My autistic self

Non-Speaking Communication - Rose's Experience. Some autistic people may face a delay in their use of spoken language, whilst others may not use speech at all.

Masking - Becs' Experience. Disguising parts of yourself and suppressing your identity can be draining and exhausting. For many autistic people, this is an everyday experience.

Floating Focus – Holly's Experience. Some autistic people may find it difficult to focus on one thing for an extended period of time, especially if it isn’t of any interest to them.

Masking - Ellie's Experience. Autistic people may have different ways of communicating and behaving – and these differences can make them stand out.

Stimming - Tyler's Experience. Stimming can be a source of comfort and enjoyment for many people, offering a way to regulate emotions and process sensory information.

Floating Focus - Mimi's Experience. For Mimi, staying focused and filtering out distractions can be a struggle. Her mind starts to drift away unconsciously, derailing her train of thought.

Stimming - Archie's Experience. Loud and unpredictable environments can be overwhelming for some autistic people, causing issues with sensory processing and resulting in distress and anxiety.

Shutting Down – Mimi's Experience. Unlike a ‘meltdown’, ‘shutdowns’ are more muted and discreet responses to highly stressful situations. When the brain feels overwhelmed, it ‘shuts down’ to cope with the intense external environment.

Floating Focus - Bella's Experience. “My autism…it affects me mentally more than anything. So sometimes I find it hard to concentrate. I get easily distracted.”

Shutting Down – Max's Experience. Autistic people may experience lights, smells, and sounds differently to non-autistic people. Those with hypersensitivities can feel these sensations with a greater intensity, and this can lead to a ‘shutdown’.

Shutting Down – Kai's Experience. Sixteen-year-old Kai has ADHD and is autistic, non-binary and the proud titleholder of Teen Miss Diamond United Kingdom 2023/24. Following their national success, Kai will go on to compete in Orlando next summer.

Floating Focus - Ellie's Experience. Many autistic people may have highly focused interests in particular areas, from TV shows to animals and music. They can quickly become engrossed in the topic, dedicating masses of time and energy into research and learning.

Shutting Down – Deborah's Experience. When some autistic people feel extremely stressed or overwhelmed, they might respond by ‘shutting down’. This varies from person to person, but common signs can include complete silence and stillness, withdrawal, and unresponsiveness.

Masking - Nevaeh's Experience. Nevaeh, Autism Unlimited’s Young Ambassador, is a very talented singer and songwriter who rose to fame after accompanying X Factor star Sam Bailey on tour.

Stimming – Cayden's Experience. Cayden has relied on stimming since a young age, scrunching and un-scrunching different items, such as paper, and using fidget toys to help self-regulate and manage his sensory challenges.

Stimming – Georgia's Experience. When things get overwhelming, stimming can offer temporary relief for some autistic people. The repetitive movements or noises can reduce anxiety and act as a grounding tool. Yet, despite the benefits, it isn’t always a positive experience for everyone.

Masking - Willow's Experience. Willow is one of our wonderful Portfield School students, who shares a personal and open insight into their experience with masking emotions.

Masking - Mimi's Experience. For Mimi, masking comes with its positives and its negatives. Following a late diagnosis, she realised she had been subconsciously masking her neurodivergent traits throughout her whole life.

The below blog shares a therapist's insight into sensory sensitivities and how they might impact individuals. What are sensory sensitivities?

Sensory Sensitivities – Lucas’ Experience. Autistic people may experience sensory differences, which can include being over-sensitive or under-sensitive to specific sights, sounds, smells or textures.