Women with disability: Experiences of the N.D.I.S. in Australia.

From trauma to the road to recovery and validation… how trauma in the form of stigma threatens our autistic identity through invalidation, and what we (autistic individuals) can do to begin to heal. One way is to IN-V.E.S.T. in yourself…

First you receive your official (or self) diagnosis of autism. Finally (hopefully) something/s make sense in your life! All these feelings and emotions whirl through your mind. So… who do you tell? Do you keep it to yourself for a while, in order to process those 3 words (you.are.autistic)… or do you shout it out to the world (a bit melodramatic but you get the drift, right?). Disclosure, for many newly diagnosed autistic folk is a big thing. It can weigh on your mind, for hours, days, weeks. Who to tell? What will they think? Will I be met with the cliché “Oh you don’t look autistic”! How would you feel if you heard those words? There is more to disclosure, however.

Are you wondering if you are autistic? Are you curious to understand what some of the most common characteristics, or traits, are in women and girls? Following is a list of many commonly occurring autistic traits in women and girls, compiled by Nat (Au-some Women / Mandurah ND Centre)…

There are many invisible disabilities, including autism. It is common for autistic people to have chronic health conditions, many of which are invisible, but are still experienced as much as a physical disability, or a condition you can visibly ‘see’. And yet, often we are treated differently, or discriminated against. The Invisible Disability national access card may be a life saver for you!

I recently presented at the Autism Association of W.A. Advisor meeting. The presentation was approx. 45min in length. I spoke about my autism journey as a late diagnosed woman, future studies and autism in girls, teenage girls engagement in therapy and support, what I feel would have helped me post-diagnosis, anxiety and autism (in particular, school refusal).

Today, in Australia, it is R U OK? day. Taken from www.ruok.org.au ….

“R U OK? inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life.”

Id like to bring awareness of this day, for all the autistic women who have ever struggled with mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, stress and more…

Studies suggest that autistic women and girls camouflage and mask their autistic traits due to a number of reasons, but what does this mean, and how does masking and camouflaging contribute to mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression? …

Why Au-some Women I hear you ask? Find out how the name came about and autism in women/autistic women…

Anxiety… for me… is like a dark cloud that rolls in, sometimes unannounced. Catches me by surprise…

Are you wondering what exactly is autism? Has someone suggested you or your child might be autistic? Are you confused about what autism ‘looks like’ (I say that loosely as autism doesn’t have a ‘look’)… or has your child been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (the medical diagnostic term) and you are thinking ‘wow, I see many of my child’s autistic traits in me… maybe I am autistic too’?