Category Archives: Neurodiversity

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 IContinue reading “My neurotype and diagnoses”

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 whatContinue reading “Neurodiversity inclusion tips”

Panorama: Private ADHD clinics exposed

Here is my response to Panorama’s exposé. Yes, my husband (Shiny Si) and I watched the Panorama “exposé” about private ADHD clinics and found it one-sided and sensationalist. Si has contacted Panorama to tell them his story of neglect, prejudice, mistreatment from the Birmingham NHS ADHD team, who deliberately fob off as many people asContinue reading “Panorama: Private ADHD clinics exposed”

Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week is upon us. Personally, I handle this by self-advocating away any toxic positivity. I don’t plaster on a fake smile like this one. Instead, I tell people how I really am. If they don’t care, why ask? We need to tackle the causes of mental health challenges, not jolly our mentalContinue reading “Mental Health Awareness Week”

Unregulated neurodiversity bandit

I am one of those unregulated neurodiversity advocates, neurotic to the bones no doubt about it.  You have been warned! Only follow me if you are interested in my lived experience of:– Autism, ADHD and C-PTSD– The double rainbow intersection of both the AuDHD and LGBTQIA+ spectrums– Surviving bullying and discrimination in education and work–Continue reading “Unregulated neurodiversity bandit”

Autism month brain dump

Questions from Carol Jean Whittington for her Mind Your Autistic Brain website. Question 1 – What does accessibility mean to you? Reducing or eliminating barriers to inclusion or success, which requires conscious inclusion. Question 2 – What is your big “why” for advocating for autism inclusion in the workplace? Workplace inclusion is my niche becauseContinue reading “Autism month brain dump”

Livid experience of autism

This is about livid experience of autism. Lived experience, but the things we’re really angry about. People who preach “be kind”, then bully or mock people for being weird and different. People who think we’re shifty and dishonest due to eye contact differences, whether not holding eye contact because it’s uncomfortable, or holding it tooContinue reading “Livid experience of autism”

Another autistic blurt and more rumination

My last anecdote made quite an impact, and I’ve been asked for more. Here’s another classic “blurt” 🤦‍♀️ The CEO in a previous job used to like to take a group of employees out for tea and cake at a fancy restaurant (Harvey Nicols) when they reached ten years of service. When it was myContinue reading “Another autistic blurt and more rumination”

My lived experience as a late-diagnosed autistic

Here is another extract from my talk for #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek 2023, this one about my lived experience as a late-diagnosed #autistic woman. I was a loner and tomboy at school. Oh, I doodled a lot in lessons, and daydreamed, and often gazed out of the window. I had very intense interests, so there were some thingsContinue reading “My lived experience as a late-diagnosed autistic”