Quirky, Twitchy, Thingy, Dreamy, Bouncy started as an educational talk for teachers, GPs and psychologists and subsequently developed into a tool for explaining and discussing the complexity, ambiguity, comorbidity, and utility of neurodevelopmental diagnoses/non-neurotypicality with patients and carers as well as professionals.
Dr Jarret Johnston talks us through the Quirky, Twitchy, Thingy, Dreamy, Bouncy model, aiming both to enlighten about the complexity and interaction of our various diagnoses and also to give professionals more tools for discussing these. This talk is largely inspired by Valsamma Eapen and her article “Neurodevelopmental Genes have not read the DSM Criteria; or have they?”, as well as lectures from Ken Nunn and David Dossier, and the section on Comorbidities in the Oxford Textbook of ADHD.
About Dr Johnston
Dr Johnston is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who specializes in multiple neurodevelopmental issues, in particular the intersection between ASD, ADHD, and Tourette's Disorder.
Dr Jarret Johnston qualified as a psychiatrist in 2004 working initially in general inpatient and community public mental health, as well as a small amount of private practice. In 2007 he became involved in the launch of MHEC-RAP, an acute telehealth service covering 70% of NSW providing both telehealth and MH Access Line services, and was clinical director of this from 2011-2013.
In 2013, he trained in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and currently works predominantly in Private Practice in Orange and Bathurst in the Central West of NSW, and consults to the Multi-Systemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN) team in Dubbo. Owing to a preponderance of referrals from paediatricians, his practice accidentally specializes in children and adolescents with multiple neurodevelopmental issues, in particular the intersection between ASD, ADHD, and Tourette’s Disorder.
His perfect slogan T-shirt would read “Order, Perfection, Squirrels.”, although possibly with more squirrels than that!
