Yellow Ladybugs, Autistic Girls & Women | Businesses

Yellow Ladybugs, Autistic Girls & Women

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25.01.2022 Thank you Vicky and Rachel from Ballarat for sending this through! What an awesome snowman wearing a YLB Tshirt and sunnies How are you spending your holidays? We would love to see how our ladybugs are spending their time!

24.01.2022 Can we please disrupt the narrative that... (what would you add?). .. Reinforces harmful stereotypes about autistic girls and women.... eg she is too social to be autistic, or she makes eye contact, she can’t be autistic!

23.01.2022 Can you imagine being marked down for being yourself? Eye contact isn’t for everyone - and it shouldn’t be one of the things that gets assessed.

23.01.2022 "My mind does not rest. It's constantly trying to find the right support understanding and acceptance for her. It's trying to change a world that sometimes just doesn't get it. It's constantly second-guessing decisions I've made and wondering if I've done enough or too much. It's stressed about the past present and future. It's all of this and more. And that's probably 5% of what she is experiencing. Living in a world, not set up for her success, and not having access to the same years of experience I've had - so she can advocate for herself. If I'm finding it this hard imagine what she is going through. #girls #autism #parenting #specialneeds

23.01.2022 Share your Lego creations! We love seeing how talented and dedicated our community is!

22.01.2022 Who needs to hear this (from themselves) today? Self compassion is key. Having a go to message to yourself is so important.. It could be This situation would be difficult for anyone or I’m doing the best I can what’s yours? #selfcompassion #yellowladybugs

21.01.2022 Social justice fighters unite

21.01.2022 We hope you and your family are keeping safe and well during these difficult times. We really miss seeing each of you at our events, and can’t wait to see you again! Please share with us below how you are feeling, and going during this time. Together, we can feel less isolated and more connected

18.01.2022 WOW - Does this ring true for anyone else? Credit: The Middle Is Messy

17.01.2022 I really identify as being neurodivergent. I love the term ‘neurodiversity’. It hasn’t been in common use for very long so it comes with far fewer stereotypes and stigma. It’s just, I’m a little bit different. Our brains work differently than yours. My niece once said to her father, Going to Auntie Siobhan’s house is like getting stuck in a tornado. Everything’s calm, then all of a sudden you get pulled to the side and you go around and around and you just have to go with ...it. I love that description. There are so many stereotypes that come with each condition. Teachers sometimes don’t realise the messages they’re sending. I had a teacher say to me about my youngest son, He can’t have ADHD, he’s too well behaved. I also had someone say about my daughter, She’s gotten so much better, I can hardly tell she’s autistic now. What you’re saying to me loud and clear is my daughter feels less comfortable now than she did before. She doesn’t feel safe in your space, so she’s pretending to be someone else. A teacher also said, Your daughter’s autistic but she’s really smart. I said, My daughter’s autistic AND she’s really smart. All those little words people use we hear them. https://www.neurodiversitymedia.com/teacher-adhd-autism-dys

16.01.2022 A good reminder.

15.01.2022 Adolescence is a challenging time for every child, as they experience important developmental milestones and navigate an increasingly complex world. For girls with autism spectrum disorder, adolescence can create a window into their unique experiences with autism, often resulting in a first-time diagnosis.

14.01.2022 Sunday night reminder..

14.01.2022 What advice would you give to the next generation, that you wish was given to you?

13.01.2022 This is very good... We would love to see this expanded to also include autistic adults, but what a fabulous video!

13.01.2022 Member Asks: Can you recommend any good books or resources to explain puberty to YLB 11yo who is uncomfortable whenever we mention body changes please?

13.01.2022 CONTENT WARNING: Post about parent struggling with challenging behaviour from their autistic tween. We would like to help this parent, but please scroll past if this is potentially triggering, or otherwise not for you. Thank you also to everyone, and especially to our autistic members, who have provided such constructive and respectful responses to what is a complex topic. Member Asks: My 12yo was diagnosed this year and I know that however I'm finding it, it's harder for ...her but I have to say I'm not going well. I feel so silly for saying this but she's so mean to us. She spends her weekends on the couch or in her room, she yells at me to go away first thing in the morning and really only gives me the time of day if she wants something - so she can be nice when she wants to be, which is rarely. I feel like I've been bending over backwards for her, we're walking on eggshells all the time, and it's horrible. I've always thought I'm a reasonable person, and I've been trying to talk to her about what else can I do to make her feel supported but everything I say gets shot down. I really cannot continue to live like this, with someone I'd do anything for, but who either rolls her eyes at me, yells at us, slams her door, thinks she is entitled to anything she wants and we're all horrible if she doesn't get it. i can't keep doing this. Please no judgement but any advice is welcome. I see posts like how we should embrace our children's autism and in theory I'd love to, I don't see how in reality though. She sees a psychologist but we think her behaviour has got worse since we told her about her diagnosis. She now does things she's never done before, like rocking in her chair and refusing to eat at a table, she has to have her breakfast on the floor and she bites holes in her clothes. She's very hard to live with and it's affecting our other kids too, and I'm on the verge of tears all the time. We don't know if this is tween behaviour, or the autism, but either way we don't deserve to be treated like this every single day. Is anyone else having the same proble See more

12.01.2022 Really good insight here.

12.01.2022 TW/Content Warning: Disordered eating My nearly 13yo is starting to notice her body changing and has said that she wants to ‘stop eating’ this is compounded by her helping a friend who currently has anorexia. She is beginning to refuse more and more meals. She also has adhd and (potentially ocd). I’m trying to gently encourage and work around it, and my partner is being more firm and saying she must eat. I’m really not sure where to from here, and wondering if you have any advice, experts or suggestions... I can see things going downhill very quickly.

11.01.2022 Happy New Year, YLB family! We hope the coming year brings you everything your heart desires. How are you spending your NYE?

11.01.2022 We made it! Well done to all the wonderful and hardworking teachers, parents and especially our ladybugs! We wish you a restful break, and it may look different for many of us, please share how you will be spending Spring break

10.01.2022 But I don’t want to give my child a label... @autisticnotweird

10.01.2022 "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" C.S. Lewis Tag someone who has been there for you

10.01.2022 Interesting points

09.01.2022 The I CAN Network's 2020 Virtual Awetism Expo is in full swing! Do come and say a virtual 'hello' at the Yellow Ladybugs booth this afternoon. We will be there to chat 2.30-3.00pm and 4.00-5.00pm. You can register for free at awetism.vfairs.com

09.01.2022 We are fostering a mumma cat and kittens, and thought you may enjoy a sneak peek into their evening... we know so many ladybugs (young and old) are passion are about animals - please share below! #thechristmaskittens

09.01.2022 Don’t underestimate the power of a ladybug. Share what you or your ladybug are currently passionate about, interested in, or fighting for:

09.01.2022 "What he does is, he can identify my emotions before I identify them, which means he can tell me how I'm feeling, so I can regulate myself better and from that information I can work out whether I need to leave or if I'm doing too much." "I'm on high alert and worried about absolutely everything and anything that can happen," Summer said. "He's a distraction, a thought-blocker.... "Looking into his eyes, it makes you feel not just safe, but that you have something." "If I don't come with him and lay on my bed he will bark he won't listen to anything I say because he is telling me to go to bed," Summer said. "When I go to bed with any sort of device, he will bark until I put the device down because he wants me to close my eyes and sleep. "He's a friend and he's an anchor too." https://www.abc.net.au//assistance-dog-life-chang/13054640

08.01.2022 Interesting read, including the comments and follow up responses from Harry.

08.01.2022 Anyone else feeling this? Credit : @worrywellbeing

08.01.2022 Is a diagnosis later in life just a 'label' or key to understanding yourself more? This woman wanted to share her experience getting a diagnosis as a women because she "wanted other women and girls like me to realise they’re not alone in the world, and to be able to pick up a book and see themselves on the pages.

06.01.2022 Hands down one of the best articles - such important insight into executive functioning issues -The 34-year-old is successful, but struggles to remember appointments, manage money, and clean her room. She was a strong student in school, but her executive-function difficulties followed her through life. I get overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. She first learned of autism at 22, but didn’t give it a second thought. Gregarious and emphatic, she didn’t see herself as a...utistic. But as she learned more about the different ways it can affect women, she realized that ASD fit her perfectly. She was diagnosed a decade later. She now lives at home and is grateful for the support her family lends, providing gentle reminders to complete tasks every now and then. I am in no rush to leave home, she says. Sue’s hesitation to see herself as autistic is not unique for people with executive differences. Corina Becker, vice president of the Autism Women’s Network, says, The stereotype with autism, women including, is that they are really neat and tidy, and while some of that is true, for many people executive abilities don’t work. Melissa, a 32-year-old working mother, struggled to keep on top of daily tasks when she lived alone in her twenties. Trash and dirty clothes piled up in her apartment. More than once, her family came over and threw out all her belongings. https://theestablishment.co/i-thought-i-was-lazy/index.html

06.01.2022 Happy Sunday! We love finding ladybugs (especially yellow ones) - what are you doing this weekend? Share some good news, fun pics or stories x

05.01.2022 Happy Caturday! What’s one thing you are going to do (or not do) to support good mental health?

05.01.2022 nb this isn’t about the actual mask, but the invisible one we feel we sometimes have to wear in public to ‘fit in’ (but shouldn’t have to). This picture is intended to show that point and not imply we do need a social mask.

03.01.2022 Deep breaths..... You got this.

02.01.2022 Check in, hello and meet #thechristaskittens How are you all coping during holidays? Keep us updated with ideas and tips x

02.01.2022 Good Book Alert: How To Be AutisticBy: Charlotte Amelia Poe ‘Charlotte Amelia Poe’s voice is confident, moving and often funny, as she reveals to us a very personal account of autism, mental illness, gender and sexual identity. As we follow Charlotte’s journey through school and college, we become as awestruck by her extraordinary passion for life as by the enormous privations that she must undergo to live it. From food and fandom, to body modification and comic conventions,... Charlotte’s experiences through the torments of schooldays and young adulthood leave us with a riot of conflicting emotions: horror, empathy, despair, laugh-out-loud amusement and, most of all, respect. For Charlotte, autism is a fundamental aspect of her identity and art. She addresses her reader in a voice that is direct, sharply clever and ironic. She witnesses her own behaviour with a wry humour as she sympathises with those who care for her, yet all the while challenging the neurotypical narratives of autism as something to be ‘fixed’. https://books.google.com.au//about/How_To_Be_Autistic.html

02.01.2022 A must see Animated Thinking - I Feel Different This film explores the untold stories of autistic girls and women in their own words. Based on interviews, writings and original artwork by autistic individuals, it provides an insight into the intensity and sensory reality of experiencing life differently. Through animated scenes of everyday autistic life, autistic girls and women give voice to their unique sense of being in the world, playing roles, being outs...iders, seeking safety, finding community and wanting to be accepted for who they are: sometimes fragile, sometimes inspiring, always profoundly human. The film is based on the research of the Playing A/Part team, based at the Universities of Kent and Surrey, in collaboration with people living with autism. Their Arts and Humanities Research Council research programme explores the identities and experiences of autistic girls through drama, interactive media and participatory arts. https://www.facebook.com/BBCArtsOnline/videos/377889386855046/?vh=e&extid=0

01.01.2022 In generations gone by, so many children were most likely labeled as "naughty" being unfairly and harshly disciplined or isolated... Pigeon holed and not supported. There is no 'epidemic' or over diagnosed, or paranoid parents. It's finally getting to a point of trying to understand individual needs, and making things fair, accessible and inclusive for all neuro types. Everyone is different, with different support needs, strengths and abilities. Yet many slip through the cracks and don't get the support they need - either missed or misdiagnosed. We hope that with each generation that passes, we can get better at recognising this.

01.01.2022 Can we talk about being neurodivergent and in a relationship, where chores or tasks may trigger your fight/flight/freeze response from trauma, or feel difficult due to executive functioning differences, or seem impossible because of depression or burnout, or alarming due to your own demand avoidance? We don’t talk enough about what happens when you grow up and you suddenly find yourself not only responsible for yourself, but maybe a household, family or business. Resetting expectations, understanding yourself and accessing supports might be a good start, but perhaps we need to delve into this deeper. What can you share about this? Personal experience? Resources? Tips?

01.01.2022 Guidance from our community would be great.