Faculteit Revalidatiewetenschappen UHasselt reposted this
Touch your nose with your eyes closed. You can do that thanks to your #body #representations! In other words, your brain’s running model of where your body is, how it moves, and what it feels like! But… Here’s the catch: #culture #shapes this #model!! #Body #representations matter for many people, including #autistic #individuals! They relate to #sensory #experience, #action, #self-#perception, #mental #health, #quality #of #life, and #autonomy. Yet most tools used to study body representation were built in a small set of #high-#income #countries. That narrows what we measure and whose experiences we capture. Lived experiences from many regions remain underrepresented, including those of #neurodivergent individuals whose #sensory and #movement #profiles don’t match the default. The result? Misunderstandings and support that doesn’t fit local contexts. What we highlight and propose : 👉#Broaden #the #map: design studies with communities worldwide. Let’s collaborate more!! 👉#Build #fair #tools: co-design with #autistic #individuals!! Nothing about us without us! adapt to local languages and contexts, and use #accessible #mHealth #approaches. 👉#Bottom #line: If we want #assessments and supports that truly fit people’s lives, our #tools must reflect diverse #cultural #realities not a #one #size #fits #all #template. 🔗 Full article (open access): https://lnkd.in/eDn3W-9s Join the conversation: 👉 Which cultural assumptions hide inside the tools or trainings you use? 👉 If you work outside high-income contexts, what adaptations have helped most? Bruno Bonnechère Martin Desseilles Katleen Bogaerts Bernadette Grosjean Perroud Nader Université de Namur Hasselt University Faculteit Revalidatiewetenschappen UHasselt #ScienceStories #Neurodiversity #AutisticIndividuals #Body #Representations