Sheffieldsoulg

Hello I currently run a youth club in Sheffield it’s free for young people to attend we play soul music on vinyl and the volunteers who run it all have a passion for soul music too. We fund the youth club by putting on Sunday all dayers. I’ve been reading up about Youth Clubs and wondered whether anyone might be interested in sharing their experiences particularly if that was the first place you heard it? Thanks in advance Amy

That’s the nature of it being a spectrum I suppose sorry to hear he’s had a rough time. I work with a broad range of people with autism and they are all unique.

As a person with adhd I posted this as my personal reflections I never said it’s everyone this post also included feedback from other neurodiverse people who agreed with what I’d said.

There’s lots of people who have reached out to me from this post who have said they completely agree with what I’ve said I guess if people don’t understand adhd or autism and don’t belong to that group they don’t understand where I’m coming from. There’s lots of people with adhd and autism on scene they just don’t go around with it on a T-shirt. if you don’t agree with my view point that’s fine but lots of people have agreed.

I didn’t say they took drugs because of adhd, the current treatment for adhd is amphetamines. Haha if you took them with adhd or not you’d deffo be up all night.

I never said there was any causation - what I’ve pointed out is how ‘soulin’ can be a good fit for neurodiverse people.

I don’t claim to be a northern soul expert, I’ve just pointed out some of the cross overs I’ve observed in how the scene may be of interest to neurodiverse people and how it can be really good for them. It’s something I jotted down in about half an hour, which got a positive response with many people saying they appreciated hence sharing it in this forum, as I thought it might resonate with some. I could reference all of my points however I wasn’t aiming for a scholarly article, just some further awareness which people can take or leave at their leisure. My intention wasn’t to target all people on the soul scene and as I said I was open to people’s thoughts which I have taken on board. I appreciate different nuances however this was a reflection of my personal experiences so far, so I’m not really sure how that can be changed. I think it’s sometimes unhelpful to tell or imply to others that they don’t know enough, sometimes it’s better to show them the way with kindness because otherwise they will stop asking and the sharing of knowledge ends. I’ve learnt not to underestimate people , there’s something to be learnt from them all. From the comments the gear must have been decent then bring back coaches and not driving back down the M1 at 6am

Haha I appreciate what you are saying, I’m not saying there are more or less. Just the reasons why neurodiverse people might like it or sometimes do really well.

At no point did I ever say it wasn’t about that All of the above factors are parts that people enjoy if they wernt they wouldn’t do them

This may be controversial… I’m not saying every soulie is neurodiverse however these are some of my reflections. I’ve been thinking about neurodiversity and Northern Soul. I have been invited as a Guest Speaker at a Learning Disability Nursing conference in Belfast this week. As a result I’d begun documenting my own and the experiences of other people I know. My reflections particularly relate to Autism and ADHD. Some examples I’d thought about were maybe how in the past and even to this day travelling all over the country is something exciting and how on impulse many soulies did and do decide to travel to events. People would of been soulin Friday to Sunday with little thought about consequence on Monday . There’s the adrenaline rush from intense physical exercise, and a dopamine hit from hearing a new record. Record collecting - this is something that is a perfect hyperfixation, it’s addictive something that people with adhd might get hooked on, then there’s the potential photographic memory element of remembering labels, musicians, producers and the remembering of matrix numbers. There’s the predictable routine ritual of putting the record on the turntable. Completists who search for specific records/items may be another positive example of preserving the music. Researching again goes hand in hand with special interest, the amount of people I know with such a sheer and vast knowledge is insane, in particular around the history of the scene and artists. A strong sense of justice and fairness aligns with ensuring artists get the recognition they deserve, and social justice around reappropriating the music. Djing, your up their alone yet sharing the music with others. A great hobby, and way of having a starting point for conversation with others. ADHD and intuitively reading the room picking up on the energies and observing what records to select. Dancing alone, yet with others no need for physical touch, you can get hot and sweaty no bother, you don’t need anyone to dance with so no social interactions needed other than bumping into someone ‘sorry mate’. Spinning lots of spinning and repetitive dance movements could meet people’s needs to stim. Being in the zone hyperfocus on the present and being free from other thoughts and worries. All-nighters & hyperactivity it’s commonly known autistic people and those with adhd can have difficulties with sleep a solution go out dancing all night, burn off energy and be active. Top 500 familiarity - I can’t speak for all people however nostalgia and predictability can be a big comfort to a lot of people. A set of social norms - clear expectations/social cues which can help people avoiding feeling awkward. You go in, you pay, you sit where you normally do (left front of stage for me) with folk you might know (chances are you know someone), you might say hello, you dance, you leave. Sensory needs - 4x4 beat that just hits right, it’s dark super dark (or they might have disco lights ) something for all. You can wear comfy attire things that don’t restrict you (unless you’re a cool mod ). Promoters/event planners meticulously planning and coordinating weekenders, weekly events, nighters - again something people with a passion for it with adhd/and or Autism would excel at. Drug use/escapism - again not all partake however some do and substance use and adhd have been commonly linked in research. Rare Soul - a smaller collective of folk an inner circle, where again you tend to see the same faces which again beings belonging through a niche interest. Trauma, ADHD and Autism - research shows that people with ADHD and Autism are much more likely to have experienced trauma. Some soulies describe soulin as their solace, a place where they have regained their confidence and found a support network. I’d like to thank the people who responded to my initial Facebook post and would be interested to know others thoughts Amy Hodkin KTF