About Eliza Jane, author; raising awareness of autistic traits in adults.

With a lifelong passion for books, stories, and the written word, I passed the proofreader training provided by the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders at the end of 2023, but it’s the physical act of writing, creating and sharing information that motivates me to sit at my desk. In a previous life, or at least that’s how it feels, I qualified as a bookkeeper and have a history of working in accounts, credit control and admin. I also qualified as a hypnotherapist (hypnotist in the US) and, while I never practiced, I have an enduring interest in psychology.

In 2018, the direction of my life changed unexpectedly when a curtain that had cast a shadow over my life pulled back and I realised I could be autistic. Following several months of research, I embarked on the journey to diagnosis in 2019.

Three years after the initial assessment, I received my diagnosis, and finally, made some sense of my life experience. People don’t recognise autistic traits in adults ‒the knowledge isn’t there to make the connection ‒ and so, they designate other reasons for what they see. They never question these assumptions because the belief is ingrained. It’s the reason doubters refuse to acknowledge the existence of autistic brains, despite the evidence to the contrary and the harm it causes to those affected.

I wrote Smash the Boulder to bridge the gap in society’s knowledge in the hope of a better future for today’s young autists. They receive more help at school than my generation, but when they leave and go to work, the understanding isn’t there. Worse than that, employers and colleagues often misinterpret their traits leading to condemnation and rejection.

Discrimination exists in many forms, but awareness and understanding of neurodivergence lags other minority groups. We need to correct this because without understanding, there can be no tolerance, and without tolerance, there can be no acceptance.

People often reject autistics because they don’t know that autistic traits can significantly affect anyone on the spectrum, regardless of appearances. Most don’t know the spectrum encompasses the full gamut of intellectual ability leading to misunderstandings and unmet expectations. Society’s lack of awareness often leads to the assumption that autistic people are ‘bad’ neurotypicals needing punishment rather than support.

All autistic people struggle in a neurotypical society and three years is a long time to wait for a diagnosis when your condition or neurotype has not only had a tremendous effect on your life, but continues to do so. It does, however, reflect the exponential demand for assessments in a society that is slowly awakening to the reality of other types of brain function and mental processing. For me, the wait was worth it. I’m proud to be autistic because I refuse to be ashamed of it in an intolerant world and my writing projects now focus on raising autistic awareness and acceptance of our heavily misunderstood neurotype.

If you want to help dismantle the barriers that obstruct autistic people in workplace environments or just receive my monthly ‘feedback on feedback’ newsletter, please drop me a line at:

eliza@awesomescribblersunited.uk

I’d love to hear from you.

Eliza Jane