ASD Unmasked
December International Day of People
with Disability
Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Collection
of Stories
When: 4th of December
2022, 12pm-1pm
Where: Library Courtyard
If you’re interested in joining us,
please RSVP at the bottom of this post!
Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that effects of which affects 1 in 150 people* When
you think of a person with autism you might think of a boy with a fascination with trains and an
avoidance of making eye contact but it’s so much more than that.
Ways ASD can
affect people can include:
- Difficulty
with mood regulation
- Difficulty
socialising
- Sensitivity
to noise, light, and certain textures
- Monotone
speech
- Fixations
on niche topics (also called special interests)
In order to
fit in with the rest of society, people with ASD often have to “mask” which is
a method of camouflaging their symptoms, but it is heavily taxing on the person
and can oftentimes have dangerous consequences. So come join us as our four
books reveal to us their wonderful lives and how Autism and ADHD have shaped the
way they view the world.
If you’d
like to learn more about autism, check out https://www.autism.org.au/what-is-autism/
Human Libraries
is a concept where you can talk to another person about their experiences
relating to a certain topic. It is used to break down prejudices and understand
how and why certain aspects can affect people’s lives.
For more
information, please go to https://humanlibrary.org/about/
*According to ABS 2016b. Survey of Disability,
Ageing and Carers 2015
Meet our Books!
Tom (he/him), ADHD, diagnosed as a
child.
“I’m glad I was diagnosed when I was younger. It’s given me essentially
my entire life to develop coping mechanisms to manage in our society”
Katrina (she/they), ADHD and autism,
diagnosed in her 20s
“It was difficult getting my diagnosis since I’ve been
masking my entire life.”
Mavis (she/her), autism, diagnosed in
her late 40s
“It wasn’t until I hit menopause that doctors started to seriously
consider that I am autistic. It’s really disheartening that it’s taken so long but
it really explains aspects of my life”
Theo (they/them), autism, diagnosed
as a child
“I feel that being autistic makes me more open minded to most things
and gives me the ability to embrace who I am”
Our lovely books will be available for up to 15 minutes each.
If you’re interested in joining us on our Human
Libraries maiden voyage, please RSVP here.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to
contact our events manager, Chris P. Bacon, at:
Email: eventsandprograms@abpl.gov.au
Phone: 130065556
This event was made by Katherine Bonomini, please be nice to them.
