Episode 21 - Autism Series Part 5 - Autism and Women with Hannah Hayward & Emma Kurran

In Part 5 of the Autism Series, I speak with Hannah Hayward & Emma Kurran about Autism and Women. We discuss differences in presentation between men and women and some of the reasons behind this. We speak about the prevalence of Autism amongst women in the criminal justice system.  Emma provides her lived experiences of how Autism has impacted on some of her occupations. We also touch upon the importance of understanding differences in sensory presentations. 

Emma can be found on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmakurran/ 

Hannah can be found on Twitter: @Hannahlhayward & via her website https://www.hannahhayward.co.uk/ 

Useful Links

Twitter: @GillLoomesQuinn - Autism advocate on twitter

Twitter: @AgonyAutie - Agony Autie  gives honest, raw accounts of her experiences with her physical difficulties and being autistic

YouTube: Neurodiversity – the key that unlocked my world - TED Talk

YouTube: Women and Autism. Towards a Better Understanding | Sarai Pahla - TED Talk

YouTube: Ellen Jones - Autistic women sharing her experiences.

Mumsnet 

Spanning over a decade, Hannah’s extensive work in autism covers research, diagnosis, mentoring, care, training and education. She is highly experienced in delivering gold standard diagnosis of adolescents, adults and children and sees patients and their families both privately and through her ongoing work with primary care trusts. She is in the final stages of completing a PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London on how we can better understand sex differences and similarities in the autism profile. Since 2012, Hannah has been delivering autism psycho-educational workshops with male and female offenders across London prisons. Having been part of a successful bid for government funding in early 2018, she is now partnering with St. Giles Trust to improve service provision for women with mental health and complex support needs in England’s Criminal Justice System. Hannah has dedicated herself to autism research and tirelessly advocates for increased public understanding of women on the spectrum, and indeed the greater well-being of all those with neurodiverse conditions.

 Emma Kurran is a 3D Artist and an Autistic woman. She was diagnosed at 18 years old whilst at university.  She originally trained as a 3D Character Animator and worked on some amazing VFX films, including Jungle Book (2016), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) for a few hectic years, then became a freelance animator and illustrator for a change in pace. She sometimes participates in autism studies at King's College London and once a year delivers a talk to students of MSc Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences about my experience as a woman living with autism.