Help with a study, your everyday challenges

TashaBee

Hi!

I'm currently working on a university project to understand the everyday challenges of people with autism or ADHD and communicating this in a visual outcome to voice these challenges. The project aims to work with neurodivergent people to create a piece of artwork based on real-life experiences and ensure the artwork is authentic to the community's challenges. I want to understand and hear this community's everyday difficulties, for example, food shopping, routines, or communication. This can have the most minor impact on your day, and no answer is wrong. 

If you can help that would be great!
Many thanks 

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surfygoose

I have autism. I’d be happy to help. What do you need to know?

TashaBee

Hey! Thank you for offering to help, my project is to create a piece of artwork based on the real life experiences of people with ADHD and Autism and the everyday challenges. I’m interested in how your autism impacts your everyday life, so like challenges you face such as routines or shopping or clothes. It can be the smallest thing or something major.

No personal information will be used just the experience to inform my outcome! So feel free to share what you’re comfortable with. Thank you!

surfygoose

My autism impacts all parts of my life I guess because it means I need 24/7 care in a care home. It affects things like I can’t tie shoe laces or do up belts or buttons because of my coordination. I can’t shave my own face or cut nails and I need help with my bath. It means I need to have a one to one staff with me when I go outside and a home that is secure because my autism causes wandering off. It means a lot of overnight support so that it was too much for my parents to be able to manage at home. Having routines is important and knowing my timetable for the week. Loud or unexpected noises are hard and I don’t manage my emotions well. I need a lot of sensory input, being given the right toys at the right time to help me.
it means I can talk sometimes but that other times I can’t talk and have to use an app to help me communicate.
It also meant I was kept in locked wards a lot because my autism made me that my behaviour is difficult to be managed and so it was hard for people to find the right care home for me with enough trained staff and different equipment.
On the other hand although it causes a lot of struggles, I am a very friendly and caring person and always praised for being helpful because I always get involved trying to join in as much as I can, helping the staff with the cooking and doing my laundry together and helping clean my room. Also my autism made me really good at writing and so I get to do lots of good work helping with staff training about autism and I write very good presentations.

TashaBee

Thank you so much for taking the time and for providing so much detail, it’s really helpful and interesting to learn more about autism too from a true and authentic perspective and I can show this in my work too. It must be really challenging at times and hopefully what I can educate people with using my project. 

If you’re happy for me to, I’ll keep in touch and let you know the final outcome of the project. Again thank you for taking the time, it’s been incredibly helpful.

surfygoose

My pleasure. Yes I’d love to hear the final outcome of the project.