Six months after I was diagnosed as autistic at the ripe old age of 42, I had an epiphany on the train as I made my way into work (this was before Covid). I had been thinking about my recent diagnosis, and why that had been so important to me. Before going for an assessment I had questioned myself about whether it would make a difference or not. After all, I was no spring chicken. As I sat on the train I realised that my diagnosis gave me the courage to be open about the things that I struggled with and helped to inform discussions about the changes that I needed in order to become the person ..read more

Understood is a Young Enterprise Company, as part of the Chiltern YE Program. Starting our journey was a difficult process; we knew we wanted to address an issue or make a positive impact in some way. We bounced around ideas like environmental problems, student difficulties and more, but we found it hard to really engage with a topic or think of a solution or idea. The idea for Understood came when I, Aidan (CIO), was looking through my wallet one morning. I am an autistic person, so for this along with the usual spare change and credit card, my wallet sports a few different cards relating to ..read more

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, an initiative started by Siena Castellon to change experiences for neurodiverse students. I have previously written about celebrating neurodiversity and regularly advocate for greater inclusion in the workplace, however recently I have spent a lot of time reflecting on neurodiversity inclusion within educational settings. Employment and educational outcomes The Office for National Statistics recently released a report on outcomes for disabled people across all areas of life. The statistics showed that people with disabilities are less likely to be ..read more

If Duncan Bannatyne is the godfather of entrepreneurs from Clydebank, then surely Alison Edgar is Clydebank’s ‘Entrepreneur’s Godmother’ and just like Duncan Bannatyne, she too is dyslexic. Growing up in a flat near Glasgow she got her first taste of working in the hospitably industry. By the age of 21 she was already working in management in Cape Town, Jersey and Australia. This was a million miles from her humble roots growing up near the second city of the empire.  It wasn’t till much later that she would eventually discover that she was dyslexic.  By this time, she had already ..read more

Interview by Ross Duncan A lawyer by profession, Sam Rapp is also an accomplished playwright and poet[1].  Like so many artists this year, she will not be performing her regular shows at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. What sets Sam apart from the rest of her peers is her performance titles; “I Can’t Spell & I Don’t Do Grammar” and “I Don’t Do Maths” are just 2 examples. These unusual titles give more than a clue to indicate her performance narrative.  It might be difficult to imagine she has dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia, all of whi ..read more

REVIEW AND INTERVIEW by Little Orphan Aspie I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder (2020, published in the UK by IngramContent.com and available from online retailers) Sarah Kurchak describes herself as “a middle-aged writer with almost no profile.”  I guess that makes me a Queenager, being 20 years her senior.  She caught my attention in 2018 with an arresting article on Vox.com on reaching and passing the average life expectancy of an autistic adult (36 in that study!)  Alternately acerbic and endearing, Sarah’s writing is perfect for these edgy ti ..read more

I have previously written about the freedom I felt during lockdown, and how the anxiety I had been struggling with for years virtually disappeared. Since then much of lockdown has eased and the world is starting to open up again - with a degree of starts, stops and backtracks - in line with a changing R number. With this has come the compulsory wearing of masks when using public transport and going into shops. This is something that I struggle with. I don't like anything on my face. I seldom wear make up except for special occasions, and if I do wear make up I will wear a light base as I don ..read more

As my phone began to ring, I noticed there was no caller ID. My heart skipped a beat, my throat tightened, and I froze. I knew this was it. Why were they calling now? This was not a good a time. I answered the call and the woman said she was calling from the assessment clinic and wanted to inform me that my report was ready. I felt the blood rush from my legs to my head. I was walking through a busy street in my hometown having just stepped off the train home from work. The woman asked if I would like to know the outcome over the phone. Before I could think and in complete disregard to the hu ..read more

By Ross Duncan James Rix is a 36 year old entrepreneur who founded three companies, bought and mostly exited another two – and who gave up everything to ride his beloved bike around the world to South East Asia, before coming back to the UK, starting all over again, and building up a multi-million pound turnover business in five years. Not bad for someone who was diagnosed with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when he was at school. But they didn’t stop him spotting ways to make money throughout his teens, and winning the school’s business challenge competition year in, y ..read more

Little Orphan Aspie is a late-diagnosed female (she/her) whose mission is to try to make sense of life, and bring a little clarity into a confusing world. She enjoys writing, music, cats, reviewing books, movies and research, and also her neurodivergent friends on the Internet. When were you diagnosed In 2008. It was very hard as an older woman to find anyone. It took 6 months to even get a referral to a psychiatrist. Two months waiting, a month until the debriefing, and then 4 months to get something in writing. So just over a year from self Dx to official. What was life like before you were ..read more