APUK Blog

Account and artwork by Esther Whitney (aka Doctor Doom) In the third trimester, I became all-consumed by anxiety about becoming a mother. It was my first baby and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like, or whether I would cope. The closest comparison I had was my training as a nursery nurse. I expressed my overwhelming anxieties about motherhood to professionals hoping that they would provide some reassurance and support. Unfortunately, I was repeatedly told that they coul

This statement seems to cause some confusion. Some people seem to believe that this refers solely to the cost of privatised healthcare...

by Esther Whitney (artist name: Dr Doom) Having grown up watching Disney movie after Disney movie (such as The Lion King, Dumbo, etc). It’s often portrayed that as soon as a baby is born Mother and baby have this intense gush of love and instantly develop an unbreakable bond. When I gave birth to my daughter, almost 6 years ago, I assumed that we would bond instantly and I would be consumed by this intense flood of love. In reality, our bonding process was completely differe

By Esther Whitney ( artist name: Doctor Doom ) Content overview: Discussion of difficult breastfeeding experience and unsupportive professionals. This painting explores my experience of breastfeeding as an Autistic parent. I have used colour symbolism to represent the spectrum of intense emotions and sensory input I experienced. I had my first baby in 2016, I was extremely anxious, I had nothing to compare Motherhood to. I put a lot of time into researching the benefits of b

By Esther Whitney (artist name: Doctor Doom) Content overview: Discussion of child removed from care, trauma and poor treatment from...

By Autistic Selves After we were first diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), we worked towards total integration of all of...

Autistic people have intrinsic worth but it might not be for the reasons you think… There is an argument I see in the neurotypical world...

Some may think this is fairly obvious coming from this space but the lack of support and resources indicate how invisible we have been. Our association is often mistaken for a support service for parents of Autistic children and we are often met with surprise when we clarify that Autistic Parents UK is for parents who are Autistic themselves and parents to children of all neurotypes. A lot of existing support for Autistic people focuses on children, and adults in residential

Parents sometimes seem to worry about seeking diagnosis for their children, adults may even weigh up the options for themselves. As...

I wanted to write about how the still predominant authoritarian parenting styles of the neurotypical world don’t work for Autistic...

CW: sharing past negative view of Autism Only three years ago I didn’t know much about Autism outside of the mainstream narrative. I knew...

[Video/audio reading available soon] Evidence suggests a strong and trusting relationship between the pregnant person and their midwife...

[Video/audio reading available soon] Having knowledge about pregnancy and birth is important for reducing anxiety and becoming your own advocate. When I spoke with other Autistic parents about this one of the general themes that came up was wishing they knew more about their rights during the transition to parenthood. You are likely to be offered several diagnostic tests during pregnancy from your first appointment with the midwife and continually until the early postnatal p

[Video/Audio reading available soon] You don’t have to spend much time amongst neurodivergent people to come across the term ‘spoons’....

The first 12 weeks of pregnancy (counting from the first day of the last menstrual cycle) is called the first-trimester.

For a long time, Autism, ADHD, dyspraxia and dyslexia were seen as deficits in the functioning of the brain. Normal brains are “right”...

Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) is a “therapy”* for autism that aims to suppress autistic behaviours in children so that they can...

[Video/audio reading available soon] This is not about making the sensory experience of your baby better. This is about making your...