Yellow Ladybugs Symposium - Good Mental Health for Autistic Girls and Women - Dr Michelle Garnett

Excerpt from the Symposium on good mental health for autistic girls and women thanks to Yellow Ladybugs and the Victorian Government.
Michelle has over 20 years experience , developing expertise in this field, and devleoped the first screening instrument for Asperger’s Syndrome, the Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome (ASAS) in 1993. She obtained a PhD for her research on Autism in 2007 and has co-authored three books with Prof Tony Attwood. She is known to our community as an ally and guru on autistic girls and women

[@EpiicxFuziion]

I was diagnosed at 49. The damage to my mental health has been well and truly done.

[@SaviourInDistress]

damn. That actually got to me. I cried watching this just because this woman could put things into words that I've been trying to do for years. Changing that negative language to positive whilst i understand for outsiders it might not change much, really made a difference for me. I grew up with a toxic idea of autism. I was diagnosed because my mother thought i was strange so took me to be diagnosed at maybe 8 or 9 and from then on I got treated like i was strange with all the "extra support", which quite frankly was just patronising. The descriptions i would get of autism were all negative and depicted a heartless individual, unwilling to compromise so i hated myself and tried so hard to be different from that definition to my detriment. I'd constantly berate myself if i had a sensory overload, I felt run down, I had a bad social event etc. I just wanted to pass as "normal" and not be what I was told autism was.

[@AutismActually]

Michelle Garnet is such a wonderful professional and positive ally in our community. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to her talk.

[@suzanneplumley4330]

For me, with my praise to Rudy Simone’s Aspergirls, I am a proud Aspie with visual acuity and crystal clear memory as my super power!!

[@suzanneplumley4330]

By the way I learned that I was Autistic at age 51

[@WilliamFontaineJr]

This is such a beautiful group of thoughts and it would benefit all children and many adults also. Thank you.

[@michelleraupert8832]

Could not agree more, autism is not a disorder nor a syndrome these are very offensive words to an autistic person. Freedom of speech. I can’t but help remark on a comment that Professor Attwood said to the audience at one of his seminars that autistic people can’t differentiate between the word hot…..as in quote to look at or feel hot or cold with the entire audience laughing. As an autistic person to hear this is exceptionally insulting. Of course we know the difference. I hope this message gets back to him. Excellent speech.

[@theartyyvonnemixedmediaart7259]

Lovely to listen to. Looking forward to the W&G conference in January 2020.

[@haneenms6]

Ahhh I just wish the slides were shown more, just future advice!

[@thedogtrainingangel4253]

I just pause the video and read them or write the bits down that I need.

[@puffyjackets5080]

Also the time stamp drives me insane!!!!

[@yenlai9788]

the running time in the corner bothered me so much that I can't keep watching this

[@jamiecampbell2637]

I wish you could watch this, it’s excellent. Could you tape a piece of card or something temporarily over the figures?

[@thedogtrainingangel4253]

Bothered me a lot too at first but then I covered it up.

[@suziequeen29]

Is there an app for this?