NDR News

Our Mission

Firstly, here are some important estimates: Between 1-2% of the world population has autism. The mean worldwide prevalence of ADHD is 2.2%.  5-10% of the population is dyslexic, but it is thought this could be as high as 17%. Up to 10% of the population is dyspraxic, with up to 2% being severely affected. As much as 7% of the population has dyscalculia. Approximately 3,000,000 people in the US have Tourette Syndrome. These are just a few of the neurological differences that fall under the umbrella of neurodiversity.  With estimates of neurodivergent people being this high, it is a wonder...

• Store News

AspieNelle

This is Lauren Melissa, otherwise known on Instagram as AspieNelle. She is an autism advocate who promotes positivity and growth. Her Instagram account is well worth diving into, as she is incredibly eloquent and her posts, photos and words alike, are beautiful. She takes her followers on a journey into her own experiences with autism, and she is very relatable, asking questions and offering tips. Here she is sporting our Authentic tee. We are proud to have @aspienelle wearing our apparel.

• Autism

Autism and Early Mortality

There have been several studies published that find the life expectancy of autistics to be staggeringly lower than that of the general population. These findings are shocking, heart breaking, and show that something has to be done NOW to improve the lives of autistic people. In April 2017, the American Journal of Public Health published a study that finds the life expectancy of autistic people to be 36 years old, as compared with 72 years old for the general population (in the US). They list the major cause of death to be injuries (suffocation, asphyxiation and drowning), with about 28...

• Autism
• Autism Moments

The Seven Year Old Girl who is my Hero

Today I’m going to tell you a story about a little girl called Scarlet, and what she did for my son Bear.  This story begins about 18 months ago. Bear’s older sister Boo was a Joey’s Scout, and they had an outing to Funland, a nearby arcade. Siblings were invited, so I took Bear along too. There are lots of loud noises and flashing lights at Funland, and Bear, being autistic, is easily overwhelmed. He was sticking to me like glue, when this lovely blond-haired girl came up and asked him if he wanted to play the arcade games with...

• Neurodiversity

Definitions: Neurodiverse and Neurodivergent

I thought it was time for a post to make definitions clear. People are making honest mistakes with the terms neurodiverse and neurodivergent, and I thought it would help to clarify.  First off, a little history. The term ‘neurodiversity’ was first used by Australian sociologist Judy Singer, who herself is on the autism spectrum. She first used the term in her sociology honors thesis, which was presented in 1998. Given that the term is only a little over 20 years old, it is no wonder people are a little confused over how to use it.  Neurodiversity, Neurodiverse & Neurodivergent (ND)...