Many Autistics are “multiply neurodivergent” — that is, having more than one neurologically (brain)-based difference, such as being Autistic and having ADHD or being Autistic and dyslexic. Below are some insights and tips from young adults, members of our team with that lived experience.For our younger peers: * Knowledge is power! It can be really valuable to understand […]
The last few years have seen the rise of a different model of Autism support; a model that focuses on the strengths of the spectrum, as well as peer mentoring, where Autistics support each other through their shared lived experience. We are proud to be one of the groups involved in this paradigm shift, (though […]
By James Cifuentes– I CAN Mentor Queensland Having Autistic mentors when I was growing up would have been a game-changer for me. I had very mixed results in high school. My grades were largely good and my aptitude tests were exceptional, but as I got older and my peers started becoming more and more social, […]
I am very proud of what we’ve created through the I CAN Network since I first laid out the vision for it in my 2013 TEDx talk. We have become Australia’s largest Autistic-led, predominantly Autistic-staffed organisation, providing mentoring to more than 1500 Autistic young people nationwide each year! Inevitably, we get a lot of interest in […]
For many Autistics, our diagnosis is a key moment in our lives. It often changes the way we see ourselves radically. Beyond the event itself, it’s also something we carry with us afterwards, a mirror that can change over time.For this edition of Grapevine, we asked a bunch of Autistics what their diagnosis means to […]
After the awesome response we got from our “Reflecting on Diagnosis” piece, I thought it’d be great to seek out some more #ActuallyAutistic opinions, this time on the subject of special interests. For almost everyone on the spectrum, these play a crucial role in our lives. But how do these interests make us feel?To find […]
by Chris Varney We have a big vision at the I CAN Network: a world that embraces Autism. We focus heavily on the worlds of schools to pursue that vision. In our six years of operation, I’ve worked with many schoolteachers. Bree Huggins, one of our I CAN Regional Managers and a seasoned teacher, embodies the […]
Today we have the privilege of hosting a guest blog by the magnificent Shadia Hancock. Shadia is a young advocate who has only just finished high school, but is already a prominent figure in reshaping perceptions of Autism. I highly recommend checking out their page Autism Actually. The transition from primary school to high school […]
The return to school ‒ and especially the start of high school ‒ can be an anxious time for many Autistic students. It certainly was for me. My attitude at the beginning of Year 7 was ‘please let me survive this’. Like anything, there was a balance of hurdles and wins. It took me a […]
No one has a better understanding of what it’s like to navigate high school as an Autistic student than those of us with firsthand experience. We have 33 Autistic team members at I CAN, and even though the details of our individual journeys might differ, we can all relate in some meaningful way to what […]
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