I am a late diagnosed Autistic adult and also a qualified primary teacher based in the UK. I taught in specialised settings for 20 years, however, it was was not until I had my own children and begin to self-identify as Autistic that I begin to realise just how valuable the neurodivergent community is. I have learnt so much from this amazing diverse community that I have been inspired and motivated to try and share some of the knowledge I have gained from my own platform of Autistic Realms. I am advocating for a better understanding of neurodivergence and mental health in education and it is through this space that I am continuing to learn and feel supported by so many other wonderful neurodivergent people. I have a background in Early Years & Primary Education and have always believed that teachers need to work closely with families. Parent and carers need to be listened to, they need to feel valued. You have to make and take the time to develop connections with the families and their children, develop trust and gain a shared understanding of how to best meet their children's needs. I have always had a deep sense of compassion for the families I have worked with. However, until you have lived through the experience of trying to navigate the education and mental health system as a parent yourself I don't think you can ever truly understand the complexity and relentless exhaustion of trying to ensure your children's needs are being met and living as a family with disabilities. This is where I have found the neurodivergent online community invaluable. The various communities, Facebook groups, Discord servers and chatrooms have provided a lifeline and a space where I have been fortunate to have met other families truly understood and 'got it'. We have been able to share experiences; the positives and the more difficult times. The online neurodivergent community has been a place where despite my 20 years of SEN teaching experience and being actually Autistic myself I have felt people were talking the 'same language' and sharing experiences that I could relate to. The feeling of validation that the neurodivergent community has provided for me and us as a family is priceless. It is a space of shared values, shared aims all working towards the same goal of a truly inclusive society and future. This community has been a life line for me whilst navigating our own education system, the stress of non-school attendance and autistic burnout post-covid-19 lockdowns. I have learnt more about Autism and neurodivergency in the past few years as a parent and recently diagnosed adult than I could have ever imagined possible. I have had to un-learn all I thought I new about autism from the language I previously used to the way I think and live, I have had to flip my own narrative and it feels like I have had to re-learn everything! It has been a difficult journey navigating our education system both as an Autistic adult (undiagnosed for many years) and also as a parent trying to ensure my own neurodivergent children's needs are met within our education system. This is where I have found that there is a gap between the land of professionals and parents and also a deeper gap between neurodivergent and neurotypical people.
We need to bridge the neuro-divide and develop a better understanding of neurodivergence in schools so all Autistic parents feel understood and validated. We need the same empathy and compassion that is alive within the online neurodivergent community to spread out into wider society. We need to embed neurodiversity affirming values and a neurodivergent friendly approach within our education system so parents and their children feel safe and needs are met. This can only happen through more neurodiversity affirming teacher training and also more Autistic parents and professionals sharing their own experiences and working collaboratively. Our children deserve to have an education that meets needs and families deserve to be supported and to feel that their needs are being met.
Helen Edgar