The past couple of days have seen autism come into the public eye once again.  An article written by Damian Whitworth for The Times has caught the attention of the wider autism community, and, as often happens when something gets written about us, without us, the result is a rather skewed and ill-informed attempt to sell a book, product, or service.  The article centres on Dr Mike Shooter, former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists-turned-author, whom believes tha

Last week, I outlined the possible reasons why my autism was overlooked in childhood. In this post, I will list the autistic signs I displayed which were overlooked. 1) Referring to myself by name instead of saying “I” Until the age of 5, I would often use my name to refer to myself instead of saying “I”. Recently I listened to an old cassette recording of a conversation between my Granny and I. Granny said, “Would Anna like to pick up the post, or shall I do it?” When Gra

Apparently it's the most wonderful time of the year, but for many autistic individuals the Christmas season can be the opposite. Lots of social interaction, change of routine, sensory overload; it's a lot to process. I know from personal experience that there can be a long-lasting hangover. It's similar to waking up in the New Year and asking oneself what happened the night before, except in this case it's like coming out of a non-alcohol-induced coma which lasted 12 days.

There is a lot of stigma and misleading stereotypes surrounding autism. To name a few, that people with autism lack empathy, can’t be creative, are always unhappy and lonely, can’t be interested in people, and if they don’t need someone at their side at all times, or show any signs of independence, then they can’t be autistic. No wonder, then, that many autistics try as hard as they can to hide their autism, to try and fit in, and to not show any sign of being different. The

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s when I was 21 years old. I was completely unaware of my difficulties until I was a teenager, and when I became aware, I initially blamed my parents for my problems with making friends. I told them that if they had taken me to more after school clubs then I would not have any problems. I also worried that I might have a personality disorder because I began to understand that I struggled with empathy and could be incredibly indifferent to other p

All people with autism find it difficult to relate to, and communicate with, other people. People with autism usually find change difficult, and often develop intense interests, routines and obsessions. These characteristics are part of the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum conditions. What the criteria does not do is specify what an individual with autism will or will not be interested in. In short the criteria do not specify one type of autistic expression. This is

I grew up without a diagnosis. Consequently I had no explanation for why I struggled with making friends, doing my school work, knowing how to behave, and why life was so confusing. I began life with a strong desire to connect with others. I was social and gregarious. Indeed I would walk up to complete strangers and attempt to talk to them. I was myself, free and uninhibited. However unfortunately at school, I did not know how to make friends. Frustrated by this inability, I

A morning (un)like many others I woke up this morning with the customary belly ache I get before delivering a training session. Imagine your diaphragm being sucked up into your lungs whilst your midriff is tightly wrapped by a boa constrictor and then you’ll get the gist. I had extra reason to feel anxious this morning, however; I was returning to Bognor Regis JobCentre to deliver a taster session for Aspie Trainers. Past experiences of signing-on for Job Seekers Allowance

Knowing where to start To mark our first blog post, I thought it would be good to start from the beginning, that is, to write about my experience of receiving an autism diagnosis. However, like a lot of Aspies, I had to wait to be diagnosed. Some of the reasons for this included that: I wasn’t aware of the condition until I had reached my mid-twenties; I wasn’t aware that I qualified for the condition; and I didn’t know how to access the diagnostic service. Consequently, whil

Anxiety is the one constant in life; when I’m not anxious I feel strange. I often feel like there’s something ineffable which I should be doing, even when, for all intents and purposes, there’s nothing to worry about. Consequently, since Monday 10th October was World Mental Health Day (and I’ve been known to struggle with executive function), I thought that I’d share the strategies which I use to help me cope. Fair warning, this won’t be suited to everyone. If you have an