Autistic Advocate urges Autism Mums to get tested

Autism has a genetic link – Autistic Mum urges other Mums to get tested

Jessica Falconer was 39 years old when she was diagnosed with Autism, “It’s been a life changing experience,” she said. “Understanding my own brain has given me freedom to operate differently in my life. Autism often looks really different in men and women, the diagnostic tools are struggling to keep up. Women are far better at ‘masking’ and actively assessing social queues, this has led to under-diagnosis for many women.”

“I want other ‘Autism Mums’ to consider getting tested. It has given me so much clarity into my brain and how my mind works,” said Jessica Falconer. “It has also made me a better Mum to my son with Autism as I now know when situations or events trigger me, they can also trigger him.”

There is an online test that takes about 10 minutes that can be a helpful guide before talking to a psychologist (https://psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient). Falconer encourages parents to take the test, “I thought it was my husband who was the likely candidate, but after taking the test 25 times in a row, I realized it might be me!”

Falconer has written a children’s picture book, Beth and the Bracelets, based on her own experiences as a child, “I wanted to write about what it feels like to have a meltdown when you have Autism. I didn’t want a Full House book, where everything is better at the end of the episode. Beth is about a girl who is left out and her response. It is honest and real.”

Beth and the Bracelets is being launched at the Children’s Bookstore in Kilbirnie on 4 October 2019.

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