIND our need to make those DECISIONS and in fact EMPIRICAL SCIENCE may be LAGGING BEHIND one or more GENERATIONS.

So when we look at our use of MENTAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE and LACK THEREOF in the Criminal Justice System --- IT IS A MESS:

We've put all our "FAITH" in Empirical Science ---
- But the DSM 5 is scientifically invalid at least according to pronouncements from the National Institute of Mental Health in 2013.
- Further, over 600 Research Institutions have found that genes are shared across diagnostic categories and the DSM categories do not appear to coincide with EMPIRICAL RESEARCH and SCIENCE.

Well --- the ANSWER is we need MORE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH and SCIENCE --- In fact, that is one of the RIGHT ANSWERS --- the only problem is IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT to address our CURRENT PROBLEMS.

The LAW and Public Policy have been surprisingly SLOW in using "REASON" to make REASONABLE DEDUCTIONS and INFERENCES regarding:

the Biological Basis of Behavior, and
the Biological Effects of "Environment"

As well as the need in some to many cases to get beyond PUNISHMENT for INDIVIDUAL BAD ACT or BAD INTENT and move to a Public Health Approach that can handle BAD ACTS and BAD INTENT stemming from CHRONIC CONDITIONS such as:

Neuro-Developmental Disorders
Psychiatric Disorders
Brain Injury, and or
Substance Issues that are often related to one or more of the above.

Is "REASON" needed as a BRIDGE between our "FAITH" in Empirical Science or our Religious and Spiritual Beliefs?

I would maintain that "REASON" is needed as a BRIDGE to BOTH.

Justice and the Need to Get Beyond Crisis Management --- For the Benefit of the Community, Individuals & First Responders

3/15/2022

One of the points I've tried to make is --- this is a lot more complicated than Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders within the Justice-Involved Population --- which are absolutely there.

The COMPLICATED REALITY is those Neuro-Developmental Issues and Psychiatric Issues can also exist among the FIRST RESPONDERS and Health and Legal Systems that are serving and protecting our communities everyday.

So some form of ADHD in that Emergency Room Doc, Paramedic, Police Officer, Criminal Defense Attorney or Prosecutor is more par for the course than we often realize --- and they themselves are quite vulnerable to PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS and SUBSTANCE ISSUES.

Further, some in the Health and Legal Systems MAY BE MORE VULNERABLE because they're NOT EXPECTING to deal with these issues and may not realize that their "STRENGTHS" are often coming with some underlying vulnerabilities.

When we focus so much on CRISIS MANAGEMENT rather than a more ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS ---- that makes it hard for everyone.

We can't ignore the CRISES --- but providing SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT up front in the form of :

Supportive Housing
Intensive Services, and
Adequate Staffing

could go along way to REDUCING CRISES ---- ACROSS THE BOARD.

What is a good career for someone with ADHD?

EMTs, police officers, and firefighters must work well under pressure and make split-second decisions. These jobs allow you to work in a variety of settings, while providing the kind of adrenaline-pumping excitement that helps many individuals with ADHD focus their minds. Feb 2, 2021

16 Good Jobs for People with ADHD - ADDitude

University of Montana

In this study, firefighters had more than four times the prevalence rate of ADHD that has been identified in the general adult population in previous research.

Wildland Firefighters and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity ...

The Big Kahuna: Neuro-Diversity is a Big Source of "Mental Illness"

Burnout in Law, Mental Health, Law Enforcement --- "Boundaries" ---and the Need for Leaders and Policymakers to Continue with SYSTEMIC REFORMS

2/10/2022

World Health Organization says burnout may deserve medical attention

Is there a high burnout rate for lawyers?

Lawyer burnout is a growing but long-standing issue in the legal industry that over the past few years has become normalized and talked about in the open more often. ... With more legal professionals working remotely, it's harder than ever to create boundaries, and burnout is at an all-time high. Sep 9, 2021

Why Lawyer Burnout Is Still An Issue in 2021 - National Law ...

Mental Health Providers and Burnout

Studies estimate that anywhere between 21 percent and 61 percent of mental health practitioners experience signs of burnout (Morse et al., 2012). Burnout has been associated with workplace climate, caseload size and severity of client symptoms (Acker, 2011; Craig & Sprang, 2010; Thompson et al., 2014). Jan 25, 2018

Research roundup: Burnout in mental health providers - APA ...

Law enforcement burnout

Burnout begins when a police officer who was originally enthusiastic about the job begins to respond to the frustrations of police work in such ways as resenting superiors, drinking too much while off duty, experiencing problems at home, and ceasing to take the initiative on the job.

Burn Out - 'No One Can Imagine What the Costs Really Are'

There's a lot of OVERWHELM in our SYSTEMS.

From my standpoint --- "HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED" --- is our TREATMENTS are often NOT MAGIC BULLETS.

Further, its becoming more and more apparent why our treatments for PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS are NOT MAGIC BULLETS:

The person is often dealing with an underlying NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER involving NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION and DYSREGULATION of MULTIPLE SYSTEMS of the BODY.
Further, there's widespread low-grade inflammation throughout the population.

For attorneys and law enforcement --- there's a big need for Leaders and Policymakers to modify systems to move away from "US vs. Them" Thinking.

Problem Solving Courts have been a part of that effort.
There's actually if not UNIVERSAL AGREEMENT, pretty close to it that we have to have:
- COMMUNITY SAFETY, and
- HUMANE TREATMENT

For MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, they need more SUPPORT from:

Translational Research Efforts
Epidemiologists
The Nation's Research and Teaching Hospitals

For attorneys, mental health providers, and law enforcement --- just because the numbers went up or the acuity level went up ----

DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANYONE GOT ANYMORE "BANDWIDTH"
We are BURNING PEOPLE OUT LEFT AND RIGHT
- We have to gain GREATER AWARENESS of what we are really asking of people ---
- As much as our HELPERS WANT TO HELP --- THEY HAVE LIMITS, TOO.

For REAL PROBLEM-SOLVING (rather than just a MOUNTAIN OF PAPERWORK) --- we have to invest TIME and RESOURCES to do that.

Further, we need our LEADERS and POLICYMAKERS to establish ON-GOING INCLUSIVE PROCESSES with ACCOUNTABILITY so we can get to VIABLE SOLUTIONS and further SYSTEMIC REFORMS.

LIKE AN INCLUSIVE OLMSTEAD PLANNING PROCESS with:

Measurable Goals
Reasonable Time Frames, and
Funding to Support the Plan

In-Groups and Out-Groups, the PAIN of SOCIAL ANIMALS & the POWER to DEFINE

2/7/2022

What those impractical philosophers and more pragmatic lawyers understand: How you DEFINE something often dictates the outcome.

When it comes to DEFINING our In-Groups and Out-Groups --- we're starting to realize that there's a certain NEVER-ENDING QUALITY to the MULTITUDE of these CATEGORIES.

Right now we're grappling with NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS and BRAIN INJURIES in the Criminal Justice System and the Society as a whole.

This is a SCARY discussion given where humans have been on GENOCIDE and EUGENICS.

It's been quite a long process of considering INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES of DIFFERENTIATION.

Neuro-Diversity is a MIXED BAG --- BUT we're all MIXED BAGS --- it's just easier to SEE the further out you get on one of many SPECTRUMS --- OR GROW UP & MATURE.

Leaked Amazon memo shows how it forces out employees to hit targets (April 2021)

PBS -- The Brain with David Eagleman
In-Groups and Out-Groups

Insights From fMRI Studies Into Ingroup Bias (2018)

Intergroup biases can manifest themselves between a wide variety of different groups such as people from different races, nations, ethnicities, political or religious beliefs, opposing sport teams or even arbitrary groups.

In this review we provide a neuroscientific overview of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies that have revealed how group dynamics impact on various cognitive and emotional systems at different levels of information processing.

We first describe how people can perceive the faces, words and actions of ingroup and outgroup members in a biased way.

Second, we focus on how activity in brain areas involved in empathizing with the pain of others, such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula (AI), are influenced by group membership.

Third, we describe how group membership influences activity in brain areas involved in mentalizing such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ).

Fourth, we discuss the involvement of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) in increased moral sensitivity for outgroup threats.

Finally, we discuss how brain areas involved in the reward system such as the striatum and medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), are more active when experiencing schadenfreude for outgroup harm and when rewarding ingroup (versus outgroup) members.

The value of these neuroscientific insights to better understand ingroup bias are discussed, as well as limitations and future research directions.

I remember when I first heard of the Greek practice of OSTRACISM --- it just didn't seem like that big a deal.

Keeping Up with the Research --- the REALITY SHOW We Shouldn't Miss

1/25/2022

Keeping Up With the Kardasians

Keeping Up with the Research is no easy task & our current systems aren't doing it.

The Future of Psychiatry and Neurodevelopmental Disorders:

A Paradigm Shift (2019)

The current understanding of these disorders, intellectual disability, ADHD, autism, Asperger’s syndrome, tics, etc., is a neurodevelopmental disorder with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also being neurodevelopmental, and all have significant neurobiological inputs.

Some personality disorders should also be considered as being on the neurodevelopmental spectrum.

The neurodevelopmental trajectory will include the addition of more neurodevelopmental disorders, e.g., bipolar, schizophrenia and depression as the person gets older

Part of more ACCOUNTABILITY for the Public Mental Health System is going to be the somewhat UNCOMFORTABLE recognition of the high CO-MORBIDITY between NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS & PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS.

What does that mean for SERVICE DESIGN?

Does it help explain why the Mental Health Centers have been such a DISASTER?

Further, while genes are important --- Maternal Immune Activation may be more illuminating.

Additionally, SOCIAL BEHAVIOR as a delicate balance between INNATE and ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY --
Might help explain the "OVERCITABILITIES" in giftedness and the mental and physical health problems associated with the Hyper Brain, Hyper Body.

Additionally, the UNCONSCIOUS BIAS that seems to be rampant in our descriptions and surface understandings of Gifted Overexcitabilities, Sensitivity and Reactivity...

WHO is exhibiting the behavior and where they are in the SOCIAL HIERARCHY is a part of how the society is REACTING to the behavior.

And that is DE-STABILIZING things even further.

People at the BOTTOM of the SOCIAL HEAP are suffering more
Low social status 'can damage immune system' --- BBC News

Big Think --- Jordan Peterson --- Inequality & Hierarchy Give Life Its Purpose

Further, those "shared genes" across psychiatric disorders are often going to the immune system and epigenetics.

Perhaps most challenging, these NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS and PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS are represented throughout the population.

The DIAGNOSTICS and TREATMENTS are in need of improvement for everyone ---
The truth is NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES are not all bad, but if you and everyone around you DON'T HAVE A CLUE -- it can get a lot more than BAD.

The lost girls: ‘Chaotic and curious, women with ADHD all have missed red flags that haunt us’

After multiple burnouts, in my early 30s I finally knew why life sometimes felt harder for me. It made perfect sense, so why had no one noticed before? (2020)

I'm not sure ADHD and other NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS are so obvious especially given assumptions regarding developmental disabilities and intelligence ---- and the fact that many people are quite BLURRED versions of the DSM 5 diagnostic categories.

That is one of the BIG INSIGHTS of the 21st Century

REFORM of MENTAL HEALTH has to include SUPPORT to TRANSLATE these new understandings and paradigms into IMPROVEMENTS in:

Diagnostics
Treatments, and
Systems

A BIG PART of this is CONSCIOUSLY addressing SENSITIVITY & REACTIVITY and the IMMUNE MEDIATED SENSORY PROCESSING OVERLOAD that is often behind it.

A link between sensory neurons activation and the immune system (2020)

Migraine as a Sensory Processing Disorder and an Inherited tendency to lose control of inputs.

Medical News Today:
What to know about ADHD and sensory overload (Sept. 2021)

What I and the author of the Guardian article know ---
Mental Health is FAR OFF TRACK -- and some of us have paid a big price for that.

Huntington's, Standing Out & the biological basis of behavior

1/18/2022

Tale regarding Dr. Vince Gilmer convicted of murder and ultimately found to have Huntington's. [Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde]

Huntington's is relatively rare in the Criminal Justice System BUT it is there.

Folk Singer Woody Guthrie had Huntington's and found himself in the Criminal Justice System although on much less serious charges. He was diagnosed with Huntington's in 1952.

A few years ago in Colorado, there was a man who was in one of the County Jails who not only had Huntington's but was Deaf ---- and pretty much everyone knew this man did not belong in the County Jail --- BUT the System didn't have a place for him.

One of the ways that the System knew --- He shouldn't be in Jail --- he was DIFFERENT ENOUGH to STAND OUT.

For a lot of people who have NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS such as ADHD --- that's a DIME a DOZEN in the Criminal Justice System --- :

So often we don't appreciate its significance, OR
We're AFRAID to appreciate its significance
- We see the Neuro-Developmental Disorder ADHD as related to Conduct Disorder and Anti-Social Personality Disorder
- BUT we can't bring ourselves to acknowledge the BIOLOGICAL BASIS of ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER.

Further, our Mental Health Professionals are TOO PRO SOCIALLY COMPETENT or more to the point NOT PEOPLE WITH THE RIGHT SKILLS to QUESTION --- underlying assumptions.

At one point, I did think --- HOW CAN THESE PEOPLE MISS THIS --- the BIOLOGICAL BASIS of BEHAVIOR --- they're Doctors and Ph.Ds --- come on . . .
But missing it they are and generally it's Good Faith miss.

The story in the This American Life episode highlights the "process" we're using to address these issues ----

We've got to find the SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS in time for this SPECIFIC PERSON
In the meantime, we're PUNISHING this SPECIFIC PERSON as well as others.
It's a RACE WITH THE CLOCK & the CALENDAR.

Could we cut through all that if we could recognize the BIOLOGICAL BASIS of BEHAVIOR --- yeah, we could.

Most of these horrific cases could be avoided if we could accept the BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOR.

If that is a given --- and to some people including myself it seems REASONABLE to assume that until proven otherwise ---
Then we're not getting HUNG UP in the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM on the SPECIFICS of that BIOLOGY at the initial determination of whether the person did the acts charged.

"I've been havin' some hard travelin' ---
I thought you knowed."

I think the "Free Will vs. Determinism" debate gets us so OFF TRACK --- BUT I keep posting this video because at 1:45 Sapolsky says this:

"When you look at the number of things that we recognize now as biological --- organic -- where 500 years ago or 5 years ago we would have had a harsh moral judgment about it.

"Instead we now know oh that's a biological phenomenon.

"When we look at that, either we can say that the last 500 years of realizing all of this biology is going to stop right here and there's never going to be a new piece of knowledge in that area ----
"Yeah, there's areas of behavior we still can't explain biologically..

"But if all you can do is see the logical direction of where we're going with that is what we're going to get to the point of recognizing yeah, we're biological organisms. . ."

Where the "Free vs. Determinism Debate" gets OFF TRACK --- it is running in the WRONG DIRECTION.

So we tend to LOOK TO THE PAST --- and say "Hey, there are all these BIOLOGICAL FACTORS and ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS affecting BIOLOGY ---
- Therefore, there is NO FREE WILL.

At the same time (roughly), we're SLOWLY:
- Learning to control our Environments
- Learning to control our Biologies
- Learning to peel away UNCONSCIOUS thought processes
- Using CRITICAL THINKING to understand more COMPLICATED and INTEGRATED REALITIES.

What is becoming APPARENT is --- WE ARE NOT AS FAR ALONG AS WE THOUGHT WE WERE.

We're handing DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT to EXPERTS within the PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM.

Where DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT are more appropriate and FAR FROM PERFECT.
BUT it doesn't have to be PERFECT if we understand the BIOLOGICAL BASIS of BEHAVIOR (this is for the purposes of moving away from PUNISHMENT)--
- If we don't understand the BIOLOGICAL BASIS of BEHAVIOR --- our reasoning is laborious and convoluted --- AND most importantly --- some DISFAVORED PERSON is paying the price of our IGNORANCE.
- Is this person also going to PAY A PRICE if we don't have the right "DIAGNOSIS" or "TREATMENT" --- Yes, BUT we are MITIGATING the often HORRIFIC EFFECTS of a PUNITIVE SYSTEM that is often not SUFFICIENTLY HUMANE or SUFFICIENTLY PROVIDING FOR SAFETY.
  - Additionally, it is important to emphasize that this is MITIGATION and it doesn't replace the need for better DIAGNOSTICS and TREATMENTS.

Further, we're MONITORING Treatment and Placements to ensure that they remain APPROPRIATE --- but this is more a PROCESS than an EVENT.

Finally, we're able to handle the INTEGRATIVE COMPLEXITY of INTENT that is BIOLOGICALLY DRIVEN.

The COURAGE & KNOWLEDGE to ADDRESS BIG SHORTAGES

1/14/2022

Understanding Psychiatric Disorders as Disorders of the Neuro-Developmental Continuum does seem like a BIG STEP UP.

Understanding that much of what we're trying to address are challenges in Executive Functioning, including Emotional Regulation --- but not limited to Emotional Regulation seems like a BIG STEP UP.

Understanding that NEURO-DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS are bringing STRENGTHS to the table not just EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES seems like a BIG STEP UP.

Understanding that NEURO-DIVERSE People tend to be CLUSTERED at the TOPS and BOTTOMS of SOCIETIES makes this COMPLICATED.

THAT KNEE ON YOUR NECK PROBABLY BELONGS TO SOME OTHER NEURO-DIVERSE PERSON.

One of the things that I've found in this JOURNEY is that ONE FUZZY IDEA is connected to ANOTHER FUZZY IDEA in our SOCIETY. So:

Criminal Intent
Anti-Social Personality Disorder
Unconscious Bias
Societal Hierarchies
NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL "DISORDERS" and their relationship to PSYCHIATRIC "DISORDERS"
Trauma
Intergenerational Trauma
The Biological Basis of Behavior and its CONNECTION to Environment
Pro Social Competency Religion that it appears the Mental Health Profession has used to fill in quite a few gaps as PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS were not the ANSWER to EVERYTHING.
STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES can be MORE ASYNCHRONOUS than we've recognized,
- So someone like myself --- I need support in areas of organization that some people might be surprised about --- people who know me wouldn't be surprised at all.
- On the other hand --- my abstract thinking skills are high and I do know a lot just as result of that NEURO-DIVERSITY --- of course --- it's NOT perfect.

Jacob Bronowski's Ascent of Man (1973)

Knowledge or Certainty

ORCHID'S 2022
CO COGNITIVE
DISABILITY 2-PAGER

BOTTOM LINE: Colorado and other States need to get on with it and adopt REASONABLE PLANS with MEASURABLE GOALS to address BIG SHORTAGES.

‘I am my brother’s keeper’, Philonise Floyd tells UN rights body, in impassioned plea for racial justice

As much as I love Science, it is holding this society HOSTAGE in LAW and PUBLIC POLICY --- as it has set itself up as the ONLY WAY of KNOWING.

Ironically, SCIENCE has been able to do this because of RELIGON's CLAIM to INFALLIBILIBITY --- it's not hard to prove that wrong, BUT
EMPIRICAL SCIENCE has a hard time keeping up with the MORAL CUNUNDRUMS complex societies are facing.

If we want to call it MORAL REASONING that's fine --- it is greatly informed by various religious and philosophical traditions --- and if we were using it ----

We probably wouldn't be the MOST INCARCERATED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

HOTEL VOUCHERS ---and the Need for WRAP-AROUND SERVICES & SUPPORT

1/11/2022

A Cautionary Tale from Vermont and a Solution in Canada

Will Vermont hotels accept state vouchers for homeless?

Vancouver Intensive Supervision Unit --- Finding the Person within the Illness

At 1:40 : "What's innovative about VISU is our more grassroots approach to working with the community.

"We offer a guarantee to our community partners that if they work with our clients, if they take them into their buildings to house them, if there ever is a problem . . . they can call us and we will be immediately responsive."

The Vancouver Intensive Supervision Unit is connected with the Court System there --- when we're talking about people who are Homeless something like 24/7 Housing Support Unit would be more appropriate.

Nov. 19, 2021

RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) - Hundreds of homeless people are now eligible for 100 days of shelter in Vermont hotels under the state’s newly expanded emergency housing program, but can they get a room?

Under pressure from advocates -- and extended help from FEMA -- the state announced last week it would open the doors of its emergency hotel program but the state says there are at least six times more people in need of help than before the pandemic and at least some of the hotels that opened their doors last year aren’t willing to do so now.

Video on social media shows the condition of the Holiday Inn in Rutland as the hotel was cleaning up from its participation in the state’s homeless hotel program.

Staff at the hotel say rooms sustained serious damage during the months the hotels were taking state vouchers that paid for homeless people to live there.

Renovations are also underway at the Quality Inn in Rutland. The owner of both hotels said they will not be accepting vouchers at this time and are still working on a plan by next month.

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