Blogs by Charlie

  • Alexithymia

    Alexithymia: Difficulty experiencing, identifying, describing our feelings. This is common with autism and ADHD. My emotions can be buried deep under the surface, then bubble up suddenly, engulfing me. I can feel nothing, and compartmentalise my feelings. I lock them up in a box, and do whatever I can to feel something. Often for me, Read more

  • What I enjoy doing outside work

    I enjoy singing guest vocals in my husband’s band from time to time. I play acoustic guitar and sing. I am a keen run leader (England Athletics-qualified Leader in Running Fitness) and I teach people to run (Couch to 5K) and help them keep running regularly, in my village social running group Alvechurch Running Buddies. Read more

  • Autistic burnout at work

    I can get easily overwhelmed, eventually tipping into autistic burn out – especially when I have to work on two different projects at the same time, with conflicting priorities, too many instructions communicated verbally, and long project meetings in which I am self-conscious of my meeting behaviours, which is draining. Autistic burnout manifests exactly like Read more

  • How my neurotype affects me at work

    I have what you call a spiky profile, which means instead of being competent at everything I am highly skilled in some areas of work and challenged in other areas. Autism and ADHD (AuDHD) are “dynamic” disabilities for me, so some days I am on very good form (hyper-productive, in a “flow state”) and other Read more

  • My neurotype and diagnoses

    I was diagnosed on the NHS with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2018, aged 42. I reject the wording of this diagnosis, and I just call it autism. I am autistic. I also have ADHD, self-identified in 2021. My GP referred me for ADHD diagnosis in 2022 through Psychiatry UK via NHS “right to choose”, and I Read more

  • Neurodiversity inclusion tips

    We all have unique strengths and challenges, so understanding these is key because everyone has specific accessibility and support needs. Autism, for example, is a spectrum condition, which means that it affects people in different ways. It is unhelpful to stereotype people based on their neurological condition, so please do not make assumptions about what Read more