I now have a healthy, happy 7 week old baby 😊, however I had a HECK of a time during the pregnancy, with over 80 medical and allied health appointments (seriosuly, I made a spreadsheet of them)… and a world of reflections about my interactions with these supports and sytems as an AuDHDer.

I’m oh so aware of the many gaps in care, and opportunities for improvement in our medical system. I’m also deeply grateful for the positive interactions and support I’ve experienced, I just wish that holistic care for neurodivergent and disabled people was more… everywhere!

In my latest podcast episode ‘Experiencing the Health & Allied Health Systems as a Pregnant Autistic ADHDer’, I share my very personal experiences and reflections in the hope that my experiences might resonate, guide, or even just provide a moment of reflection for you either as a medical/allied health professional supporting neurodivergent people, or as a ND person yourself or supporting a young ND person in your family. ​​

I shared some points about where I think things need to improve across medical and allied health settings, to be more accessible and neurodivergent-friendly.

By far the biggest challenge to me throughout this whole journey has been the few professionals that I’ve seen who act as if they are the expert in you.

Now, I fully acknowledge that a doctor is the expert in their specific field, but they are not the expert in YOU, the patient.

One of the most significant lessons I’ve learned is the importance of listening to my own needs and summoning up courage (oh gosh that’s so hard) to ask for what I need, for the supports that I knew would help me. But I seriously hope all settings will keep on improving in offering accommodations straight up, without it needing to be a burden on the patient/client to think of & request these supports.

If any of this resonates with you, or if you’re just curious to hear more, I invite you to tune into the episode.​

For Speech Therapists – if you want to learn more specifics about what Neurodiversity Affirming Assessment and Therapy looks like for Autistic Children, check out my course Affirming Communication for Autistic Children.