Susan Madigan
@susanmadigan3.bsky.social
Occupational Therapist. Supporting the neurodivergent crew to thrive. Accessibility in Eucation, Work and Healthcare. Working with employers to understand and value neurodiversity. She/her, Neurodivergent not otherwise specified. Training @ susanmadigan.ie
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Susan Madigan
@susanmadigan3.bsky.social
· Apr 21
There’s growing discourse around the “overdiagnosis” of Autism and ADHD—particularly in adults. Critics say these diagnoses are now being handed out too easily, "its all gone too far", even framing them as trendy. But this view misses something fundamental. 1/24
Reposted by Susan Madigan
A cost-of-living crisis isn't the easiest time to sell art, but: www.ciaraioch.com is where you can support my work, with each archival-quality print on textured heavy paper being produced here in Ireland, shipping internationally in eco-friendly packaging, with free mini-treats in every order 🎁
February 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
A cost-of-living crisis isn't the easiest time to sell art, but: www.ciaraioch.com is where you can support my work, with each archival-quality print on textured heavy paper being produced here in Ireland, shipping internationally in eco-friendly packaging, with free mini-treats in every order 🎁
Reposted by Susan Madigan
If we can bail out the banks overnight, and transfer massive amounts of wealth upwards from the taxpayer to failed private contractors, we can get our shit together and have a non-profit state builder.
November 13, 2025 at 8:40 AM
If we can bail out the banks overnight, and transfer massive amounts of wealth upwards from the taxpayer to failed private contractors, we can get our shit together and have a non-profit state builder.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Ah...Fionnán Sheahan, impartiality personified in a 20ft forehead.
If a state construction company had been set up the 1st time it was suggested by PBP-Sol we'd have houses now....and jobs...and less emigration.
In an endless loop of people who don't want it done saying it can't be done.
If a state construction company had been set up the 1st time it was suggested by PBP-Sol we'd have houses now....and jobs...and less emigration.
In an endless loop of people who don't want it done saying it can't be done.
🗣️ "We need a state construction company," says People Before Profit–Solidarity TD Richard Boyd Barrett.
"How many years would it take to set that up?" asks guest host Fionnán Sheahan.
#TonightVMTV
"How many years would it take to set that up?" asks guest host Fionnán Sheahan.
#TonightVMTV
November 13, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Ah...Fionnán Sheahan, impartiality personified in a 20ft forehead.
If a state construction company had been set up the 1st time it was suggested by PBP-Sol we'd have houses now....and jobs...and less emigration.
In an endless loop of people who don't want it done saying it can't be done.
If a state construction company had been set up the 1st time it was suggested by PBP-Sol we'd have houses now....and jobs...and less emigration.
In an endless loop of people who don't want it done saying it can't be done.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
I wish I knew more about sensory needs and how it overlaps with things I can do.
It took literally 5 years to work out that my ability to understand & do things can be entirely flattened by the wrong sensory environment.
Eg, Can’t get dressed in a loud room. Can’t read if chair has wrong texture
It took literally 5 years to work out that my ability to understand & do things can be entirely flattened by the wrong sensory environment.
Eg, Can’t get dressed in a loud room. Can’t read if chair has wrong texture
#AskingAutistics
What’s something you wish you knew about autism when you first discovered you were autistic?
What’s something you wish you knew about autism when you first discovered you were autistic?
November 5, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I wish I knew more about sensory needs and how it overlaps with things I can do.
It took literally 5 years to work out that my ability to understand & do things can be entirely flattened by the wrong sensory environment.
Eg, Can’t get dressed in a loud room. Can’t read if chair has wrong texture
It took literally 5 years to work out that my ability to understand & do things can be entirely flattened by the wrong sensory environment.
Eg, Can’t get dressed in a loud room. Can’t read if chair has wrong texture
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Seeking volunteers to write 350 word summaries of current policies and laws that negatively impact the lives of disabled people.
Email us to get involved:
Disabilityarkmedia(at)gmail.com
Email us to get involved:
Disabilityarkmedia(at)gmail.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Seeking volunteers to write 350 word summaries of current policies and laws that negatively impact the lives of disabled people.
Email us to get involved:
Disabilityarkmedia(at)gmail.com
Email us to get involved:
Disabilityarkmedia(at)gmail.com
Reposted by Susan Madigan
3/3 When environments become predictable, affirming, and relationally safe, emotional balance and engagement tend to return naturally- not through compliance, but through restored safety and trust.
November 1, 2025 at 8:25 PM
3/3 When environments become predictable, affirming, and relationally safe, emotional balance and engagement tend to return naturally- not through compliance, but through restored safety and trust.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
2/3 Authentic self-expression and autonomy consistently show up as key anchors of regulation and recovery.
November 1, 2025 at 8:24 PM
2/3 Authentic self-expression and autonomy consistently show up as key anchors of regulation and recovery.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
1/3 Withdrawal, masking, and avoidance appear not as “problems,” but as intelligent nervous-system responses to overstimulating, invalidating, or unpredictable environments.
November 1, 2025 at 8:24 PM
1/3 Withdrawal, masking, and avoidance appear not as “problems,” but as intelligent nervous-system responses to overstimulating, invalidating, or unpredictable environments.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Two of our founders worked on a pair of affirming animations for @thrivingautistic.bsky.social, introducing key ideas.
The first is Discovering You're Autistic, basically giving people the messages we most needed to hear when we were first realising we're Autistic...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDv...
The first is Discovering You're Autistic, basically giving people the messages we most needed to hear when we were first realising we're Autistic...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDv...
Discovering You're Autistic
YouTube video by Thriving Autistic
www.youtube.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Two of our founders worked on a pair of affirming animations for @thrivingautistic.bsky.social, introducing key ideas.
The first is Discovering You're Autistic, basically giving people the messages we most needed to hear when we were first realising we're Autistic...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDv...
The first is Discovering You're Autistic, basically giving people the messages we most needed to hear when we were first realising we're Autistic...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDv...
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Happy (Upcoming) Intersex Awareness Day 2025!
Intersex Awareness Day is October 26th, and we're celebrating as we do with books that have intersex rep! All of these titles either have intersex MCs, or have intersex secondary characters but are also by intersex authors. Middle Grade Fiction…
Intersex Awareness Day is October 26th, and we're celebrating as we do with books that have intersex rep! All of these titles either have intersex MCs, or have intersex secondary characters but are also by intersex authors. Middle Grade Fiction…
Happy (Upcoming) Intersex Awareness Day 2025!
Intersex Awareness Day is October 26th, and we're celebrating as we do with books that have intersex rep! All of these titles either have intersex MCs, or have intersex secondary characters but are also by intersex authors. Middle Grade Fiction Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo In the town of Howler’s Hollow, conjuring magic is strictly off-limits. Only nothing makes Delpha McGill’s skin crawl more than rules.
lgbtqreads.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Happy (Upcoming) Intersex Awareness Day 2025!
Intersex Awareness Day is October 26th, and we're celebrating as we do with books that have intersex rep! All of these titles either have intersex MCs, or have intersex secondary characters but are also by intersex authors. Middle Grade Fiction…
Intersex Awareness Day is October 26th, and we're celebrating as we do with books that have intersex rep! All of these titles either have intersex MCs, or have intersex secondary characters but are also by intersex authors. Middle Grade Fiction…
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Resharing my starter pack of neuro-affirming Autistic advocates, orgs and charities if you are looking for a good list of people to follow
go.bsky.app/9N5UEUC
go.bsky.app/9N5UEUC
May 26, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Resharing my starter pack of neuro-affirming Autistic advocates, orgs and charities if you are looking for a good list of people to follow
go.bsky.app/9N5UEUC
go.bsky.app/9N5UEUC
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Embracing Complexity's priority-setting exercise for research on neurodivergence is now published in Neurodiversity! Huge project led by @agatataga.bsky.social, paper co-written by @drrachaeldavis.bsky.social, @drhollyjoseph.bsky.social, and yours truly: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Beyond Diagnosis: Setting Research Priorities with the Neurodivergent Community - Agata Ostaszewska, Georgia Harper, Rachael Davis, Holly Joseph, 2025
Neurodiversity research remains heavily shaped by diagnostic categories, which increasingly appear inadequate for capturing the complex, lived realities of neur...
journals.sagepub.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Embracing Complexity's priority-setting exercise for research on neurodivergence is now published in Neurodiversity! Huge project led by @agatataga.bsky.social, paper co-written by @drrachaeldavis.bsky.social, @drhollyjoseph.bsky.social, and yours truly: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Susan Madigan
To mark LGBTQ+ History Month, the New York Historical Museum on the Upper West Side of New York City has just launched an exhibition to commemorate and celebrate Black, queer life in Harlem in the first half of the 20th century. www.gaycities.com/articles/101...
New York City celebrates the “Gay Harlem Renaissance" - GayCities
‘The Pansy Craze’ and other moments of Black, queer history remembered.
www.gaycities.com
October 19, 2025 at 11:39 AM
To mark LGBTQ+ History Month, the New York Historical Museum on the Upper West Side of New York City has just launched an exhibition to commemorate and celebrate Black, queer life in Harlem in the first half of the 20th century. www.gaycities.com/articles/101...
Reposted by Susan Madigan
one of my favourite findings from my work on Belfast is how Harlem’s queer culture was a direct inspiration for many Irish men, to the extent that “strange brother” - the eponymous title of a 1931 novel partially set in Harlem - was a local code word!
To mark LGBTQ+ History Month, the New York Historical Museum on the Upper West Side of New York City has just launched an exhibition to commemorate and celebrate Black, queer life in Harlem in the first half of the 20th century. www.gaycities.com/articles/101...
New York City celebrates the “Gay Harlem Renaissance" - GayCities
‘The Pansy Craze’ and other moments of Black, queer history remembered.
www.gaycities.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:58 AM
one of my favourite findings from my work on Belfast is how Harlem’s queer culture was a direct inspiration for many Irish men, to the extent that “strange brother” - the eponymous title of a 1931 novel partially set in Harlem - was a local code word!
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Over 55 and recently discovered you’re Autistic? 🌿
Join our 6-week Discovery Programme starting Jan 20 2026 — a supportive space to explore your identity in a neuro-affirming space
🇮🇪 Free fully funded for Irish citizens | 🌍 Sliding-scale for international
👉 www.thrivingautistic.org/discovery-pr...
Join our 6-week Discovery Programme starting Jan 20 2026 — a supportive space to explore your identity in a neuro-affirming space
🇮🇪 Free fully funded for Irish citizens | 🌍 Sliding-scale for international
👉 www.thrivingautistic.org/discovery-pr...
Discovery Programme: Welcome to Your Autistic Self
Have you recently discovered that you’re Autistic? Would you like to learn more about your neurotype and discuss what it means for you in a supportive group with other newly identified Autistic adults...
www.thrivingautistic.org
October 20, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Over 55 and recently discovered you’re Autistic? 🌿
Join our 6-week Discovery Programme starting Jan 20 2026 — a supportive space to explore your identity in a neuro-affirming space
🇮🇪 Free fully funded for Irish citizens | 🌍 Sliding-scale for international
👉 www.thrivingautistic.org/discovery-pr...
Join our 6-week Discovery Programme starting Jan 20 2026 — a supportive space to explore your identity in a neuro-affirming space
🇮🇪 Free fully funded for Irish citizens | 🌍 Sliding-scale for international
👉 www.thrivingautistic.org/discovery-pr...
Reposted by Susan Madigan
"When we fight for the right of autistic trans people to access transition care on the same terms as neurotypical trans people, we fight for disability rights. When we fight against cuts to disability benefits that our community disproportionately needs, we fight for trans rights."
October 2, 2025 at 7:21 AM
"When we fight for the right of autistic trans people to access transition care on the same terms as neurotypical trans people, we fight for disability rights. When we fight against cuts to disability benefits that our community disproportionately needs, we fight for trans rights."
Reposted by Susan Madigan
The second flotilla continues to sail. No matter what we hear about prison conditions for the first wave of participants, our solidarity with Palestine is unconditional. We’re on track to reach Gaza in just a few days www.independent.ie/opinion/comm...
Naoise Dolan: As we get closer to Gaza, Israel’s abduction of our fellow flotilla members will only spur us on
Friday, October 4, 12.25am local time. I should sleep before my night watch shift begins in two hours, but my boat’s violent tilting makes it impossible. There is a loud, interminable drilling noise; ...
www.independent.ie
October 5, 2025 at 8:14 AM
The second flotilla continues to sail. No matter what we hear about prison conditions for the first wave of participants, our solidarity with Palestine is unconditional. We’re on track to reach Gaza in just a few days www.independent.ie/opinion/comm...
Reposted by Susan Madigan
This woman is on fire in the EU parliament.
October 1, 2025 at 9:07 PM
This woman is on fire in the EU parliament.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Wow. So. Wayward.
...huh.
Damn.
...huh.
Damn.
October 1, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Wow. So. Wayward.
...huh.
Damn.
...huh.
Damn.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
This is the part that Elliot just doesn’t seem to understand.
It might help if he simultaneously championed alternative ways of assessing people’s knowledge & understanding that don’t use methods by which dyslexics are already disadvantaged.
Extra time doesn’t cut it!
It might help if he simultaneously championed alternative ways of assessing people’s knowledge & understanding that don’t use methods by which dyslexics are already disadvantaged.
Extra time doesn’t cut it!
July 31, 2025 at 4:28 PM
This is the part that Elliot just doesn’t seem to understand.
It might help if he simultaneously championed alternative ways of assessing people’s knowledge & understanding that don’t use methods by which dyslexics are already disadvantaged.
Extra time doesn’t cut it!
It might help if he simultaneously championed alternative ways of assessing people’s knowledge & understanding that don’t use methods by which dyslexics are already disadvantaged.
Extra time doesn’t cut it!
Reposted by Susan Madigan
🧩 Therapy through the lens of autism
What makes therapy feel safe & effective for autistic adults?
This new qualitative study highlights the adjustments that matter most — from flexible communication to sensory-friendly environments.
🧵 THREAD
#Autism #Therapy #MentalHealth
What makes therapy feel safe & effective for autistic adults?
This new qualitative study highlights the adjustments that matter most — from flexible communication to sensory-friendly environments.
🧵 THREAD
#Autism #Therapy #MentalHealth
September 24, 2025 at 6:41 AM
🧩 Therapy through the lens of autism
What makes therapy feel safe & effective for autistic adults?
This new qualitative study highlights the adjustments that matter most — from flexible communication to sensory-friendly environments.
🧵 THREAD
#Autism #Therapy #MentalHealth
What makes therapy feel safe & effective for autistic adults?
This new qualitative study highlights the adjustments that matter most — from flexible communication to sensory-friendly environments.
🧵 THREAD
#Autism #Therapy #MentalHealth
Reposted by Susan Madigan
It's a type of "Quiet Quitting" from before that was even a phrase. People won't say out loud, "I don't like going to town because I hate having to plan my trip around where I can access a toilet."
They just won't go to town.
They just won't go to town.
September 20, 2025 at 9:19 AM
It's a type of "Quiet Quitting" from before that was even a phrase. People won't say out loud, "I don't like going to town because I hate having to plan my trip around where I can access a toilet."
They just won't go to town.
They just won't go to town.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Only Dublin could treat the provision of public toilets as if they were being asked to land people on Mars.
From the start of the millennium until the pandemic struck in 2020 there were no on street public toilets in Dublin city, writes Samantha Libreri
The challenges and risks of installing public toilets
A carved granite plinth with perforated metal roundels, wrought-iron railings with shamrock heads and a cast-iron ventilation shaft with stylised foliage located at the junction of Kevin Street and Ne...
www.rte.ie
September 20, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Only Dublin could treat the provision of public toilets as if they were being asked to land people on Mars.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
There's an enormous feeling that we just don't deserve better, being filthy little beasts with no right to wander the city.
September 20, 2025 at 8:14 AM
There's an enormous feeling that we just don't deserve better, being filthy little beasts with no right to wander the city.
Reposted by Susan Madigan
Created by animator Iara Abigalil, @autisticrealms.bsky.social , @fergus.oolong.co.uk , @scrappapertiger.bsky.social , @jessicakdoyle.bsky.social , Laura Buckland Mason and music by @somebodysomeone.bsky.social
Join us for our launch:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/discovery-...
Join us for our launch:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/discovery-...
Discovery Celebration: Autistic Community Shaping Neuro-Affirmative Support
Join Thriving Autistic for a special online celebration of Autistic experiences and reflections from our Discovery Programme.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
September 14, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Created by animator Iara Abigalil, @autisticrealms.bsky.social , @fergus.oolong.co.uk , @scrappapertiger.bsky.social , @jessicakdoyle.bsky.social , Laura Buckland Mason and music by @somebodysomeone.bsky.social
Join us for our launch:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/discovery-...
Join us for our launch:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/discovery-...