I struggled in school (although I did very well) as I didn't understand teaching methods. Autistic people are very visual - so a teacher lecturing verbally for hours on end was something I could not grasp very well at all. Whilst I could be myself at home, I had to 'mask' when in social settings or in the workplace - just simply so I could be like the 'others' and not judged. The impact on your life can be a somewhat detrimental one.

For many people, autism is associated with being male and essentially that it is a male only condition. Women tend to be overlooked because, I for one feel we can mask better - we can possibly hide our emotions better and possibly because we may not have many of the 'classic symptoms’ associated with autism that people tend to think of. I feel it is important to get the message out there that this condition can affect anyone, whether you are male or female - but that it just may present in different ways. It is about challenging stereotypical images of autism. It is about educating the professional people we will come into contact with throughout our lifetime - should that be doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers etc.

It is about educating benefits agency staff, as so many autistic people are reliant on this help and it is about educating society as a whole. We must explode the myth that autism is a male phenomenon and in fact does affect just as many females. The only way we can do this is by getting our voices out into the public arena and hopefully people will want to be listen. We must educate, inform and help neurotypicals understand that females diagnosed with the condition can and will need as much help, understanding and support as males on the autism spectrum.