Able and Disabled

Hey! I hope that everyone, both those who are neurodiverse and those who are not, is having an awesome Autism Awareness Week! This week is a great opportunity to share and hear many amazing stories from those on the spectrum, and potentially learn something new whether you are autistic or not! Today, at the halfway mark of the week, I thought that I would share a slightly fuller story of my experience with autism as an autistic person who was diagnosed less than a year ago. Around the time of my diagnosis I did share what that process was like for me. However, many of those who received later ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition) or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnosis will tell you, your story is never quite as simple as having a suspicion, seeing a doctor and being diagnosed. That is what I wanted to talk about today. (Freya is 12 years old and standing in a rock pool, looking rather cold) In my diagnosis post I spoke about seeing a doctor about my experiences during sixth f...

Hey! Sorry that it's been a hot second. Things have a bit a lot lately and I've been find it really tough. Part of this has been my struggle with the mental health system. My mental health has suffered lately, bringing my depression to the centre of my health struggles as my biggest challenge. It's been hard and perhaps the hardest part has been feeling unable to access the support I need. Don't get me wrong, I am INCREDIBLY grateful for the NHS and to live in a country where there are a lot of free options for medical help, but that doesn't mean that the system is perfect. Trusts are uncommunicative, waiting lists are exceedingly long, choices of types of mental health support can be limited. It can often feel like you need to be on the brink before you can access help, as though treatment is retrospective rather than preventative. The government can say that they are increasing funding in the mental health sector and that they are doing all they can to fight s...

Hey! So the last six months have flown by and here we are, I have officially graduated from the Scope For Change Programme. The graduation itself was amazing! It was wonderful to see so many of my awesome friends again and to hear from some great guest speakers, especially Sam Renke who is absolute activism goals! However, today I thought I would focus on the programme itself and what I've taking away from it because I feel so grateful and blessed to have been given this opportunity to grow and work with so many fabulous people. (Freya accepting her certificate for completing Scope For Change) How to put Scope For Change into words? Inspiration, Friendship, Encouragement, Support; it's so difficult to sum up such a huge experience into such few words. To help I thought I would share with you the speech I gave at the Graduation on the 14th (such a lovely way to spend Valentines Day, it was wonderful!): Hello, my name is Freya. I’m a twenty year old student studying Ti...

Hey! I hope you are well and having a fantastic 2019 so far! I can't believe that we are already halfway through the first month of the year! Today I wanted to talk about cerebral palsy, a topic I haven't focused very much recently. Even though cerebral palsy affects me in many ways every single day, I no longer receive regular medical attention for this particular facet of my disability and not a lot changes in my condition. For this reason I perhaps talk about cerebral palsy a little less; it's the diagnosis I've lived with the longest and is the most stagnant. However, I recently made the decision to purchase myself a walking stick and thought this may be a good experience to share. As I have already mentioned, I don't really see any doctors or other medical professionals on the basis of cerebral palsy anymore, meaning that the decision to get a stick was entirely my own. I don't think that this fact makes my decision or use of a walking stick any less va...

Hey All, Unsurprisingly, following my diagnosis in the summer autism has become sort of its own special interest in my life. This is an experience which I have heard a few different people talk about online and it is my opinion that this comes from our instinctive need to research and understand. At least personally the way I process things is often by learning about them, meaning that the way I process is often less emotional and more informative. For this reason I have read a lot of books about autism in the months after my diagnosis. I think that this way of processing the diagnosis is more common than we may think, a fact that is suggested to me in part because I was actually recommended a few different books on my diagnosis letter. I have read several books and have found helpful parts in all of them, whether they be fiction, non-fiction or more of a memoir. However, I recently read 'Odd Girl Out' by Laura James and this was a book that I not only found useful but also f...

To mask means to cover or to conceal one's face but within the Autism community 'masking' is thought to have somewhat of a metaphorical definition. 'Masking' with autism refers to the act of camouflaging one's autistic traits, or pretending to be neurotypical. In the eyes of some this may suggest that the individual who is 'masking' isn't autistic at all but despite potential appearances, 'masking' does not come easily and can result in the same meltdowns experience post-overload. 'Masking' can entirely drain one's energy support while simultaneously preventing the individual from accessing the support they need, as one's efforts can make those around them entirely oblivious to the fact that they are struggling. 'Masking' is not the walk in the park or deceitful play that others might believe it to be. We are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that women experience autism differently and part of that seems to be...

Hey Everyone! What I want to talk about today is a slightly different and complex issue; feeling confident when claiming multiple diagnoses or labels. There are hopefully lots of people who have no problem being confident when saying they have several diagnoses, but for others it may be a little more difficult. In a society that so often invalidates disability, especially when they are invisible or fluctuating, is it is understandable that some individuals may struggle to not feel like an imposter when declaring a handful of different diagnoses. In the UK we live in a society where people are frequently doubting disabled folks' rights to use accessible parking spaces and are often accusing disabled individuals of faking to receive benefits. This sense of insecurity can be heightened when someone is experiencing multiple diagnoses, resulting in increased self-doubt and comments like "can you really have all of those conditions?" or "that's a weird coincidence!...

Hey All! I can't even start to put the last couple of weeks into words. One thing in particular that has been taking up a lot of space in my brain has been the question of whether I should tell people I have been diagnosed as autistic, and if so who should I tell. This blog post is not an answer to these questions. I don't want anyone to feel as though this post is telling anyone what to do, as ultimately who you let into your diagnosis is a personal decision that only you are and should be allowed to make. This post is simply me collecting my own thoughts on this issue and talking about it from my own experience, partially for my own benefit and partially because it may be interesting to others, including those who may be able to empathise with my journey. Part of the package when being diagnosed as an adult is the fact that people will most likely have a preconceived idea of who you are already. Some people, especially those closest to you, may already have a pretty good ...

Hey All! This week has been a bit of a weird one thus far, and you may have guessed why from the title. On Monday morning I had my long-waited assessment for Autism Spectrum Condition. What I had expected would be a two hour appointment followed by the promise of a diagnosis by post or follow-up appointment ended up being a short chat and a speedy diagnosis. My immediate feeling was one of relief and understanding but it still something I am processing. Paired with jumping straight back into a summer job which I find a lot more overstimulating than it might seem, it all makes for a overwhelming few days. I say a speedy diagnosis, but this isn't exactly a true description. Not only am I an adult who is only just receiving a diagnosis, but I have also been going to my doctor with fairly regular complaints of anxiety and other issues for a few years now, all of which I can now see could all be, in part, components of this diagnosis. In fact, it was around the time of my a-levels t...