Richard is always such a good speaker, so it was lovely to have him back again to talk to us about the autistic experience. He covered a range of issues, including the reasons why he cycles to Chesham from Aylesbury so that he can burn up any excess energy and anxieties about speaking.
Additionally he spoke about other sensory issues such as self regulation and his wife’s love of bare feet and light clothing. Within this, he talked a little about the vagus nerve and how autistic people are always trying to stabilise it through sensory seeking, which sets up the parasympathetic nervous system and calms them. Some of you might remember Sally Gorton talking about this in one of her past talks.
Apologies this is so short…I did take notes on the day, but sadly, they have disappeared from my iPad, so this from Linda’s memory and a bit from notes from past talks he’s done.