I did not find out I was autistic until my eldest was 10 months old and I was almost 29. It came as a shock, even though it was I who had to advocate for this assessment. Fast forward 2 years and a whole lot of advocating and research later… She is now showing clear signs (to me) of also being Neurodivergent.

Unfortunately, everyone else does not seem to feel the same. When I say “everyone,” I mean those who are the first point of contact for concerns. Health visitors, GPs, et cetera. The biggest red flag is that they are using very outdated stereotypes as to the reasons why she is not autistic. Of course debra, (sorry if you’re called debra) my daughter isn’t a little boy who loves trains. she’s a high masking, high anxiety driven girl who lives and breathes Peppa Pig. She also takes things too literally to the point I have to stiffle my laughs because I find it so cute.

I do not get much time to myself; This is a rare occasion because my youngest is currently munching on a banana. My eldest is having a day out which is extremely rare are I am her safety blanket. I get up with her and go to sleep with her. It’s a constant juggling act and I haven’t had a full nights sleep in 3 years.

I have become the caregiver of my almost 3 year old and I want to share from my perspective how I keep it together. Just kidding! I absoltely do not. What I want is to share things that work for me because if it helps me, it might help someone else.

It wont be consistent and my humour is a little lacking because i didn’t get the whitty extroverted part of ADHD. I got the obsessed with history and researching Autism and mentally hyperactive adhd (audhd) and tbh I love it (sometimes)!

If you made it this far, thanks!

signing off.

Emily