Navigating Autism: Personal Journeys

Hey everyone, just a heads up that in this episode Jessica mentions times in her life when she was suicidal. If this brings up anything for you, please reach out to someone you trust, or contact one of the support lines we’ve included in the show notes. Take care of yourselves, and feel free to pause or skip this one if you need to.

This week we are chatting to Jessica Horner about neurodivergent stories. Jessica is a proudly AuDHD and disabled woman and she works as a policy advisor with People With Disability Australia. She has previously worked as a journalist at the ABC, where she focused on the experiences of late diagnosed Autistic adults across Australia and wrote, among other pieces, a long form feature article called “A Rich New Lens”. She would later be nominated as a finalist for this article, alongside her producer, for the Media Diversity Australia Award, issued by the Walkley Foundation in 2023. She has also written for ABC Everyday, ABC News, Reframing Autism, Yooralla, and others.

In this episode we deep dive into how neurodivergent stories are told, by whom, and for what purpose, and unpack to impact of this on the neurodivergent community.

We cover:

• How Jessica thinks about neurodivergence.
• Jessica’s experience of her neurodivergence, and how this evolved over time along with her sense of self and identity.
• What are stories, why do we tell stories, and why are stories important?
• How power dynamics become embedded in cultural stories and ways we can work to shift this.
• Unpacking how neurodivergent stories are told.
• What does trauma-informed journalism and storytelling look like?
• Jessica’s current hyperfixations and a personal story on how Autism can show up for her.

You can find Jessica through her website, Spoonfuls of Whimsy, or on Instagram and Facebook @spoonfuls_of_whimsy

Looking for mental health support? Try these resources:

Immediate Support

• Lifeline Australia — 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention)
• Suicide Call Back Service — 1300 659 467 (24/7 telephone and online counselling for people affected by suicide)
• Beyond Blue — 1300 22 4636 (24/7 support for anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention)
• Kids Helpline — 1800 55 1800 (24/7 free, private, and confidential phone and online counselling for young people aged 5 to 25)

Additional Resources

• headspace — Support for young people aged 12–25, with mental health, physical health, work, and study support.
• SANE Australia — Support for people living with complex mental health issues and their families.
• 13YARN — 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support line run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)
• QLife — 1800 184 527 (Support for LGBTQIA+ people, available every day from 3pm to midnight)

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