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Autism and ADHD Book Guide - for Children and Young People — Authentically Emily
To quote Elle McNicoll, incredibly talented and awesome neurodivergent author, “Every child deserves to see themselves reflected positively in stories…The world needs unapologetically neurodivergent characters.” In this book guide you will find book recommendations…
An Autistic Guide to Christmas — Authentically Emily
Some people love Christmas and some people hate it. I imagine most of us who celebrate fall somewhere in the middle. There have been Christmases where I’ve felt so excited and full of joy. There was also a Christmas when I lay on the sofa in another room, too low to join in…
How to Manage a Long-Haul Flight as an Autistic ADHDer — Authentically Emily
I just had the most amazing two weeks in Thailand (like two of the best weeks of my life). We flew to Bangkok where we stayed for 2 nights before going to Chiang Mai for 4 nights, then Koh Samui for 3 nights and Koh Tao for 5 nights before heading back to…
The Mental Health Bill: Autism and Sectioning — Authentically Emily
I survived OCD, anxiety and depression, and growing up autistic without my needs being understood. But I also survived the mental health system - which is something that can be hard to explain. In September, 2,020 autistic people/people with learning disabilities were in mental health hospitals a
ADHD: What is ADHD, Positives of ADHD and Avoiding ADHD Burnout — Authentically Emily
It’s the end of ADHD Awareness Month. In true ADHD fashion, I’ve been putting off writing this blog post for the whole month. Because getting started on tasks and procrastination is something ADHDers tend to struggle with. I found out I had ADHD when I was 21 and it helped make…
World Suicide Prevention Day - Suicide Prevention, Autism, ADHD & Suicide, and a Message to You — Authentically Emily
Today, September 10th, is World Suicide Prevention Day. In 6 days, it will be 7 years since I was admitted to hospital for the first time. I was 16, had just started sixth form and the years of anxiety and OCD had become too much. I didn’t think I had a future. But I was wrong...
Girl Unmasked - Signed and Dedicated Limited Edition — Authentically Emily
A limited number of signed and dedicated copies of Girl Unmasked are now available to order exclusively from Coles Books ! Thank you to everyone who has asked for these. I am really excited to be able to dedicate these, sign them and get them into your...
Authentically Emily Store - My Mindmaps — Authentically Emily
OWN PRODUCT/AD Hello! A word of warning - this is less of a blog post and more of an update. I now have a store on my website where you can buy the PDF downloads of my mindmaps. I have been asked so many times about making a way to buy these so I have finally...
You Are Allowed To Make Your Own Adjustments: How I Managed a Hen Do as an Autistic Person — Authentically Emily
It was my friend’s hen do recently and I was worried about how I would manage it. I struggle socialising in big groups, I don’t enjoy bars or clubs and there was lots of things that I felt anxious about, but I really wanted to go and celebrate my friend...
Autistic Masking — Authentically Emily
I was diagnosed with autism when I was 16. Like many autistic people (though not all), I grew up masking my autism. Doing my best to suppress parts of me I recognised seemed different to other people, parts I grew to be ashamed of as things happened which taught me I should be. I didn’t know that wh
The Misdiagnosis of Autistic Distress in the Mental Health System — Authentically Emily
When I am asked why I wrote Girl Unmasked, I say that I was angry. Which is true. I was angry at finding myself sectioned on a psychiatric unit at the age of 16, at the doctor there telling me I just had high social anxiety not autism, at the fact they described my autistic meltdowns as ‘hysteric at
The Good Within The Broken System — Authentically Emily
Amongst the brokenness of the system, the difficult experiences, and the trauma, there is also good. And sometimes the smallest things make the world of difference. What about… The nurse on the CAMHS unit who sat in my room night after night talking to me about her rabbits because…
ARFID Awareness Day — Authentically Emily
Today is the first ever ARFID Awareness Day, thanks to the hard work of ARFID Awareness UK - the UK’s only charity dedicated to raising awareness of ARFID. Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (aka ARFID) is an eating disorder which lacks awareness and understanding…
Challenges Autistic and ADHD People Face in Healthcare and What Can Help — Authentically Emily
Research tells us that there are a range of barriers to accessing and receiving healthcare for autistic and ADHD people, at all stages across an individual’s life (Malik-Soni et al., 2022; Young et al., 2021). Autism and ADHD are both associated with lower life expectancies…
Autism and Mental Health: Practical Advice for Managing Your Mental Health — Authentically Emily
Last month, I wrote a rather depressing but important blog post on why so many autistic people struggle with their mental health. Read it here. As promised, I’m back with some practical advice on managing mental health as an autistic person. Firstly, I want to acknowledge that managing mental heal
Mental Health Awareness Week: The Exclusion of Mental Illness and What We Should Be Talking About — Authentically Emily
Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week. It is good that more people are talking about mental health now than in the past. It is good that there are conversations taking place about how to look after your mental health. It is good that people are talking about how important mental hea
Autistic Burnout: Your Brain’s Recovery Mode — Authentically Emily
As an autistic person, life can be a LOT. Research shows that our brains process more information at any one time than non-autistic people’s brains (Brinkert & Remington, 2020). Every day, we have to manage sensory discomfort, overwhelm, social challenges, executive dysfunction, exhaustion f
Graduating ADHD Coaching! — Authentically Emily
From August 4th 2023 to April 26th 2024…I have graduated ADHD Coaching! (if this is even a thing…i have made it a thing). Nine months ago, I was struggling to come to terms with my fairly new ADHD diagnosis and had no sense of how to make life (which just felt constantly stressful) easier for my A
Autism and Mental Health: Why do so many autistic people struggle? — Authentically Emily
Research suggests that 80% of autistic people experience mental health problems throughout their life, and around 40% of suicides are estimated to be autistic people (Autistica, undated; Cassidy et al. 2022). This is incredibly sad. There are a variety of reasons why this might be the case.
GIRL UNMASKED: Publication Week, Podcasts and Waterstones Event — Authentically Emily
The past couple of weeks have been the most surreal of my life. GIRL UNMASKED is officially out in the world, and I am filled with gratitude. On Wednesday 27th March, I saw it in Waterstones for the first time (it was on the shelf a day early!). It’s fair to say that it was a very surreal experien
Moving Through an OCD Blip: Reflections and Reminders — Authentically Emily
One of the things about living with OCD is that you never know when it is going to strike. I know that it hits most when I am stressed, tired or feeling low. I expected it when I lost my dog Coco in October, and moved through it. I was NOT expecting a new OCD theme to hit three and a bit weeks ago.
Challenges Autistic and ADHD People Face at Work and What Can Help — Authentically Emily
Autistic and ADHD people have long struggled in the workplace. According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2021 only 29% of autistic people in the UK between 16-64 years old were employed (though of course, this is out of those recognised as autistic).
The Truth Behind the ‘Attendance Crisis’ and Stories From Those Who Have Been There. #NotASchoolSkiver — Authentically Emily
On the 8th of January, the UK government launched its attendance campaign ‘Moments Matter, Attendance Counts’. The same day, Good Morning Britain hosted a news segment titled ‘School Skivers: whose fault - teachers or parents?’. In response, I wrote‘I Was Not a “School…
Reflections on 2023 — Authentically Emily
2023, a year of the highest highs and lowest lows. The first year of having the comfort of the routine of a 9-5 job and my body no longer being in a constant state of anxiety. The year I learned I have ADHD and started life-changing medication. The first year of…
‘Anxiety Recovery’ whilst Autistic — Authentically Emily
I spent my teenage years chasing the idea of ‘anxiety recovery’ that I later discovered didn’t exist. I wanted a life without anxiety, because all I understood was that it was limiting, destructive, painful, and stole too much from me. I also thought that was what I was meant to want. At church, yea
Autistic Joy: My Favourite Part of Autism — Authentically Emily
‘Autistic joy’ describes the all-encompassing, very intense feeling of joy and excitement that many autistic people experience. This may be over things which seem small to other people (but definitely aren’t small!). The joy completely absorbs us in that moment. It can feel…
Challenges Autistic and ADHD Children Face at School and What Can Help — Authentically Emily
There is a reason why 92.1% of children with school attendance difficulties are neurodivergent, with 83.5% being autistic (according to one sample by Connolly & Mullally, 2022). And why children with Special Educational Needs are 50% more likely to struggle with school attendance (Office for
My Journey of Discovering My ADHD — Authentically Emily
My journey of discovering my ADHD has been very different to my autism one (which you can read about here). Although there have been moments of imposter syndrome, from the moment I was told that I was autistic aged sixteen, I knew that the diagnosis was correct. And I knew…
Book Announcement - ‘Girl Unmasked: How Uncovering My Autism Saved My Life’ — Authentically Emily
I can’t believe I am FINALLY able to share this (believe me, it’s been a secret for a long time!!!). My book ‘Girl Unmasked: How Uncovering My Autism Saved My Life’ is out 28th March 2024 and is available NOW to pre-order!! Link here. I feel like I’m dreaming. I spent most of my childhood with my h
Why You Are Not ‘So OCD’: OCD Myths — Authentically Emily
I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people say ‘I’m so OCD’ when they just want something to be tidy, clean, arranged in a particular order or done a certain way. Or, how many times I’ve seen phrases like ‘Obsessive Cat Disorder’ on mugs or prints. Or, how often I’ve been frustrate
Grief after Pet Loss: Losing Coco — Authentically Emily
My dog, Coco, died on the 9th October. He was six and a half and the centre of my family’s home and life. He loved absolutely everyone and he was so incredibly loved. I don’t usually write blog posts like this, but I don’t know how to process this, and writing has always been my outlet. Telling…
How I’m Learning To Manage Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria — Authentically Emily
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is incredibly difficult to live with. It is an extreme emotional response to either real or perceived criticism or rejection, commonly experienced by neurodivergent people (though originally coined by Dr William Dodson as specific to ADHD). I am very lucky to be
Challenges Autistic People and ADHDers Face in Therapy and What Can Help — Authentically Emily
I remember being fourteen, sat in a CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) session and being completely bewildered by what the lady was trying to teach me. I was having daily panic attacks - some of them more likely meltdowns - because I was so overwhelmed. I began describing how I didn’t want to go in
Executive (Dys)Functioning: What it is, its Relation to ADHD and Some Strategies — Authentically Emily
Executive functioning is how we plan, make decisions, follow steps and processes, focus our attention and balance different tasks. It incorporates a set of skills which help us to learn, work and complete tasks. There is so much we couldn’t do without them. Think about your daily tasks. Even getti
Emotionally-Based School Avoidance in Neurodivergent Children and The Discriminatory System of Prosecution — Authentically Emily
I was described as a child on the verge of school refusal. I ran away from school multiple times. I would hide in the toilets and have daily panic attacks. I would refuse to go to lessons, sitting in the library instead. The anxiety I felt every single day was monumental. It led to self-harm, depre