Tag: autistic spectrum disorder

Celebs with Autism Part 7

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’m back with another installment of celebrities with autism. I didn’t think I’d be back again so soon with another edition, but more and more keep disclosing that they are neurodivergent!

So who is joining the list?

Elyse Myers

Comedian, author and social media star Elyse Myers revealed that she was diagnosed with autism in 2024 at the age of 30 after reading comments from her followers suggesting she might be on the spectrum. She finally decided to pursue the diagnosis to speed up the assessment process for her children as you move further up the list if you have a diagnosed parent in the USA. While initially thinking that the diagnosis would change nothing, she found it has really helped her with self acceptance. You can see her discuss her autism diagnosis in this interview with Johnathan Van Ness (around the 27 minute mark):

Saltina shaker

Canadian drag queen Saltina Shaker (Jesse Lesniowski) was diagnosed with autism in 2025 at the age of 30 following the 6th season of Canada’s Drag Race. Similar to Elyse, Jessie started noticing autistic traits after reading audience comments about stimming and dissociation while participating in drag race.

You can see Saltina discuss the diagnosis in this interview here:

SZA

Singer songwriter SZA (Solána Imani Rowe) revealed on Instagram that she was diagnosed with high functioning autism/Asperger’s syndrome in 2026 at the age of 36, saying that it explained why she was “in every comment section” and why she is so vehemently opposed to the use of AI in music.

Tay Zonday

Youtuber Tay Zonday (known for the early viral video “Chocolate Rain“) was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome as a teenager at the age of 15. However, he didn’t fully realize the importance of his diagnosis until adulthood and how it impacts his mental health needs. He experienced a lot of sensory suffering after going viral in 2007 without understanding the cause, now wishing he had the same understanding of his condition back then.

Zonday created a song about his experiences of autism and ADHD in this video here:

Robbie Williams

English singer-songwriter (and former member of Take That) Robbie Williams recently revealed that he has been diagnosed with autism at 52. Previously diagnosed with ADHD, Williams has been open about his struggles with mental health and says that the autism diagnosis explains so much of his weird behaviour. He’s jokingly quipped that saying he’s autistic is his new “Get out of jail free card” (let’s face it, we’ve all played it at some point!).

Matt Lucas

Actor and comedian Matt Lucas spoke publicly for the first time about his autism diagnosis this week, revealing he enjoys the company and pace of theatre life, but also values his solitude, avoiding making social plans on his days off.

You can see him discussing his diagnosis on BBC Radio with fellow comedian Romesh Ranganathan here:

Tom Hardy

English actor Tom Hardy casually revealed his autism diagnosis at Comic Con in 2024 saying “I just sound like I’m on the spectrum. Because I am”. He has never discussed his experiences in detail, but has partnered with Tatami Fightwear on their AUTSiders collection where all the proceeds went to autism charities.

Kimberly Nixon

Welsh actress Kimberly Nixon was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD in 2025, describing it like a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders. She began experiencing symptoms of perinatal OCD in 2020, and during her recovery, started to add up the behaviours prompting her to seek a diagnosis.

You can see her discuss her experiences in the interview below:

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Autism and bacteria

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about digestive issues and autism, this week I’d like to explore the link between bacteria and autism.

Do they think germs are responsible for autism? Not exactly, but alterations in gut bacteria have been linked to autism.

But first we need to understand what bacteria are and the role they play in the body. I know this may seem like simple stuff, but it’s important to understand that bacteria are more than just the “germs” you get warned about on adverts for cleaning products!

So what exactly are they?

Bacteria are teeny tiny organisms that live alongside humans and animals invisible to the human eye (but visible under a microscope). Most bacteria are harmless and play important roles like breaking down organic matter or are used in food and pharmaceutical production, but some can cause disease like chest infections, sepsis, chlamydia or stomach ulcers.

The human body is full of symbiotic bacteria living in a harmonious, mutually beneficial relationship. For example, Limosilactobacillus reuteri (known as Lactobacillus reuteri pre-2020) lives in your gut in a warm, stable environment feeding on dietary leftovers. In return, it interacts with our gut cells to stimulate them to secrete the chemical oxytocin which helps with social behaviours like bonding, trust and love, but also plays an important role in breastfeeding and uterine contractions. Win-win situation!

So where’sthe link with autism?

Studies have shown that autists have an altered gut microbiome (aka the bacterial zoo living in your intestines) vs neurotypicals wherein they have:

  • Lower levels of good bacteria like Bifidobacterium, Prevotella and Limosilactobacillus reuteri
  • Elevated levels of specific bacterial strains like Faecalibacterium, Clostridium, and Parabacteroides
  • Unbalanced levels of bacterial groups like Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes

Research has also linked specific strains to autism development. Citrobacter were more prevalent in infants who went on to develop autism, but the presence of Coprococcus was associated with a decreased likelihood of developing autism. So with all these bacterial alterations, it makes sense that bacteria might contribute to the development of autism.

However, some scientists have argued that these changes in the gut may be correlated to autistic diets which often prefer plain, highly processed foods. In addition, there has been backlash against the quality of evidence in autism and bacteria studies which have used poor statistics, small sample sizes, no placebos and have reported results that are difficult to reproduce. Basically, it’s bad science, with newer, larger, and placebo-controlled studies contradicting previous findings.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!🙂

Aoife

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The Wayfinding Centre Dublin

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about Google’s ADC, this week I’d like to talk about a recent trip I took to the Wayfinding Centre in Dublin.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the centre, it’s an innovative facility set up to make public transport more accessible for people with disabilities. The first of it’s kind, the centre empowers people with disabilities to navigate public transport by providing hands on training and experience in a safe indoor environment. Upon entering the centre, you walk into a real world replica of the Irish public transport experience including:

  • Street lighting, traffic lights, signage and timetable boards
  • Common transport noises such as pedestrian crossing sounds
  • Hazards including pavements (with accessible textured paving slabs), bollards, benches, fencing, fake roads, and train platforms
  • Replica cycle lanes, bus stops and pedestrian crossings
  • Sample train and Luas carriages
  • A double decker city bus and single level inter-city bus
  • An Accessible taxi
  • An Air France plane with replica airport security and boarding experience

In addition, the centre is also host to the living lab providing a high-tech innovation and research space where they perform user testing and conduct pilot projects, working closely with transport providers to make existing and future public transport more accessible for all users.

You can see a video from the launch of the centre in January 2024 below.

As previously discussed, navigating public transport can be quite an overwhelming experience for an autist. Everything is noisy and crowded and timetables can be confusing to decipher, especially when transport often does not stick to routine. The Wayfinding centre offers autists a unique opportunity to prepare themselves to access public transport to take some of the unknowns out of the equation. Autists can go to the centre and experience what it’s like to step onto public transport free from the sensory issues and pressure of the real world, allowing them to get used to the experience in a safe and supportive environment.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the centre is the experience of preparing for airport travel. Autists can visit the centre to get ready for their first trip to an airport and practice using scanners, putting luggage on carousels, and physically walking down the tunnel and on to a real plane where you can take your seat and comfortably adjust to the cabin experience.

I was really impressed by my visit and completely unaware such an innovative initiative was a mere few hours up the road. I would really recommend a visit if you’re around Dublin to experience the tour or access the facility in preparation for your public transport experience.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism and Intrusive Sleep

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

To kickstart 2026, this week I’m going to take a look at the issue of autism and intrusive sleep.

So what exactly is that when it’s at home?

As discussed in my previous post on sleep and autism, 40 to 80% of autists experience issues with sleep. Intrusive sleep (not to be confused with narcolepsy) occurs when you suddenly experience drowsiness or involuntarily lose consciousness, a phenomenon that is usually triggered by boredom/loss of interest in autists with co-morbid ADHD (aka AuDHD). Also known as theta wave intrusion, this phenomenon occurs when slow theta brain waves associated with relaxation, meditation and deep sleep are triggered by a boring task, causing the brain to abruptly disengage, and you to nod off. Essentially these theta waves act as bridges between consciousness and wakefulness.

So many college lectures drifting in and out of consciousness are starting to make sense!

For much of my adult life I’ve struggled with daytime sleepiness hitting me at the most unfortunate times- in the middle of lectures, in crowded theatres during a musical, and several times throughout the work day, especially when dealing with monotonous tasks. I always thought it was due to a lack of sleep the previous night (and as a night owl admittedly, it often is), but I’ve noticed it happening more and more despite having a decent nights sleep. One minute I’m working away, the next I get the sudden urge to take a nap. Conversely if I’m engaged and stimulated, I could be running on 3 hours of sleep and not feel in the least bit sleepy!

But is there any reason the neurodivergent brain is susceptible to intrusive sleep?

People with autism and ADHD tend to have excess theta waves compared with neurotypicals particularly in the frontal cortex of the brain. Higher levels of theta are associated with lower levels of fast beta brainwaves which are needed for focus and alertness, making neurodivergent brains more prone to intrusive sleep and other sleep disturbances.

So don’t judge me too harshly the next time you see me struggling to stay awake in the middle of the day 🫠

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in your social circle

Greetings Earthlings!

This week I’d like to talk about something that a lot of neurodivergents have observed in their social circle- that lot’s of our friends are also neurodivergent! Prior to my autism diagnosis, I did not have any friends on the spectrum, or so I thought… Over the past 11 years, many of my friends have sought or are currently seeking autism and ADHD assessments. In the last year alone I’ve had four friends seek my advice about getting diagnosed.

During my school years, I didn’t really have a core group of close friends; people just didn’t get me, nor I them. Going to university opened up an entirely new world, widening my social pool and enabling me to meet more likeminded people. I quickly found tribes of friends who were equally quirky with similar interests that I connected with on a level that I couldn’t explain. We would connect within minutes as if we had known each other our whole lives, feeling completely comfortable in each others presence, unknowingly unmasking.

After my diagnosis, I slowly started to notice common autistic traits among my friends. At first I thought it was funny when friends would say the more they listened to me talking about my traits, the more paranoid they became that they had autism, but now I see the grains of truth. I’ve spoken about this with my neurodivergent friends and they have also noticed similar patterns in their social circles.

There isn’t really any research on this topic, but it seems that there is a general pattern of neurospicy birds of a feather flocking together. Autists tend towards sameness and familiarity, so naturally our social preferences also mimic these patterns. Studies have shown that friends tend to have similar brain activity patterns called neural synchrony- so on a biological level, we are designed to seek out minds that are similar to our own. In addition, studies have shown that our noses play an important part in forming friendships as we tend to gravitate towards people with natural scent profiles similar to our own. Given how autists are sensitive to smell, it’s fair to say that perhaps our nose is handpicking neurodivergent friends for us!

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Autism and Homelessness

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about autism and employment, this week I’d like to discuss the link between autism and homelessness. I was shocked to learn recently that people with autism are at a higher risk of experiencing and remaining homeless than the general population. Research varies, but estimates of autism in the homeless range from 3%- 18.5%. This is a staggering statistic given that autism in the homed population is roughly 1-2%.

But why are autists more likely to experience homelessness?

As I’ve mentioned previously, 75-85% of autists are unable to find and maintain employment. Moreover, many autists struggle with co-morbid mental health issues and can be more likely to suffer from addiction issues- all of which can be contributing factors for homelessness. As a result of these struggles, autists do not have the same means that neurotypicals do to reduce their risk of homelessness and the ability to change their circumstances once homeless.

Autism is a condition that thrives on routine, stability and regulation of sensory environments which homelessness only serves to exacerbate. The sensory struggles with weather, the unfiltered noise of the city, the nasty smells from your surroundings can be completely overwhelming. Your mental health is on a knife edge and symptoms worsen without support and understanding. Most countries already struggle to provide adequate resources for housed autists and the general homeless population, making it even harder to properly support homeless autists. There is a serious lack of understanding of autism among workers in the homeless sector, especially with regard to the female experience. Surveys among workers in the homeless sector in the UK and Ireland have highlighted these gaps with over 90% of respondents noting the low levels of support for homeless autists and the need for autism specific training.

This is clearly a challenging issue that needs care and consideration to properly support the autistic community in both preventing and reversing homelessness.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism and Displaced Anger

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous posts about meltdowns, emotions and alexithymia (the inability to identify emotions in the self and others), this week I’d like to take a close look at the specific issue of displaced anger.

As I’ve discussed multiple times, autists process emotions differently to their neurotypical peers, often because they aren’t able to properly recognise what they’re feeling. In my experience, anger is one of the worst offenders. I have often had issues with displaced anger, misdirecting my wrath at everyone and anyone around me because I hadn’t been dealing with the source. Just walking around for weeks lashing out at the slightest annoyances because I hadn’t twigged that I was bothered by something else entirely.

Interestingly, I have also resorted to anger as a cloak in the past. I often found when on the verge of a meltdown being angry and rude were much easier emotions to project than what I was truly feeling. Anger was much easier to control, with less likelihood of dissolving into tears (not to mention the repellant effect). I just knew that were I to make eye contact or speak without anger in those scenarios, the floodgates would open, and it was too overwhelming to have to explain them.

There is also a cognitive emotional processing condition which can contribute to displaced anger outbursts known as anger rumination. This happens when an autist has a tendency to dwell on past experiences of anger and frustration. By focusing on these experiences, autists develop difficulties in properly processing and responding to anger. Persistent rumination on past stressors depletes your ability to self regulate resulting in behavioural inhibition, which makes you more hostile and prone to displaced anger outbursts.

While it’s never nice to be on the receiving end of these anger outbursts, try to bear in mind that you’re unlikely the cause. You might have triggered a reaction, but usually the issue runs deeper. Try to give an autist some space in these scenarios to give them time to calm down. Talking after the red mist has passed can be very helpful in allowing an autist to process their emotions in a healthy way in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism and Screens

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about virtual autism, this week I’d like to take a more specific look at the impact of screen use has on people with autism.

Whilst screen use is largely seen as a negative thing for the general population, screens can actually have a positive impact for autists:

  • Communication, connection and social skills– screens can help autists to connect with peers and communicate without the pressure of face to face interactions. There’s no need for eye contact, and plenty of time to think about and edit your response, allowing autists to relax. Removing these social barriers will also help autists to develop their other social skills which can then be applied to the real world. In my work for example, I’ve found that AI chatbots can be very useful when I’m struggling to find the right words and tone to deal with an awkward email
  • Regulation– Screens can offer a calming, safe (at least perceived as safe to an autist) and familiar presence for autists in an overwhelming, out of control world, enabling them to manage anxiety and meltdowns. For example, one of my autistic friends whips out her phone to look at cute animal videos anytime she is anxious, helping her to re-centre
  • Accessibility and gamified learning– screen based technologies can be very helpful for autists struggling with learning issues and verbal communication. The use of augmentative and alternative communication devices (AACs) and speech-to-text/text-to-speech tools can be hugely beneficial for autists. Similarly, gamified learning can be used to encourage autists to learn through the use of educational games which can help autists who struggle in a classroom setting. While studying for my leaving cert French oral, I used to study my notes while I played Mario Kart, which somehow made the information stick a lot better in my memory 😂🙈
  • Life skills– the internet is filled with useful apps and videos that can help teach autists valuable life skills that they struggle with in the real world such as personal hygiene, cleaning, map reading, cooking and shopping. Online shopping has been a complete gamechanger for me as I can shop peacefully with no pressure or risk of sensory overload
  • Specialist interests– having access to a screen enables autists to easily explore their specialist interests which can further help them to regulate when overstimulated. Back in the early days of dial up internet, I would happily spend a couple of hours waiting on a page to slowly load on the ABBA website just to read the historical chart information for all of my favourite songs. I would have bored everyone senesless with ABBA facts had I access to a mobile phone back in the 90s! 🤣
  • Executive function- planners, reminders, alarms and body doubling ADHD apps (such as Dubbi) can be very useful to help autists who struggle with organization

However, there are also many negative implications for autists that overindulge in screen time:

  • Overstimulation– excessive exposure causes over stimulation of the brain, increasing stress levels and disregulating emotions
  • Addiction– as previously discussed, autists can be prone to addictive behaviours. As screens are highly addictive for neurotypicals, the risk can be even higher for an autist
  • Cyberbullying– autists are often an easy target for bullies, and granting them access to social media unchecked can have disastrous consequences. Growing up in the early era of social media, I didn’t know how to act appropriately online and often emulated those around me without thinking. This autistic tendency for masking and mimicry got me into hot water a couple of times, but if I were unsupervised and allowed to emulate the way users behave today, things would have been so much worse
  • Decreased focus and sleep issues– overuse of screens can impair concentration and attention spans for autists, which may be already impacted by co-morbid ADHD. The blue light emitted from these devices can also disrupt sleep patterns which are often dysregulated for autists. Sleep and screens is often an issue for me, especially if I have been watching content at double speed (it’s like listening to fast speech revs up the speed of my inner monologue which can overstimulate me before bed)

Some studies have also suggested that there is a link between screen usage before 2 years of age and the risk of developing autism, buuutttt it doesn’t look like this link is causal. Perhaps the link is coincidental given how virtual autism manifests.

As with most things in life, moderation is key for autists when interacting with screens. There’s no set amount of hours that one can follow, but monitoring your child’s screen use and it’s impact on their behaviour will help you determine how long is too long.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Virtual Autism

Greetings Earthlings!

This week I’d like to talk about a new type of autism that is emerging- virtual autism!

Em… what on earth is that?

No, it’s not some kind of futuristic disease or new computer virus. The reality of this condition is far more concerning.

Virtual autism is being used to describe a growing trend of developmental delays in children that mimic autism due to excessive digital device usage. In other words, screen usage is causing children to falsely present as autistic!

The term was first coined in 2018 by Romanian psychologist Marius Zamfir to describe behavioral abnormalities observed in children between the ages of 0 and 3 resulting from a lack of motor, sensory and social stimulation after spending >4 hours a day in a virtual environment. Symptoms observed  include communication issues, social withdrawal, lack of eye contact, attention problems, sleep issues, physical inactivity, and developmental delays which overlap with the early signs of classic autism. Similarly, other studies have backed up these observations by confirming the presence of autism like symptoms in toddlers that used electronic screens excessively.

Whilst the condition is too new to be recognized as a genuine diagnostic form of autism, experts are nonetheless warning parents about the risks and dangers of virtual autism. The good news is that unlike other forms of autism, virtual autism is easily preventable by monitoring and restricting screen usage. Similarly, virtual autism can be reversed and improved in most cases by reducing screen time, encouraging face to face interaction and playing with toys. The brain is highly adaptable, especially in childhood, so fear not if you think your child is showing signs of virtual autism. If you are unsure if your child is truly autistic or showing signs of virtual autism, cutting out excessive screen usage is a good first step to rule out virtual.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Autism assessments for trans kids?

Greetings Earthlings!

Leading on from my previous post about gender identity and autism, this week I’d like to discuss NHS proposed guidelines in the UK where children who are referred to gender clinics will also be assessed for neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and ADHD.

But is this a good thing?

While some people believe that this is part of the growing anti-trans agenda in the UK, the majority feel that this is a positive step for the autistic community as experts estimate that trans patients could be 3-6 times more likely to be diagnosed as autistic. As such, it’s important that gender dysphoric patients are properly assessed so that they can be fully supported. This is especially important given the long term ramifications if a patient transitions but their dysphoria was a temporary product of their autism.

I have read many stories over the years from families with undiagnosed autistic kids who identified with trans ideology as they did not feel like they fit in. These children then began the transitioning process, only to find that after an autism diagnosis, they no longer felt at odds with their birth gender. Statistics among de-transitioning patients are difficult to estimate, but studies have found that as many as 15-20% of these are autistic.

It’s actually quite common for neurodiverse children to temporarily disassociate from their bodies as they naturally approach puberty. In my own case, I often felt that life would be so much easier if I could just click a button around 9 years of age (after having the dress up experience of one’s first holy communion of course 😂🙈) to switch genders as being a man seemed so much better than the realities of womanhood. Other than these passing thoughts as an undiagnosed kid, I have never ever felt at odds with my gender. Despite being quite tomboyish in my younger days, my friends describe me as quite feminine in my 30s with a wardrobe that’s bursting with dresses. Were 9 year old Aoife to express such thoughts today, I would likely be landed in a gender clinic being assessed for gender dysphoria, when what I really needed was an autism assessment.

Whilst many autists may be genuinely transgender, we need to do due diligence in gender assessments to ensure that no decisions are rushed. In my opinion, this is an excellent plan from the NHS to ensure that autists and people with gender dysphoria are getting the best care possible.

On the other hand, this proposal begs the question as to why similar guidelines have not been recommended for other conditions that are often co-morbid with autism. Many people who are assessed for ADHD are receiving subsequent autism diagnoses. Overlap is estimated to be as high as 80%, yet an autism assessment is not always considered during ADHD assessment. Moreover, it’s thought that 23-32% of patients with eating disorders are also autistic, an issue that is quite common for undiagnosed women, yet autism assessments are not factored into treatment. These co-morbid issues impact an arguably higher number of autists than gender dysphoria, yet patients are generally not co-screened for autism.

A larger conversation is clearly needed around co-occurring mental health and neurodiversity if we want to properly support the autistic community.

Hope you enjoyed my post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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