The Interest-Based Nervous System and ADHD
I often feel like my brain is in a constant battle of knowing there is something I should do, but just not being able to do it. Every day, I will spend hours and hours procrastinating something. It is quite common for me to spend the entire day just trying to get in the shower. And…
Why Travelling and Holidays Can Be Hard for Autistic People and What May Help
Travelling and holidays can be super fun, but they can be more challenging when you are autistic.
I find the number of steps in the process of travelling combined with the uncertainty of what to expect and sensory sensitivities is difficult…
Autistic Special Interests: Our Brain’s In-Built Coping Strategy
For the first thirteen years of my life, books were my whole world. I read everywhere, all of the time. I became absorbed in different authors’ lives and the storytelling process - I had an urge to know absolutely everything. I read everywhere, all of the time. I would even have my nose in a book walking to school - which, looking back…
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - by someone with OCD
My first memory of OCD is of eight-year-old me, consumed by the worry that I was going to catch nits. I worried about it all day every day, for weeks at a time. I wouldn’t want to go near other people, tried hard to stop my clothes from touching anyone else’s, and would spend excessive amounts of time looking through my hair. Of course…
Challenges for Autistic University Students
Autistic students are more likely to drop out of university or take time out of their course than any other group (North East Autism Society, 2023).
36% of autistic students who enrolled on an undergraduate degree in 2019 did not complete their degree after three years…
“It seems like everyone is getting diagnosed with ADHD or Autism these days”
Of course more people are being diagnosed with ADHD and Autism, when…
* based on UK facts and statistics *
These diagnoses are relatively new. Autism was only introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in 1980…
Social Templates - Dealing with Situations as an Autistic Person
Last weekend, I stood in the middle of an unfamiliar leisure centre changing room, completely overwhelmed. The goal was to shower, but there were so many uncertainties in each step of the process that I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t know where to leave my bag, what to wear into the shower…
Sports Day - Challenges and Suggestions for Autistic (and other neurodivergent) Children and Young People
I hated sports day. It was - aside from my primary school swimming gala - the worst day of the school year. I cried in-front of my PE teacher when she told me I had no choice but to do a race, because I was so anxious about the whole school watching, convinced I would embarrass myself. I hated the noise, the crowds and….
Autistic Pride
Today, Sunday 18th June, is Autistic Pride Day 2023. This is a day which was started by, and is still led by, autistic people to celebrate autistic people.
This year’s theme is ‘Transforming the Narrative’. Whilst it is…
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria
Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is an extreme emotional response to either real or perceived criticism or rejection.
It is commonly experienced by neurodivergent people. It has been argued to be an exclusive emotional condition to ADHD, but others disagree, arguing that it can also be present in autism…
Autistic Shutdowns
Autistic shutdowns are involuntary responses to being overwhelmed. Whereas meltdowns usually result in an external reaction (more of a 'fight' response), shutdowns can be more internal (more of a 'freeze' response) but one can lead to the other.
What Not To Say To Autistic People
1. “You don’t look autistic”
What exactly is an autistic person meant to look like? Do enlighten me. Because you can never tell if someone is autistic just by looking at them.
Autistic Meltdowns
Autistic meltdowns are very intense involuntary responses to being overwhelmed. Autistic people present differently during meltdowns. Reactions may be physical (e.g. kicking), emotional (e.g. crying) or verbal (e.g. shouting). Alternatively, they may shut down. It is important to know that…
How To Manage Sensory Overload at School or College
It might feel really difficult to manage your sensory needs at school or college. The (often overstimulating) environment isn't within your control, there might be lots of unfamiliar people around you and your brain might be processing too many pieces of sensory information at once...
Things That A Lot of Autistic People Are Fed Up of Hearing
1. You don’t look autistic. What exactly is an autistic person meant to look like? Do enlighten me. Because you can never tell if someone is autistic just by looking at them.
2. You’re not like my [nephew/son/cousin/friend etc] who has autism. And you’re not like…
What I Wish Schools Knew About Supporting Autistic and ADHD Children
I struggled a lot at school. This started with anxiety and panic attacks when I was 13. I was eventually diagnosed with autism at the age of 16. I ran away from school, struggled to go into lessons, was described as on the verge of a school refuser and then missed a lot of school when I was unwell.
So what do I wish that teachers (who didn’t already know) had known?
What IS Autism?
It is hard to sum up autism in a sentence when autistic people are all different. But, if I had to, I would say that autism is a neurodevelopmental condition which affects the way I see, interact, experience and respond to the world around me. Autism is not an illness, a disease, or something which…
Autistic Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome was a term coined by Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978. It refers to an individual having persistent self-doubt about their achievements, place in the world or role, despite evidence which says otherwise. Basically, believing that…
Constantly Confused - Life as an Autistic Person
Being autistic in this world can result in feeling constantly confused. Let’s talk about what that can be like.
This confusion is present in many parts of my daily life. Mainly when interacting with other people, which is something which tends to be unavoidable, of course…
Autistic Masking
Masking is a survival strategy for many autistic people. Let’s talk about it.
Whenever the topic of masking comes up, there is usually the reply, "But doesn't everyone mask to some degree?". And yes, most people do put on a mask at work or when…