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Share your thoughts, feedback or reflections on No You’re Not, Yes I Am, the photo exhibition

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Share your thoughts, feedback or reflections on No You’re Not, Yes I Am, the photo exhibition

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Feel free to add a comment below

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No You're Not, Yes I am - a portrait of autistic women

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Join us tonight for a live panel discussion with women featured in Rosie Barnes’ exhibition exploring what it’s like to be an autistic woman in today’s world. We’d love to hear your thoughts too, share your reflections and reactions on our Padlet during tonight's discussion between 6-8pm.

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I think Chris Packham has hit the nail on the head!

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I think Chris Packham has hit the nail on the head!

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Autism Support Community on Instagram: "#REPOST @bbcnewsuk with @get__repost__app "You can't argue that neurodiverse people haven't been shaping civilisation." Conservationist and TV presenter Chris Packham - who is himself autistic - explains why neurodivergent people are essential in times of crisis. Tap the link in @BBCNewsUK's bio to apply to be in his new series 'Inside Our Minds'. #NeurodiversityWeek #Neurodiversity #BBCNews #repostandroid #repostw10"

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1,202 likes, 53 comments - autism_support_community on March 24, 2024: "#REPOST @bbcnewsuk with @get__repost__app "You can't argue that neurodiverse people haven't been shaping civilisation." Conservationist...".

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I really like this video because it highlights how emotions are physically felt throughout the body and honestly when I listen to this I am in my head saying 'yep, that's exactly what happens when I feel...' But, I'm not convinced we all feel our emotions in the same way. What do you think?

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Psycle on Instagram: "Exploring Emotions Through Body Sensations 🌟🧠. Did you know your body speaks when emotions stir? Let’s decode what each sensation means! 💬🔍
 🔥 Feel a tightness in your chest? That’s fear trying to hold you back. 🚫 When your stomach flutters, it’s not just nerves; it’s your initiation to new beginnings. 🌀
 😊 Happiness isn’t just a feeling; it’s a full-body experience that lights up every part. On the flip side, when anger sets in, it starts clouding your thoughts, all centered in your head. 💭
 💪 Anxiety often manifests in tensed muscles, a silent battle within. And when you feel a heat rush to your face, that’s the uncomfortable touch of shame. 😳
 🤢 Experiencing a bitter taste or unease in your mouth? That’s disgust making its presence known. Sadness, though, is a lump in your throat, often leaving words unspoken. 😢
 Now, think about your own experiences. Can you relate to these sensations? What emotion does your body feel right now? Share your thoughts! 🗣️✨ audio- @tania_shin & @sophietoure
 #Animation #bodyscan#emotions #EmotionalIntelligence #BodyAwareness #FeelingsExplained"

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breakthepsycle on January 8, 2024: "Exploring Emotions Through Body Sensations 🌟🧠. Did you know your body speaks when emotions stir? Let’s decode what each sensation means! 💬🔍...". 

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A post shared by Psycle (@breakthepsycle)

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Credit: @the.autistic.chef on Instagram

Do you have a dual diagnosis? Autism and ADHD or Autism and something else? How do your diagnosis affect each other?

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Check out our new Anxiety Support Newsletter which we will be publish every half term. There are some great bits of advice in there. Do you have any of your own to share?

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Has anyone watched the new Sitcom on BBC - Dinosaur? Dinosaur follows the life Nina, a 30 year old autistic woman who works at the Natural History Museum. Ashlie Storrie, the actress who plays the main character, Nina, in the show is actually autistic herself. Have a watch and let me know what you think - I'm on episode 2 and thoroughly enjoying it. And, for those of you who like to binge a little, there are 7 episodes available on BBC iPlayer - easy weekend watching!

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Brand new BBC Comedy Dinosaur, created by Matilda Curtis and Ashley Storrie, Dinosaur follows Nina (Ashley Storrie), an autistic woman in her 30s, who adores her life living with her sister and best friend Evie.

Nina's happily getting through her usual Monday routine, working at the natural History Museum, when her sister Evie drops by for a 'surprise visit' after her long weekend away. Stalling at first, Evie finally reveals she's here to share some news, she's engaged - to her boyfriend of only six weeks, Ranesh. While Nina is concerned (she hasn't even met him yet) her parents are thrilled, which baffles her. Her brother Bo just thinks it's par for the course with Evie.

After venting to Lee, the new and charming coffee van man at work, Nina decides to give Ranesh a chance and let Evie invite him to their weekly takeaway night. However, when she is forced to make small talk with the irritatingly chipper Ranesh and Evie pretends to be a pretentious version of herself, it all becomes too much. Nina escapes to attend some organised fun with her colleagues from work, to Evie's great surprise.

Nina's encouraged to get involved with the group, and Evie's wedding, after a pep talk from her supervisor Declan who, like Nina, is autistic. He understands the particular challenges of doing what the neurotypical people in their lives ask of them.

She returns home on a high, and the sisters make up. Just in time for Evie to excitedly ask Nina to be her maid of Honour. Nina is cornered... she's in the deep end now.

Dinosaur (6 x 30) is a Two Brothers Pictures (Fleabag, The Tourist) production for BBC Three, BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland in partnership with All3Media International. Dinosaur was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland. It is based on an original idea by Matilda Curtis. The Executive Producers are Sarah Hammond, Katie Churchill, Harry Williams, Jack Williams. Catriona Renton is Co-Executive Producer. The Director is Niamh McKeown and the Producer is Brian Coffey. The BBC Commissioning Editors are Emma Lawson and Gavin Smith.
Dinosaur will air on BBC Scotland from Sunday 14 April, BBC Three from Tuesday 16 April and BBC One from Friday 19 April. All episodes will be available on iPlayer from Sunday 14 April. abigail.hill@multitudemedia.co.uk
Meet the Cast

Interview with Ashley Storrie (Nina)

Nina is an autistic woman who is confident in her own skin and knows both herself and the boundaries that she likes to live within. Wheat puffs for breakfast every single day? Obviously, they're the best cereal. Putting your fingers in bowling balls? Absolutely not, that's a breeding ground for germs. Nina tells it like it is, often in such a comically dry way that it catches those around her off guard.

In your own words, what is Dinosaur about?
Dinosaur is about love, friendship, sisterhood and being your own self even if it makes people uncomfortable because, you should be comfortable.
Tell us how Dinosaur came to be?
I got self-taped during Covid, so I recorded it in my bedroom, by myself, I did all the voices! For a show called Dinosaur about a girl with autism - and I'm on the autism spectrum - that was really cool, as there's not a lot of opportunities for that to be showcased or for me to be me, so I just auditioned for it, got the part and then they said 'Would you like to help with the writing and the creating?' And that's amazing - so I said 'Yes please!' and now here we are.
How did you decide on the direction that the series would take?
We worked on the script mainly through zoom because I was based in Glasgow and Matilda was based in London, and we just went through my life and experiences. We've taken from both of our experiences as young women, dating and just living our lives. That's how it came about with a lot of the stories. Matilda just came in one day and said that she got locked in a toilet so that's in the script now, and that's hilarious. True story!
Do you think the Scottish humour in Dinosaur is something that makes it unique?
That's the thing, people always say that Scottish humour is unique but it's not. You know there's that blood type that can be given to any donor? I think that's Scottish humour. Because I've uploaded videos to the internet for years, of jokes, and I have people from all over the world who are like 'That's funny, I'm not from anywhere near where that comes from but... that's funny.' At Edinburgh Fringe there's a group of Nigerian girls who come and see me every year because they say the stories about my mum remind them of their mum. I think that's what makes Scottish comedy great, it's maybe you don't fully understand every word that we're saying but you get by the tone that we're saying something funny.
What can you tell us about your character Nina?
Nina is a palaeontologist who loves her family. She loves her sister; she loves her city. She's straight forward, she's direct and I think she's sometimes more direct than me. I often feel a little bit envious of that because Nina lives out loud fully who she is and I sometimes still put on my mask to try and be something else, so I do find myself a little bit envious of her at times.
Tell us about Nina's relationship with her sister Evie?
Nina and Evie are best friends, sisters, bonded through some sort of magical soul bond and they're a bit co-dependent and overly reliant upon each other and maybe they're trying to find out who they are without the other. I think that can be true of sisters or best friends, the women you grow up with and latch on to shape you so much and when those friends move on, get married and have babies, sometimes you can often find yourself kind of freewheeling and left behind. I'm so lucky that Kat, who plays Evie, we met, we fell in love, and we get along really well, and I feel so lucky that that happened because this could have been a completely different experience if that wasn't the case.
What is her relationship like with the rest of her family?
Nina's parents are tremendous, Ade and Diane. They love her, she loves them and her brother Bo, who's slightly more contentious. There's a little bit of push back there from her brother but I think that's a typical brotherly thing. I don't know, I don't have any but I'm basing it on reality television that I've watched, so I'm pretty sure that's how it works. I've seen the Kardashians; I know how families operate. I call Bo 'bawbag' a lot and I feel like that's an underrepresented word in British entertainment. I feel like we've had a hurricane bawbag, I've met a cat called bawbag and I feel like it needs to spread far and wide. Not just across Britain, but across the world. #Bawbag
Tell us about Nina and Lee?
Nina has such a chonky crush on Lee the coffee man. She thinks he is a dreamboat, and she is like 'Oh, that's a bit of tasty.' They bond over coffee and his ability to do funny voices which tickles her pink and it just blossoms from there, it's a love story. I think Nina and Lee are very similar but also very different and, in another universe, they are solving crimes, they are a detective and a constable running about Glasgow, Taggerting it up. There's been a murder! A lot of the time we were running about, and it's gets quite repetitive, so you make up little stories in your head and that was one of our favourites. That we were detectives on the hunt for a baddie.

Who is your favourite character in Dinosaur?
Amber is my favourite character in Dinosaur, she was also my favourite to write. When I wrote her, I always wrote her with long fingernails and when I spoke, I always had to do a lot of finger acting when I was trying to think what she would say. She is a wildcard; every sitcom has one. If you look at Seinfeld, she's the Kramer of the series. She's an oddball that pops up at odd times and gets to say the wildest and best things.
What do you hope viewers will take away from the series?
It would mean so much to me if other people felt represented. When I do stand-up comedy, my first thought at the front of my head is that I'm going to say things that maybe other people haven't said out loud before. Be it about mental health or physical health, how they feel about their families or grief. These are all things that I've talked about loads and my main driving force every year at the fringe was just to hope that somebody watching would go 'Oh I'm not alone' or 'I'm not weird, that's a normal thing.' So many things I grew up with, maybe because I was isolated or because I didn't have a lot of friends, but so much of the things I felt and thought, I thought I was so alone, I thought it was just me and that's the wonderful thing about art and television and poetry and books, it can make people disenfranchise and feel part of something. So that would be a big boon if one person watched it and said, 'I'm a Nina', that would be nice.
Do you think that viewers will resonate with the show?
I think everyone can resonate with family, friendships, relationships and the bonds we forge to protect ourselves. I think a lot of people can relate to the idea of being comfortable and stepping out of that comfort. Even though it can sometimes be uncomfortable, in the end, it's worth the while. I think a big story and a big thread at the heart of Dinosaur is stepping away from your comfort for your own good and I think anyone can relate to that. We've all been there; we've all done it big and small. I also hope they relate to me because I look like me, I sound like me and I'm me - and I'm still on the telly. How wild is that? You've got all your weird looking guys. Your Jonah Hills, your Seth Rogan's. There's not a female Seth Rogan! Now you've got a big-headed Ashley. You're welcome.
Do you have a favourite moment or scene within the series?
There is a scene in this series where Evie and I are coming back from a workout, it's a very small scene, I'm giving her a piggyback and then we talk about Taylor Swift and then we chest bump and that's my favourite scene.
You have a great cast. What has it been like to work with them?
Whenever you ask Sanjeev or Greg or Sally to just adlib in the background, they will inevitably say something far funnier that I could have written, and I get so distracted by whatever nonsense they are talking that it is nigh impossible to continue what I'm doing, because I just want to listen to them. They're the greats of Scottish comedy acting. Sally has been in River City for 20 years playing Scarlett, she's a comedy genius. She will run away if you leave her unattended, she does get easily distracted by brick-a-brac shops but she is one of the funniest people and I know that we see that in River City, Scotland's best soap, Scotland's only soap, I know we see a bit of that but we don't get to see the full range of Sally's hilarity and I hope that this series, if nothing else, you get to see how funny that woman is.

When I was 17, Greg Hemphill came to my school and did a talk. He got to pick some kids from this audience of maybe 200 teenagers to read a little bit, and I didn't' have any friends, as I said, don't want to harp on about it. So, I didn't have any friends, I was a loner, I was weird, and I really liked drama. He said, 'Would anyone like to come up and read a bit of still game?' and I put up my hand and he said 'you, what's your name? and I said 'Ashley Storrie' and the rugby players behind me said 'Ashley Storrie' and all made fun of me, and I got up and it was an Isa line and it weirdly had something to do with fish fingers and it's so stuck in my brain. But I read this line in Isa's voice, I did the old lady voice, I did the scene. And my whole class who had never even noticed me, all started laughing and then they all started cheering and it was the weirdest moment of my life, it was my Rudy moment, it was so strange. Greg Hemphill turned to me in front of my whole class and said, 'If you ever want a job when you leave school, you can come work with me' and for three days I was popular, I was cool for three days because of that moment. Getting to kind of come full circle with that and work with him as a grown up is amazing.
How different has acting in a comedy been than stand-up?
True fact, stand-up comedy and acting are so different. There is the instant gratification of stand-up comedy that you don't get, and the first week I got very vexed when the crew weren't laughing, and I didn't understand that they weren't allowed because that would ruin a take. So, I would amp it up, make full eye contact with the boom operator like 'Why are you not laughing at my jokes Charles? Laugh!' Then I learned that's not how you make telly and now I know.
What was it like filming in your hometown of Glasgow? Were there any standout moments?
I was so excited to start filming, especially in Glasgow. This is my home city, I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world and getting to showcase that and show it off was so exciting. It was the biggest thing I was excited about. Never mind me being on telly, people are going to see Kelvin Way and I'm excited about that.

I think Glasgow has been represented very truthfully, we're showing it in all its beauty. Glasgow is stunning. It's one of the prettiest places, it's a Dear Green Place and we're showing it in that light and I'm very excited because I think sometimes when growing up, Scotland and Glasgow was always grey and dank and dreary, and that's not who we are. We've not been that since like the 1700's. Look at us. We're bright and shiny and new. We're shiny, simmering and splendid.

The art department are phenomenal. We filmed a couple of days in what was Nina's office and that was built from scratch. It was literally my dream; it was like a detective Dinosaur office. It was so cool I didn't want to leave; I could have lived in there. We filmed that in the east end of Glasgow, very close to where I was born and just getting to be in the east end in this weird, fun, Dinosaur capsule that people had created from their imagination was so cool. There'll be nothing like this again, this is it for me and that's fine, I'm chill with that, I'm good. If this is the only thing I get to make, then I'm glad it's this.
There is neurodiversity on & off the camera in this production, tell us why that was important to you?
I think having neurodiversity in any workplace is a good thing. We think differently, it's just a different perspective, and different perspectives are always good because you can find the problems with things, or you can find different solutions because you're looking at it from a different angle. So having people with different brains, if they're on camera or even if it's just people who have experience with neurodiversity, I know we've got amazing people on our crew who've got family members who are neurodiverse, and just having that kind of level of knowledge and that level of acceptance has been amazing. I think it's also created a really good environment where people don't feel uncomfortable to talk about these things.

If someone is having a moment, be it me or anybody on the crew, there's no shame in that, there's no embarrassment. First week I had my first wobble, I got really claustrophobic in a toilet, I got really frightened and I was so embarrassed, and I went outside. Three days later I no longer felt the shame because nobody made me feel bad, nobody hurried me, nobody rushed me, nobody coddled me. It was just a 'No that's fine, sometimes people feel like that and that's allowed' I think that's a great thing. I don't think that's just neurodiversity, I think that's just all of our brains need to be told 'You're allowed to feel that way' and that's been great for this production.

I've never made telly like this before. Up until this point, my experience of television is what they call Fact Ent. Which is Factual Entertainment, which essentially means I get shoved in front of a crew with three people, one camera and a boom operator and I'm told 'Go milk a cow' and I do it and I say something funny while I'm doing it, and that's it.

Niamh, the director, is so kind and so patient and if I don't understand what's she's saying, she doesn't get frustrated with me she tries to find a different way of explaining it and it's so helpful. I think she fosters such a good environment on set. I think one of the most amazing things is that we didn't go into overtime, for a very long time, we were on time, we were efficient. We worked well, the whole crew worked well, without a raised voice, without anyone being a taskmaster (that's a show I'd like to be on!). Everybody was very kind but still managed to get the job done and I think she is proof that you don't need to scream, and you don't need to terrify people to get stuff done, you can do it with kindness, patience and compassion.
Three words to sum up Dinosaur?
Not about Dinosaurs.

Interview with Kat Ronney (Evie)

Lee has been in Glasgow for six months. He's recently started working in a coffee van called VAN AROUND THE CORNER. He's got an awkward self-effacing charm, is open-minded and kindhearted. He's comfortable chatting to strangers - this is part of what appealed to him about the coffee van. He's the kind of person who people like having around.

In your own words, what is Dinosaur about?

From my perspective, it's all about Lee, but that's not what the show is about. It follows Nina as she kind of goes on a supposed journey of discovery, but its more just working out her place in it.
Tell us about your character, Lee?
Lee's in a transitional phase of his life, quite a late transitional phase of his life where I imagine he's in his late twenties, maybe early-thirties, and probably has been a certain kind of person for a long time and is a little bit fed up with being that person. Which is someone who sinks into the background or isn't as big and as funny as he knows he can be. I think Nina brings that out of him or at least he's trying that and Nina welcomes it, so it makes him meet her more.
What's Lee's relationship like with Nina?
I think they see each other in a way that other people don't, and what starts off as just a little bit of fun banter that he works in the coffee truck outside her work. It's just nice to see someone that gets you and finds you funny and you find them funny, a bit weird and kind of interesting. You don't know what kind of relationship it's going to be and slowly but surely, they see that it has potential to be something else.

I think it's the kind of relationship that you don't see often, certainly not in a stereotypical rom com where Lee and Nina become detective buddies. It's not a relationship that always has to be about the fact that they want each other, its more about the fact that they just connect and on this particular thing, they connect in some unspoken way. They decide that they're going to come at this as sidekicks. I think that they're solving crimes after this. By the end of it, that's very clear that is the direction they should be going in. Maybe dinosaur related crimes. I don't know, but for me it's a weird thing that has slowly become one of the main things about their relationship. I'm not even sure if it's in the writing, but that's just how I feel when we're on screen together. There's definitely a Sherlock-Watson thing going on there.
Tell us what it has been like working with Niamh?
I think she's maybe the nicest person I've ever met which is not usually a trait that you get in a director. She's just got no ego and every time you get on set and you have an idea, she wants to hear it. She wants to see if it can be incorporated. She wants to give it a go. You're in a space where you can do something that might not work and I think in comedy especially, that's really important. It's really important to feel like you cannot be funny, but daring to see if it just might be. She makes that possible by the way that she runs the set. Top marks.
What has it been like working with Ashley?
What's so good about Ashley is that she said from the start of this to me 'Oh, I'm not an actor, I'm a comedian.' And I'm like 'Well... you are an actor because you're acting and you're doing it pretty well.' What's so great as well is at the end of the scene once she's rocked it and she's done such a good job, that comedian comes back in. So, she knows that she's got all the lines and then she'll improvise and I love that because it means that I can riff off that and a lot of the end of our scenes, whether they'll keep them in or not, we usually keep the camera rolling for a good thirty seconds or minute whilst we just riff off each other and that's something that I don't think many actors will go to immediately.
Do you have a favourite moment or scene within the series?
One line that I really enjoyed performing is just before I bash the bathroom door down with my glasses on and feeling very heroic and going 'Nina, step away from the door.' It felt ludicrous very funny before then bashing in and falling onto the ground. I really liked that line.

Seeing the cast and seeing David, Greg, Sabrina and all the rest of them just smashing it and being so funny. Those were kind of my favourite days, not necessarily the actual filming process, but getting to spend time with them. It was the first-time meeting Greg who is just lovely and from when I was a young Scot, Still Game and Chewin' the Fat had such a huge impression on me.
What do you hope viewers will take away from the series?
It's just nice to watch something that's funny and has nice people in it. I mean, I love Succession, what a show! But they're all awful people, aren't they? They're just the worst. Whereas with this it's nice to watch something where you're having a laugh, but you can see a bit of hope in all of the characters even if they're weird and make bad decisions.
Three words to sum up Dinosaur?
Weird is a good word. Hopeful and kind.

Interview with Danny Ashok (Ranesh)

Evie and Amber met at university, and they lived together for a few years. Amber now works for a bar called 'Sketch' in Glasgow. Her madness takes you off guard. Amber once got banned from the ITV building for egging Gino D'Acampo. (Evie insists this was a huge misunderstanding). Amber's love language has always been extreme acts of service. She's hyper-organised, and willing to devote all her time, energy, blood, sweat and tears to those she adores.
In your own words, what is Dinosaur about?
Dinosaur is about two sisters and I think it's their love story really. It's about Nina who is in her 30s, an autistic woman, and Evie, her best mate, and it's about them both navigating their love lives and the differences as to how they go about that as well. I think when Evie asks Nina to be her 'MOH', Maid of Honour, I think it's a bit of a frenzied moment for her because ideally, she wouldn't be doing that, she wouldn't be that person so, she's going to have to figure out how she's going to get on with that. Amber and Nina, she's so jealous that she (Nina) gets to be Maid of Honour. She's trying to hold it down but she's miffed, she's proper miffed that Evie hasn't asked her, and I think that the McArthur family, so Evie and Nina, are like the family she never had. I think she sees that family unit and she's just like 'I want to be there.'
Tell us about your character Amber?
So, mad Amber. She's quite effervescent and she's always on that moment of life. You don't know what's going to come out of her mouth but that's quite a fun place and realm to be and I think she's quite insecure, she really does want to be liked at the end of the day but she's quite bold with it as well. I don't think she's a people pleaser, trying to be liked, she's quite headstrong. I don't think she's malicious about it, I know some things she does can be ever so slightly jarring but it always came from a good place, it always was meant well. It's just this sisterly bond of maybe not saying the nicest thing all the time.
What was your first impression of the script and what made you want to be involved in the show?
When the breakdown came through, I remember I was lying down in Brockwell Park in London, and it was a really really sunny day. You know when you're squinting at your phone to try and figure out what it even says? It comes through and it was like right, mad Amber, Evie's best friend, she's just a bit off-the-wall and I was like 'Oh my god, she sounds like she's going to be so much fun to play.' There was this weird buzz in my stomach at the thought of even being seen for it. It doesn't happen that often when I read a part and go 'I'd really like to do that one.'

I think what's good about all the characters in this is that they are very unapologetically themselves and I think life can get quite messy. I think it shows people making many a mistake, which we all do as human beings. To be honest, the love and the friendship, it's the people that are closest to you that might muck up at first, but they are the ones that are going to get you through it so this nice familial bonding, just very warm.
What have you enjoyed the most about working on Dinosaur?
In the series, I think my character often pops in and out of scenes and it's been quite fun figuring out fun ways to do that on camera with Niamh. Also, Niamh's been amazing, our director, she's been giving us quite a lot of creative freedom to adlib little bits at the top and end of scenes and that's been a really fun thing to play with for sure, just having that chance to do that, that's been a real treat. Everyone's a really good egg and I love Glasgow. I have to work against myself to not say little anymore, I keep wanting to say wee. So, even my mates rang me the other day and I was like 'Oh yeah I'll just go on a wee walk while I'm on the phone to you' and they were like 'what?' I said, 'I'm so sorry, I'm practically Glaswegian now.'
Do you have a favourite moment or scene within the series?
I think the hen-do scenes in Rothesay were my particular favourite, just because I felt like we all felt this buzz of 'This feels really special.' I remember the first evening we were there, we actually all went and sat on a bench, me, Ashley and Kat and it was really dark but there was this pink horizon above the sea and I said 'This is the most gorgeous place ever!' and we hadn't known each other that long at this point and again, the word I keep using is alchemy but there was something about the equation between us and that's definitely helped with us playing these parts as well.
Three words to describe Dinosaur?
Heart-warming, I don't know if that's two words, and then then I'd say funny and then lastly just... life. Not that it is what it is but it's a capsule moment of seeing life over here and this whole world of characters that's been created.

Interview with Sanjeev Kohli (Sachin)

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Dinosaur cast on the new comedy series that's wholesome, chaotic and not about dinosaurs

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A coming of age series exploring those moments of change we experience in the various relationships in our life including sisterhood, friendship and romance

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We would love to hear about your experiences of having both an Autism and ADHD diagnosis. Did the dual diagnosis help you understand your strengths and difficulties better? What strategies do you use to support both diagnosis' simultaneously?

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He had beaten more than 19,000applicants for a place at medical school, yet Khurram Sadiq was now bunking off his hospital shifts. The 19-year-old felt inexplicably anxious around strangers on the wards and was hiding from his own patients.

During lectures he couldn't focus on what he was being taught. He deemed himself "a goof, a dunce" in contrast to his peers. Sadiq couldn't motivate himself to revise for his exams and instead found himself panic reading textbooks in the final days. He passed his undergraduate pre-medical exams by the skin of his teeth.

That was 30 years ago. In the decades since, Dr Sadiq has qualified as a consultant psychiatrist, been diagnosed with both autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),specialised in autism and ADHD psychiatry and met hundreds of patients with struggles similar to his. He is now trying to spread what was once an unbelievable message: that both autism and ADHD can coexist in the same person simultaneously.

Just over a decade ago, the two conditions were considered to be mutually exclusive, with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, often referred to as "psychiatry's bible", stating that the diagnosis of one precluded the existence of the other.This wasn't revised until 2013. "It led to a fork in the road," says Dr Jessica Eccles, spokesperson for the Royal College of Psychiatrists. "Not only for clinical practice, but also for research and public understanding of these conditions."

Now some specialists believe that the coexistence of both conditions is not just possible, but frequent. One study by researchers at Duke University found that up to half of people diagnosed as autistic also exhibit ADHD symptoms, and that characteristics of autism are present in two-thirds of people with ADHD. "My clinical experience suggests it's more than three-quarters in both directions," adds Dr Eccles.

Online, the idea that autism and ADHD can coexist is so widely accepted that it has spawned its own label - "AuDHD" - and a groundswell of people who say they recognise its oxymoronic nature, perpetual internal war and rollercoaster of needs. There are tens of thousands of people in AuDHD self-help forums, and millions more watching AuDHD videos.

Some of those videos come from Samantha Stein, a British YouTuber. "The fact that you can have both [autism and ADHD] at the same time is kind of paradoxical in nature," she admits. "You think: 'How can you be extremely rigid and need routines and structure, but also be completely incapable of maintaining a routine and structure?'"

The 38-year-old started making videos on autism after her diagnosis in 2019, then began covering AuDHD after learning that she also had ADHD. "I realised that autistic adults - especially those who are diagnosed late in life - more often than not seem to have ADHD as well," says Stein. Her first video on the subject, " 5 signs you have ADHD and autism ", has now been viewed more than 2m times.

Some critics like to describe ADHD - and more recently autism - as a "fashionable" diagnosis, a misinformed excuse for life's struggles. It's almost inevitable that the new AuDHD label will cause a similar backlash. To see just how misguided this is, we must first understand both autism and ADHD.

Both are lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions that affect how people think, perceive the world and interact with others, according to Embracing Complexity, an umbrella group of organisations that research neurodiversity.

Autism and ADHD affect people on a spectrum of severity, both are legally recognised as disabilities, and neither are mental illnesses to be "cured", although the knock-on effects can lead to mental illness. People who experience ways of thinking that diverge from those experienced by the majority of people are described as " neurodivergent".

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is caused by multiple genetic factors that aren't yet fully understood. Contrary to misconception, autism doesn't equate to impaired intelligence, and only around half of people with autism also have a co-occurring intellectual disability. According to the National Autistic Society, autism is characterised by social challenges, repetitive behaviours, over- or under-sensitivity to surroundings and highly focused interests.

Autism is experienced in a multitude of ways. To empathise with the autistic trait of oversensitivity, for example, imagine that all your senses are amplified. The hum of your fridge is louder, the overhead lights are brighter, your itchy jumper is pricklier. It's distracting while you're trying to work, it's draining to pretend it isn't bothering you and you become increasingly stressed as a result.

"For me, eating in a canteen is like eating in a nightclub for a neurotypical person," says Jill Corbyn, who is autistic and the director of support organisation Neurodiverse Connection. "It's unpleasantly loud, it's going to distract you from your food, it's anxiety-inducing." Additionally, some autistic people may find social situations exhausting or overwhelming, or feel incompetent when they're unable to decipher the subtleties of interpersonal communication, 60% of which is non-verbal. Charli Clement, 23, explains that while a non-autistic person may rehearse parts of a conversation before a date or a job interview, her autism leads her to "script significantly" before even ordering a drink at a bar.

"I try to make sure I'm not doing something that will be perceived as 'wrong', so focusing on what the person is saying and what I should be replying is overwhelming," she says.

Compounding the experience is the feeling many autistic people have that it isn't "normal" to feel this way and that they must camouflage their discomfort to fit in with the pack. This "masking", as it's known, is exhausting, invalidating and can lead to burnout.

ADHD is also not fully understood. There's evidence that the condition, involving an imbalance of neurotransmitters - including dopamine, in the brain - has both genetic and environmental causes. These chemical messengers are responsible for motivation, movement, planning, reward, memory, focus, alertness, impulse control and threat response, among others. People with untreated ADHD, whose reward pathways are therefore more dysregulated, can subsequently experience disordered moods, sleep, eating habits and dysfunction in almost every area of life.

Some people with ADHD are like pinballs of external chaos - of lost keys, missed appointments and cluttered homes. Others may appear inattentive, distracted by balls of chaotic thoughts into which they frequently retreat from the world to untangle.

ADHD affects people to different degrees. But many say their lives are marred by their brain's misguided attempts to correct its chemical imbalances. They impulsively dopamine-spike with food, sex, drugs, booze, the internet, people, hobbies and novelty of all shades.

"I am a slave to my own brain and it's tiring," writes one anonymous person on an ADHD Reddit support group. Another asks: "Do you also feel like a slave to your desires?" She gives the examples of "chasing girls, gambling, chasing men, eating, hobby-hopping, extreme budgeting, falling in love [with] the wrong person, spending extravagantly".

What frequently underpins the external and internal chaos, according to experts and many ADHDers alike, is a pervasive sense of deep shame and the quiet realisation that their potential in life is not being met.

When autism meets ADHD, it's a curious form of alchemy, according to those who have both.

Sometimes the conditions are in conflict; at other times they're symbiotic. There is no such thing as a perfect 50/50 split, explains Sadiq, and the brain is often "seesawing" between both conditions. This makes the presentation of AuDHD a distinctive condition in its own right, "completely different from pure ADHD or pure ASD", he adds.

In his Ted Talk, "When Order and Anarchy Live Together", Sadiq describes the dualities of the condition: "Silence v noise; structure v chaos; repetition v novelty; caution v risk-taking ..."

Mattia Maurée, a non-binary composer and host of the AuDHD Flourishing podcast, discovered the AuDHD concept after following separate pieces of advice about autism and ADHD that "just weren't working for me". "It was like: 'No, my life is still really, really hard,'" they tell me from Philadelphia.

AuDHD is uniquely "cyclical", says Maurée, with big bursts of energy followed by a crash. "AuDHDers can also be incredibly creative and innovative, maybe because of that brain hyper-connectivity."

Creativity is cited as the most positive AuDHD attribute by everyone I speak to, along with the subtle pairings of traits that "complement each other in a really nice way", as Stein puts it. "ADHD gives me a love of novelty and a very creative side. And then autism allows me to focus on a topic that I'm really interested in. All of that allows me to be very self-directed."

The paradoxes of AuDHD can camouflage each other or - on the surface at least - cancel each other out, which is why some AuDHDers experience missed or incorrect diagnoses.

In February, Sadiq saw a patient who had been referred to his NHS clinic for an ADHD diagnosis. He realised 15 minutes into the consultation that the patient was autistic. "If I had no lived experience of autism and ADHD I would have missed it completely," he says. "I would have diagnosed either social anxiety or a personality disorder."

In spite of his expertise, Sadiq is not formally qualified to make an autism diagnosis, and instead he had to refer the patient on to the autism service within the NHS trust. He believes that psychiatrists specialising in autism should also be trained in ADHD and vice versa, because otherwise "they're going to be missing a lot".

It's not just the medical profession that needs more coordination. Charities such as ADHD UK and the National Autistic Societyalso work independently from one another. Legislation such as the government-backed The Buckland Review of Autism Employment, which recently called for employers to boost support for autistic people, scrutinises autism provisions but not ADHD ones. ADHD UK is one of many advocacy groups calling for the Autism Act, which legally compels the government to support autistic people, to be widened in scope to include other forms of neurodiversity.

Once a correct dual diagnosis is obtained, there are still complications. ADHD can be successfully managed with medication and behavioural coaching, but some autistic people react badly to this medication. Research indicates that stimulants are overall less tolerable for AuDHDers than they are for people with ADHD, according to the global research platform Embrace Autism, with one report finding that side-effects doubled in those with both conditions.

Another quirk of AuDHD treatment is that in some cases, it's only after "quietening" someone's ADHD symptoms that their autism traits come to the fore. This is often when people realise their autistic side for the first time, and it could explain why rates of self-reported autism closely follow those of ADHD.

The medical professionals I interviewed for this article were emphatic that ADHD medication cannot cause autism. Instead, Dr Eccles says: "It has just changed the balance of symptoms. The balance of masking has changed."

The prevalence of autism was widely believed to be 1% until last year, when a first of its kind study published in the Lancet found the true rate to be more than double that, with at least 1.2 million autistic people in the UK. The prevalence of ADHD in UK adults is around 4%, according to ADHD UK, and assessment waiting lists for both conditions are increasing year on year, with waits of a decade in some parts of the country for ADHD assessment.

When naysayers argue that we are in the midst of an overdiagnosis epidemic, charities often point them to the statistics on suicide, and the fact that the ripple effects of ADHD and autism often lead to mental ill-health.

Autistic adults without a learning disability are far more likely to die by suicide.In 2022, researchers from Cambridge and Nottingham University, analysing coroners' inquest records, concluded that a significant number of people who had died by suicide were likely autistic but undiagnosed. Adults with ADHD, meanwhile, are five times more likely to attempt suicide than their neurotypical peers.

Yet AuDHDers have been found to be at even greater risk of suicide than either those with only autism or ADHD, according to an academic study of more than 50,000 people.

It's like being trapped in a maze in the dark, then suddenly the lights are on and now there's a way to navigate out

For people like Clement, criticism about over-labelling is the least of her concerns. As a teenager she spent time in a psychiatric unit before the nature of her AuDHD was fully realised. "I'd already given myself labels," she says. "I already thought that I was weird and broken. So having a label that actually made sense and encompassed my experience was so liberating."

She now works part-time advising psychiatric hospitals on how to ensure their sensory environments are adequate for neurodiverse people.

Other AuDHDers give colourful analogies to describe the epiphany of diagnosis. Before the discovery, I'm told, it's as if you are trying to fit in and be a horse rather than celebrating the fact that you're a zebra. It's like being trapped in a maze in the dark, then suddenly the lights are on and now there's a way to navigate out.

Stein describes her life as "fundamentally walking parallel to, but never quite included in society". Her diagnosis, however, "allowed me to look at my life through the lens of far more compassion - as a pretty good autistic person rather than a broken neurotypical person".

"I think in some ways [AuDHD] can be a very beautiful thing," she says.

"You just need the right support to be able to access those parts of you. And you need the label to know what the hell is going on in your brain."

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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The sudden rise of AuDHD: what is behind the rocketing rates of this life-changing diagnosis?

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Just over a decade ago, autism and ADHD were thought to be mutually exclusive. But in recent years, all that has changed

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What Does a 'Safe Space' Look Like To You? 

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What Does a 'Safe Space' Look Like To You? 

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For World Autism Acceptance Week, we want to talk about how we can make changes to our environments to ensure every autistic person has a safe space they can access. we're interested in finding out what a 'safe space' looks, feels, sounds, smells like for people in our community. Please help us in designing some of these spaces and share your thoughts by uploading comments, videos, drawings, links, etc.

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First of all, if you haven't read any of Unwritten Grace's Blogs yet, please do. She documents her experiences as a young autistic woman. I am interested in hearing about your special interests and how they are incorporated into your day to day life. Grace loves cats and it's interesting to read how she incorporated this special interest into her day to day life in so many ways. Also, if you know of any autistic advocates on social media or who blog/vlog, we would love to hear about them.

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Do you have any Self Care tips to share?

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Do you have any Self Care tips to share?

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Check out @littlepuddins.ie blog for more helpful hints and information on a range of subjects.

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What does PDA look and feel like for you?

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What does PDA look and feel like for you?

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I wish more people understood the physical and mental strain of PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance). It needs more exploring and definitely more understanding -it's not that you won't, it's that you can't! This young boy explains how he feels when a demand is put on him. If you have PDA or know someone who does, please share your experiences.

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 Shaiden |Autistic| Advocate|  Influencer|  Foodie on Instagram: "PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance 
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For me, I get angry when I hear a command 
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I don't really know why this happens.
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When it does, I have to force myself to cool down and listen to instructions 
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It can be very overwhelming 
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My body feels like it’s on fire
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My brain tries to cool my body down
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But that takes my focus 
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PDA by far is the most challenging trait for me to manage. 

#PDA #autism #autismlove #autismlife #autismsupport #autismadvocate #education #autismacceptance #autismunderstanding #autismcommunity #autismparenting"

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3,353 likes, 108 comments - breakwithshaiden on December 20, 2023: "PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance 
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For me, I get angry when I hear a command 
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I do..."

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shaiden |Autistic| Advocate| Influencer| Foodie (@breakwithshaiden)

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 ADHDoers on Instagram:  💭Creators: @eniolamafe @aproko_doctor 

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Girls are less likely to be diagnosed with Autism or ADHD before the age of 11. For many women, diagnosis happens late in life when the pressure of balancing work/home life and expectations increase. It is also believed that many societal constructs and biases impact these figures. How did you discover you were neurodivergent? What biases do you think prevented you from receiving a diagnosis or realising your difference?

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 ADHDoers on Instagram: "Can you relate? 💭

Creators: @eniolamafe @aproko_doctor 

This Christmas we’ve decided to gift the perfect presents, as a ‘thank you’ for supporting us… 🎁

💸 Get our EVERYTHING ADHD bundle - all of our books - at an exclusive 90% off

🏆 Anyone who buys our resources will also be entered into a prize draw to win 10 FREE ADHD COACHING SESSIONS! (Our Gift of the Week)
⏰ Offer ends on December 14th link in bio

Where to watch the full video:
Video title: How Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affected M.I Abaga and Eniola’s marriage
YouTube channel’s name: Aproko Doctor

#adhd #adhdwomen"

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106K likes, 705 comments - adhdoers on December 8, 2023: "Can you relate? 💭

Creators: @eniolamafe @aproko_doctor 

This Christmas we’ve decided to gi..."

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ADHDoers (@adhdoers)

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Molly brooks-dridge on Instagram: “My childhood ADHD & Autism signs that were missed (Part 1) #adhd #autism #justicesensitivity #adhdwomen #adhdprobs #neurodivergent #audhd #adhdproblems #adhdstruggles #anxietvmemes #autisticadults #autisticwomen”

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12K likes, 147 comments - mollys_adhd_mayhem on December 20, 2022: “My childhood ADHD & Autism signs that were missed (Part 1) #adhd #autism #justicesensitivity #adhdwomen #adhdprobs #neurodivergent #audhd #adhdproblems #adhdstruggles #anxietvmemes #autisticadults #autisticwomen”.

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Angela Weddle is a locally, nationally, and internationally exhibiting visual artist working in digital and traditional media. Weddleâ€™s work is informed by a drawing based practice. Weddle seeks to create a sensory immersive experience with her art from a range of diverse influences including autism, cerebral palsy, synesthetic aspects of music, especially jazz, light, sound, rhythm, daily life, urban and natural landscapes, and perceptual and psychological experiences. Seriously, go check her out!

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This is the website of Angela Weddle. Shop for san antonio art, tree art, bird art, and more. Designs are available to purchase as canvas prints, framed prints, posters, greeting cards, apparel, and other products. Angela Weddle is a locally, nationally, and internationally exhibiting visual arti…

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Stephen was born in London, United Kingdom to West Indian parents on 24th April, 1974. As a child he was mute, and did not relate to other people. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language and lived entirely in his own world.

At the age of five, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. It soon became apparent he communicated with the world through the language of drawing; first animals, then London buses, and finally buildings.

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Stephen Wiltshire's Singapore Panorama. Full timelapse