Comedians Hannah Gadsby and Josh Thomas and musician Alex The Astronaut are autistic. Authors Em Rusciano and Clementine Ford have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). What these celebrities have in common is that they all found out as adults that they are neurodivergent. In 2018, Autism Spectrum Australia revised its prevalence rates for autism from one in 100 to one in 70, and ASA says there is "anecdotal evidence" that suggests more people are being diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Around 1 in every 20 Australians has ADHD, and it is more common in boys. We chat to four Hunter residents who also received diagnoses in their adulthood.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Claire Flynn, 42, has worked as a registered nurse for 19 years, predominantly in hospitals. She is currently working in occupational health nursing for flexible hours - she's a single mum to two primary-aged daughters. She was diagnosed with ADHD at 39.
Overall, my memory of childhood is through rose-tinted glasses. My sister and I were privileged to live with our parents on the north shore of Sydney on a street filled with friends I still have today.
My memory of primary school is predominantly focused on sensory details rather than education: the flaccid meat pies from tuck shop; the arthritically bent fingers of my kindergarten teacher as she played the piano, the Kylie Mole sticker on our Year 4 classroom window (we would scribble on to get the ink going in our pens once we obtained the coveted Pen License); and boys chasing the girls to put "itchy powder" from the Liquid Ambers down the back of our uniforms.
Transitioning from primary school into a large Catholic girl's school was overwhelming. I flew under the radar academically, accompanied by report cards written by increasingly frustrated teachers stating I would benefit from paying attention and putting in more effort.
I struggled a lot in school. Unfortunately if something isn't interesting or beyond my comprehension it goes in one ear and out the other. My coping strategy was to cram as much study in at the last minute and make notes as visually appealing as possible.
When it was confirmed it was an an enlightening moment as it explained so many of my idiosyncrasies and struggles throughout my life.
- Claire Flynn
Away from the classroom I was able to make friends easily and was told I was funny. I was aware I was the quirky kid who said funny things. I knew the words to every song on the radio however couldn't remember my times tables. I was overwhelmed by large groups so would shutdown and be quiet.
When I was 39 a close friend messaged to say she had been diagnosed with ADHD. Due to a lack of insight regarding adult ADHD, my initial reaction was shock.
I listened to a podcast she recommended and began to realise how many symptoms resonated with me: A life of forgetfulness, daydreaming, disorganisation, rejection sensitive dysphoria, hyper-focusing on 90s music, leaving study until the final hour, being able to write lengthy letters filled with drawings to friends but not an assignment...it all became clear.
In Newcastle I have experienced difficulties booking different specialists for my children and I, so I asked my GP to write a referral for a psychiatrist in Sydney.
He made a diagnosis based on combining the results of The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1), a discussion with me and school reports.
It has been an expensive process. I attend a billing GP for referrals, a private psychologist and a private psychiatrist for prescriptions. You need proof of symptoms before 19 years of age (in my case school reports) to be legible for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme otherwise it's $120 per month for the medication I take. It's possible to go through the public system however waiting periods are lengthy.
I decided to be assessed for diagnosis because I was curious and hoped there was a reason why I was considered "lazy" and distracted.
When it was confirmed it was an an enlightening moment as it explained so many of my idiosyncrasies and struggles throughout my life.
I consider that period as waking up. Knowing symptoms such as poor memory are part of ADHD helped to reduce the shame I have carried thinking I'm hopeless.
I read somewhere that having ADHD is like having 100 tabs open in your browser.
For me, it's fluid. Sometimes I notice the tiniest details which will distract me from a train of thought, then there's what is referred to as hyper focusing where you become so engrossed in a particular activity you completely lose track of time, then there's completely zoning out.
Take today as an example. Once I had dropped my children to school, all I wanted to do was make sure the dishes were done before a visitor arrived. As I approached the sink I saw scraps of fruit from when I was making the lunches. I picked them up to put them in the bin. The bin bag was full so I took it outside. I saw a plant with wilted leaves. So I got the hose and watered the garden. The dog trotted past with a suspicious look so I searched the rooms to discover a wee on the carpet. I began cleaning it up and realised she goes in the same spot every time. I looked online for ways to fix this. Then checked Instagram. Needless to say, the dishes were still dirty when my visitor arrived.
I would consider it multitasking if I were able to complete a task.
Alternatively, tomorrow I can be the complete opposite and smash out a couple month's worth of life administration in a few hours then build a fence.
I'm very aware of distractions completely upending my sense of time so I try to keep all personal notifications on silent.
I take an extended release stimulant medication Lisdexamfetamine. It's taken the past few years trying different meds and doses. It has helped a lot with my memory and executive functioning. I wouldn't say medication eradicates symptoms, but it definitely helps to co-ordinate coping tools such as calendars, filing systems and minimising the amount of time you spend looking for your keys while you're holding your keys.
I'm like a jack-in-the-box when required to sit still throughout a stage show or in the cinema. Fortunately there are now tools such as fidget toys and wobble chairs available for both kids and adults when required to stay still and focus. Hopefully schools are more open to using these strategies than the 80s and 90s. Telling someone with ADHD to "sit still" is not too dissimilar to standing on the beach and yelling at the waves to stop.
What are the positives of ADHD? Friends have told me I notice the small things. We joke about being distracted by shiny objects and dogs with fluffy tails, however it's not always to our detriment. I'd rather notice a flock of rainbow lorikeets outside the window now and then than live with blinkers on.
If something is important to me and I have the tools, I'm able to complete multiple tasks within a short period of time. This is contradictory to me saying earlier I can't complete a task. Welcome to my brain.
I think ADHD has lead to my creativity. Admittedly most projects started with gusto remain unfinished. If you're interested in some half finished paintings, I have a collection.
If you consider it a strength, you'll be taken on a rollercoaster of emotions while being told a story that goes on several side quests on the way to the point of the story.
I'm still working on impulsivity in regard to interrupting people when speaking. I've found myself physically putting my hand over my mouth to stop myself from saying something while someone is mid-sentence.
There is most certainly a stigma around being neurodivergent.
I'm very cautious who I tell purely based on how I have heard people negatively speak about ADHD. Hearing Celeste Barber, Hannah Gadsby and Em Rusciano speak openly about their diagnoses has given me confidence.
It pains me to still hear people on the radio or social media using various mental health diagnoses in a derogatory fashion, or saying they've made a mistake as they're "a bit ADHD".
I feel positive things will improve over time and I'll be able to work more efficiently with ADHD.
Patience has been key to surrounding myself with people I trust. The friends I value are able to gently nudge me along if I've forgotten to organise my part of a group activity, or understand if I haven't replied to a message it isn't malicious.
It has brought my friends and I closer understanding why we have always had particular eccentricities and were drawn to each other's personalities.
Nicci Richman, 48, was diagnosed with ADHD after founding her business Audir (which means 'to listen' in Latin), in 2019. Audir educates and works with companies to harness the strengths of all employees, and helps support neurodivergent employees to utilise their strengths and advocate for themselves. Last year the mother of two and political science and sociology graduate was also diagnosed as autistic.
Five years ago, when my daughter was 10, we learnt that she was autistic, and had ADHD, and I threw myself into learning as much as I could. I realised there is so much people don't understand, so much misunderstanding and stigma around neurodivergent people.
At first I wanted to start a school but I thought stick with what you know, and workplace and organisation development is my thing. So I founded Audir and set about wanting to make a change in the world of work for neurodivergent people and specifically employees.
As I learnt more about my daughter and immersed myself in all those things I started to see aspects of myself which might be neurodivergent, and as you have children and your life becomes more complex the deficits become more easily seen. Things like strapping my handbag in the car seat and leaving a child on the pavement, putting my mobile phone in the freezer, or my phone on the bonnet of the car and driving away.
When you first learn about your child's diagnosis, professionals talk to you about it being a problem, it's really problem-focused. It leaves the child feeling alone and as if they want to change. I then learnt about the Neurodivergence Paradigm and switched my thinking because I didn't want them to feel like that. I drew a whole table for our family, so when I am stressed, I need this, or that. By drawing the table, I realised everyone in my family was a person with different needs, there was not a single person with a problem. I started to see more clarity with myself and looking at ADHD.
I am a bit of a purist around the language of neurodiversity. To provide some clarity, neurodiversity refers to the diversity of human minds, with every single brain being different.
Neurodivergent is talking about those with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and other conditions.
The Neurodivergence Paradigm recognises that all brain variations are valuable, and all have something to bring to the world and there will be deficits that need supporting but they are not problems. And that changed the whole way of thinking because it changes the whole therapeutic approach.
When I was diagnosed with ADHD I felt really proud because it showed me through a lens - I had created tools and strategies to support the ADHD without even realising it. I could see where my ADHD gave me a lot of strengths in the workforce and also areas where I would better support myself to improve in the workplace.
My sister was saying perhaps you shouldn't be so forthright [about my autism] but my response was, 'If I can't speak up, how will the world ever change?'
- Nicci Richman
Last year I started thinking that ADHD didn't describe everything for me. ADHD and autism overlap, there's a high correlation so I do feel more ADHD-led than autistic -ed.There is a brilliant person I have worked with for my daughter and I was talking to her and she said I can't diagnose you, but I recognise my neuro-kin.
I contacted a specialist doctor which led to five-part process to receiving an autism diagnosis.
At the time I was really happy, and that was partly because I was meeting so many cool neurodivergent people - I felt like hey, I'm part of this cool club, this is great, it was a sense of belonging.
Over time, there is also grief and there are times when I have done myself a disservice by telling people I am autistic because it is really sad. My sister was saying perhaps you shouldn't be so forthright but my response was, 'If I can't speak up, how will the world ever change?'
Some people really embrace the information and see my strengths, and there are others who treat me differently and view me as somehow less than them.
I guess part of the grief is from the confusion, trying to look back and trying to understand who is me and when I have masked [Note: Masking is a word used for when people with autism learn, practice, and perform certain behaviours and suppress others in order to be more like the people around them].
There's an element of grief in that I don't want to feel shame or misunderstanding and I don't want any child to experience that. I want it to be easy for them.
My working memory is not great, so I write heaps of notes and mind maps when talking to people and that is also really a great problem-solving and innovation tool, so I come up with outcomes people hadn't thought of and notice things others don't. I'll have noise cancelling headphones because I am distracted more easily and transitioning from task to task is painful, you can lose time.
My strengths are that I can connect information and find solutions quickly, and my ADHD means I make action happen, I can't stand it when people talk and there are no outcomes.
Because of my memory I can't stand complexity, I'm good at coming into a workplace and streamlining things and it's just good practice. If you create a workplace that supports neurodivergent people it also supports everyone, it's creating a great workplace.
My daughter and I aren't keen on our diagnoses being seen as a superpower as it sets you apart. We want it to be a part of the world. I understand for some kids when they are being bullied that they say it is a superpower to give them something to hold on to, though.
The world would be very boring if we didn't have neurodivergent people. You look at everything that has been invented, every startup, the art that comes into the world - they are neurodivergent people, taking risks, forging out on their own because they are not understood.
Some of them bring loyalty and consistency to the workforce and if you have training to support that they will stick around forever. The challenge is that the workplace isn't set up to provide the length of training for some people to process everything but if workplaces can invest more in that area of training they would recoup that money many times over.
We have got to work on busting the stigma and stereotypes because even those with the best of intentions will say some really wrong stuff and people are still frightened to disclose because of that fear because the person recruiting will say 'in the too hard basket' because they don't understand. My focus is developing and delivering education around those misunderstandings.
Sometimes the society that we have got makes it harder than it should be. For me, most of the time it is my identity - it's like, this is me, this is what I bring, and we stop there. We are seeing more people being diagnosed and I feel, particular with kids, they are nervous system-led and the world is full on.
There are lots of people who wouldn't have been diagnosed in the old days and they were happy on the farm without the sensory onslaught that there is now. That's why we can make the sensory experience kinder so people can work to their strengths.
I love autistic communication style - there is no filter. People will be performance managed for that style of communication, as opposed to 'Great, they can't lie and they are ethical!'. I mean, why wouldn't you want to embrace it?
Jess Kellar is a neurodivergent artist and autism advocate. She is a PhD candidate investigating the female phenotype of autism through research-led creative practice. She received an Academic Career Pathway scholarship from the University of Newcastle and is interested in pursuing art and research. She loves drinking coffee, lifting heavy things, bike riding, and plays soccer at Argenton Football Club.
As a kid, I was similar to how I am now - extra shy and quiet. I loved just running around half naked and doing art, playing, and reading stories with mum. I was pretty imaginative but pretty passive and compliant. But I felt different. I could speak but I was so shy.
At preschool one day everyone was busy and my lunchbox was high up on a shelf and I couldn't ask anyone about it, mum picked me up and I hadn't eaten or drank all day and she got mad at the teachers for ignoring me.
I had experiences of being there in the group but feeling separate. I really struggled to connect and I couldn't verbalise. I have done some research and the term I think they would have used which back in my day was shyness now they would say anxiety but the autism term is selective mutism. I don't feel it was selective, that implies you are selecting not to speak, but I would say it's anxiety where you freeze.
I did pretty well in high school academically but I just started to lose it a bit in Year 11 and 12, when you are supposed to gear up to figure up what to do.
I was burnt out trying to hold it together for so long and you separate from your peers when you realise you are different. It was a combination of you are not a kid anymore and you are trying to juggle multiple worlds, your school world, your sports, trying to work a part-time job in hospitality and retail and you are not quite independent. I was always in the younger side of my year, so some were getting licences, boyfriends, starting to have sex and I wasn't connecting, just feeling more excluded and not happy. I was just lost.
I think I have owned it. You get to a point of, 'This is me, that's that, you try and work with me, and I will with you.'
- Jess Kellar
I had a fantastic art teacher in high school and that kept me going, and soccer was a protective thing but I struggled to stay on top of things. I can't work at Burger King until 12am and get up at 7am and have my work done and make it to school. I didn't know how to figure it out or the words, I got quite depressed and anxious and started getting restrictive with my eating.
No one said, 'You have depression'. Being pretty good at school, to maybe drop from A to B or to drop off in a grade, that was my way of communicating. But it was like 'she's fine,' I wasn't going to get suspended. Maybe people didn't realise because I was appearing to be ok. The giveaway was I'd lost a lot of weight, instead of verbalising.
I feel like the majority of my 20s was getting lost.
I had a stage three melanoma and that changed my trajectory. I was like, 'I am going to go do Disneyland and New York to meet my cousins'. I saw lots of art and had a great time. It also gave me confidence to pursue my art.
Leading up to my autism diagnosis I was severely depressed and upset that I was failing at life in every area. I started to become suicidal.
I tried public and private health care services and plans but was going in circles. I had a lot of speculated and semi-formal diagnoses from health professionals, but none really fit.
At uni I was getting rubbish marks in fine arts and I was devastated but then I started to sell paintings and win prizes so I was in this confused cycle of winning and failing.
My autism diagnosis came from disaster: I ended up in a mental health unit at the bottom of the bottom. I'd tried to do therapy, medication and it was like spinning wheels, getting worse and losing hope. I had given it all and it wasn't enough.
Mum and Dad became more involved and Mum found a social worker from Carers NSW who was like a fairy god mother. She helped me get an assessment.
Mum had come across [autism and ADHD educator] Sue Larkey who explained autistic girls, especially like ASD1, are shy, sensitive, into storytelling and art and it was pretty much describing me. Mum was like, 'Oh my gosh, that's Jess!'
I got a formal assessment and diagnosis of ASD. Getting everyone on the same page was important - my diagnosis enabled me to get the right help.
It has taken some time to find the right people and supports, but I have been in a much better place since.
One of the good things about getting a diagnosis is finding words that explain what you have experienced because then you can tell someone else and explain it. Like 'executive functioning'.
I think it's really hard when you are in the in-between spaces and you don't fit but you try to fit - it's like wearing the wrong size of shoes and you are like man, I want them to fit, I can try and you shove them in, and then when you get the perfect fit it's a like a whole new world.
I've had cancer and have asthma. I have depression and anxiety and take medication for that, so if you have autism or ADHD, what's any different?
People don't like labels but it's no big deal. It's just a name, a description.
For me, a lot of being autistic is internal, that's where art is really helpful. Whatever is inside comes out and is visible, so if someone doesn't understand my words, I will try art or analogies or share an article and try and compare or invite them to like a page that is insightful.
Doing my honours year was initially tough but once I settled in, the staff were amazing. My diagnoses enabled me to get extensions.
I outted myself in the end and it was empowering when it was all out there.
With autism, there can be positive skills or different ways of thinking that are valuable and set you apart.
No-one taught me to do art, but it came easy. Traits associated with autism, like attention to detail, and repetition can turn that into persistence and passion.
Autism is still largely invisible on the outside so you may have to put in extra energy to explain. If people don't get you, it can end a friendship, others turn into amazing angels.
I think I have owned it.
You get to a point of, 'This is me, that's that, you try and work with me, and I will with you.'
I do think if I was a kid, if I had a diagnosis would I get support or be pushed down? Like I did advanced classes and would see peers going on to be doctors and lawyers and think, 'Man, I used to beat you!' Would I have got there with support?
I get exhausted by trying to mask [a term when an autistic person will practice, and perform certain behaviours and suppress others in order to be more like the people around them]. There are so many things you do that you don't realise you are doing. Then you unpack and think what is my actual authentic action because I did what I was supposed to do rather than what I wanted to do.
My buddies who I met through soccer has been one of the best experiences for me.
Soccer is on three times a week so you see your mates three times a week and you are doing an activity with rules and structure but you still get to chat - it's low-key social.
When I first played there a lot of the players who lived on campus, they were from country towns across NSW, then we had Norwegians, Americans and Canadians. Everyone was an outsider and I find I connect with outsiders.
Nick Getley, 37, is a disability support worker at Includa and a film student at Newcastle Film School. He was diagnosed with autism at 34. He lives with his fiance (a support worker with an ADHD diagnosis) and their six-month-old daughter in Lake Macquarie.
I have ideas to launch my own company in the support space and programs and it's something i think only I can do.
As a child I heard a lot of the time, whether it was a compliment or not, that I was weird, quirky or eccentric. I'd have bouts of being outspoken and outgoing and then very, very shy. I remember my third birthday party, being aware that I should be reacting to presents and people arriving but feeling an immense pressure in not knowing how to behave. I remember my dad being stressed about things I would do as he didn't know how to react, and mum was reassuringly saying, 'He's eccentric and sensitive'.
I've always had different interests. I was reading Stephen King novels in Year 3, other kids were bringing Where's Wally and I was bringing Misery. I was reading at an adult level.
I didn't want to be a kid when I was a kid. I would struggle with basic maths but I would be able to play a guitar the first time I picked it up because I would watch Rage and memorise where the guitarists' hands were.
I was doing [a Bachelor of] Arts at the University of Newcastle and I had just a really awful kind of 12 months, a whole heap of things happened, and I withdrew.
I saw a therapist, which I believe a lot of people should do, and I was lucky to have a great network of friends who helped me and I rebuilt things one at a time.
I drifted through my adult life - lengths of employment and unemployment, friendships constantly changing.
I would struggle with basic maths but I would be able to play a guitar the first time I picked it up because I would watch Rage and memorise where the guitarists' hands were.
- Nick Getley
I couldn't hold a relationship and I put my hands up and just tried to accept it, like 'I'm a good guy to be with for a short period of time, I'm fun but not a horse you would bet on.'
I saw an employment consultant and he was really kind. He said, 'Do you feel like there's just something not adding up?' and asked me questions like, 'Do you struggle with relationships, prioritise things differently and communicate differently?'. He said it might be of benefit to get assessed.
I didn't know until I became a support worker but autistic people don't have a base level. They are fine with something one day, the next day awful. It can be sensory or cognitive.
I would go to work and have brilliant, unparalleled days and then go and struggle completely. I worked in retail at Payless Shoes at Charlestown and the easiest things, like putting away a size 9 women's shoe into a space, I just couldn't do it. But I was so good at other aspects of other jobs I was able to hold it. It was the same at Cash Converters. I couldn't organise the warehouse but I was making them so much money.
It becomes exhausting.
I went to my GP and asked, 'Is there something that can help because I struggle every day...' He told me that I needed to get assessed.
I had to find someone to take me on, it took months and months of searching. The pandemic didn't help.
My [autism] diagnosis brought a rollercoaster of emotions. Relief for having an answer, then sadness as well. My body had a response, I started to cry. I am a crier, I'm fine with that, it wasn't necessarily sad news.
I told my fiancee and she couldn't have been better, she knew exactly how to help me through it. My mother was great, she reminded me of childhood things, like I was stimming, I would hum constantly. The other family members were responses ranging from, 'No you don't because you are sociable,' and that whole thing of 'We are all on the spectrum', which is negating what I had been through.
I told Includa, and I said that it helps me relate to my clients. I have met kids at 13 or so who despite all the wonderful support through their parents thought they would never get a job or be able to live independently. To some of them I have become a hero to and all I am doing is having a job and guiding them through life and school.
I have the Autistic Legends Alphabet book and I read that to some kids that I work with. You know, H is for Hannah Gadsby, B is for Bill Gates and it talks about what they have achieved.
Includa gets people and we have mentors we can speak to so if I am having a rough day we can reschedule, we have mentor sessions, they are so flexible and truly understand me. I am so lucky to have them as my employer.
When I was 24 I worked at JBHiFi and I had kids coming in and I had no idea they were on the autism spectrum. They seemed quiet but because I had video games I would organise social games and their parents would say [their kids] only wanted to talk to me. I was tagged on a post on Facebook and someone was asking, 'Does anyone know Nick who worked at JB HiFi and Cash Converter, he is working as a support worker'. There were 100 really lovely comments. That was awesome.
The honest truth is right now I have never been happier. I am getting by and I'm not swimming in cash but I have a beautiful daughter, an amazing fiancee, I am employed. I am a lot kinder to myself now and not pushing myself too hard. Diagnosis definitely brought closure.
A lot of my family don't talk about it and I think it's because they don't know how. I feel like my family accept the interpretation of me that they have. I would like to have a conversation because I would get closure from it and it would help them too.
Looking back, I have done things my whole life, even as a young child, that are unique and some things people wouldn't have been able to have done. If someone said to me, 'You have a super power!' I would have really been into that - I was definitely into super heroes.
If you are not neurotypical, you won't have a typical life. It sounds silly, but for better and for worse, so many interesting things can happen. We are finding out that some people who are really good at what they do, I mean Bill Gates, Quentin Tarantino, are on the spectrum.
It's not something you hear about autistic people, but I am in tune with people. I have huge empathy and it helps me with my job.
I have an innate musical ability and ability with computers and I am able to be self taught at a lot of things. I built my own website, I am learning video game development, some of it is TAFE learning, some is self-taught.
Maintaining friendships and navigating friendships through the online age is hard because people don't say what they mean and I am very literal. I would prefer if people were honest to the point of being blunt.
There are specific social groups set up [for those on the autism spectrum] and they are great because it encourages people to try new things. When you are trying to fit in with neurotypicals ...I mean, I never, ever wanted to watch NRL. Growing up, nobody wanted to watch Black Sabbath live concerns with me on VHS.
There's definitely still a stigma around neurodivergence, but there's conversation and that is so important. We have fantastic shows like Love on The Spectrum. There are things happening and it's getting better.
A big part of it is people as adults that have been diagnosed as adults, it will bridge a lot of gaps and start a lot of conversations.
My daughter is my biggest achievement and will continue to be. I know that I am a great dad.
It's great more people are coming out [as neurodivergent]. Everyone needs role models. Personally I can't wait until one of my favourite professional wrestlers is on the spectrum.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
IN THE NEWS
- End of a musical era: Lizotte's to hit the market
- How two Hunter boys saved the day in Muswellbrook house fire
- Your guide to what's on in Newcastle and the Hunter this weekend
- Hunter barbershop ice trade accused to be sentenced
- NSW Parliament has become toxic: premier
- Man, 26, facing court on child abuse material charges
- Knights: Anthony Milford primed for clash with former teammates