In November 2020, I was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 27. This came after years of not feeling like I fitted in and knowing that there was something else to explain how I was feeling. When I was first told that I was potentially autistic, I immediately began researching everything to do with autism, especially autism in girls. I became aware of the difficulties faced by females in being able to get a diagnosis and receiving an incorrect diagnosis first. This made me determined to raise awareness.
Just 3 days after receiving my diagnosis, I set up my Instagram page (@emilyautism) to connect with other members of the autistic community and begin to raise that awareness by sharing my own experiences. It quickly became apparent that there were so many misconceptions about autism out there from media portrayals and information from those without lived experience of autism, which the autistic community are doing an amazing job of trying to change. Being part of this community makes me feel very proud to be autistic myself.
By January 2021, I had made the decision that I wanted to set up my own business delivering Autism Awareness Training from the perspective of someone who is autistic. Many of the misconceptions I have heard have come from Autism Awareness Training sessions that I have been a part of and I want to be able to continue to raise awareness by dispelling those myths through my own business.
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