Sitting around with other mums and bubs at my local mother’s group, I noticed my little bundle of joy was the only one not sitting up. This was the first sign at around 3 months old that there were developmental delays.

It was a long five years, regularly hearing “let’s just wait another two years” and “it’s definitely not Autism”.  As most of her delays were heredity, we had hope that eventually she would outgrow the Global Developmental Delay, just as I had. However, at 5.5 years old my daughter received an Autism level two diagnosis. There was no formal testing done, it was that obvious.

Naturally, I became curious. How did so many therapists and paediatricians get it wrong, for so long?

This is when I started researching the female presentation of Autism and discovered eating disorders are quite common. Approximately 37% of people with eating disorders are Autistic. As someone who suffered from severe anorexia as a teenager, my curiosity immediately heightened. At the age of 41, I decided to go and talk to someone.

Again, through no formal testing, the psych said that I have autistic traits, which everyone does, but not enough to be Autistic. However, his words were ‘You are screaming ADHD’.  I asked him to talk me through it, as I was always a good student and the ‘good girl’ which is not typically associated with ADHD.

Alot started to make sense for me. As an athlete, adventurer, over achiever and an ‘ideal employee’, I am seen as neurotypical because these qualities are deemed to be ‘good’.

I get frustrated that ADHD was never considered in my teenage years, as the possible underlying cause of Anorexia. If it had been, quite possibly, I would have received the support I really needed, rather than a bunch of therapists trying to fix my eating disorder.

Creating more awareness of the linkage between eating disorders and neurodivergence, will hopefully support more young girls to get the support that they really need.

Six months ago, I left my corporate life behind to deep-dive into all things Autism and help make the world a better place for my daughter who is now 10 years old.  A big part of my new journey is starting a business called Nature Moves, running school holiday camps for kids on the Autism Spectrum.  This is my gift to my daughter and her cohort. 

Another part of my journey is to create more education, awareness and support around Autism and all forms of Neurodivergence. All  behaviours present differently, so let’s offer true support for those who need it rather than bury our head in the sand when we see early signs or changes in behaviour. 

Let’s get curious and try to understand what is really going on.

Thanks for sharing your story Lindsay.. You can find out more about Lindsay Keating and the work she does at www.naturemoves.com.au