“I thought that I can’t be autistic, I really care about people. It’s really embarrassing to even say this now because it’s such a mistaken idea.”
When Charlotte’s autistic friend suggested to her that she too could be on the spectrum, she laughed it off at first
As a child, Charlotte was always seen as eccentric and living in her own world, but no one inquired about it. Her brother, who has ADHD, drew more attention because adults wanted to stop what they saw as his disruptive behaviour
At the time autism would rarely have been considered as a diagnosis for girls
Matters are slowly changing. This week a new report showed that there was an explosive growth in autism diagnoses in England between 1998 and 2018, largely owing to an increase in recognition
The rise has been greater in women than men
Charlotte isn’t alone in her experience
The 50 autistic people who spoke to the Times told similar stories of searching for answers, often for decades; being dismissed by healthcare professionals and struggling as they failed to fit the stereotypes of autism
One in a hundred people are on the autism spectrum. Yet the term still conjures up images of white boys lashing out or deep-diving into train timetables
What’s it really like to be diagnosed with autism in adulthood?
For Florence Leslie, it helped to put something previously intangible into words and allowed her to fully embrace being herself thetimes.co.uk/article/women-…
“I felt misunderstood at school and was desperate for a fresh start at university”
“My biggest sense of failure still came from feeling socially isolated, and the harder I tried to fit in, the more cheerful I tried to appear, the more distant I felt”
“Post-diagnosis, I finally had a name for this experience: masking, where autistic people, usually women, try to mask how being autistic can affect them.”
Historically, autism has been seen as a male condition, and estimates of the ratio of autistic males to females have ranged from 16:1 to 2:1
The present gender split is estimated to be 3:1 or 2:1
Some of that may reflect underlying biological factors that make autism more prevalent in men, but “The ratios have shifted because more girls are now included in terms of diagnosis.” thetimes.co.uk/article/women-…
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British 16 and 17-year-olds are more patriotic than the public overall, but are indifferent about the monarchy, according to a new poll ⬇️
The second part of research for The Sunday Times found that 49% say they are proud of their national identity, while 10% say they are ashamed, a net positive score of 39. Across the population as a whole, 45% are proud while 15% are ashamed, a net score of 30
Despite their national pride, however, these teenagers are no great fans of the royal family. Almost a quarter – 27% – support abolishing the monarchy, while 24% oppose it. Meanwhile 35% say they neither support nor oppose it, and 15% say they don’t know
🔺EXCLUSIVE: Tommy Robinson charging £28 a minute as personal coach to far right.
The self-styled ‘fearless British activist’ is advising clients on issues including protesting, evading infiltration and ‘investigating’ local mosques. Read the full story below
The far-right activist Tommy Robinson is making thousands of pounds charging his followers for video consultations offering “expert advice” on anti-Islam activism
Robinson, 42, who co-founded the English Defence League (EDL), has used a personal mentoring platform to deliver more than 300 sessions in the past two months
🔺EXCLUSIVE: Memos fired off by the monarch to correct grammar and demand single flowers be moved are wrecking morale among staff who are paid as little as minimum wage ⬇️
For 45 years, Highgrove House has been the King’s private home. He still regularly spends several days a week at the house, tending to the exotic flowers and plants that are his pride and joy
In the summer of 2021, Charles quietly signed a deal to preserve his influence over the property when he became King, when they would be due to fall into his son’s hands
🔺EXCLUSIVE: Zia Yusuf is returning to Reform UK just 48 hours after resigning as the party’s chairman and will take up a new role following peace talks with Nigel Farage
In an interview with The Sunday Times, the 38-year-old businessman said his decision to quit was a “mistake”, the result of “exhaustion” and working for 11 months “without a day off”
He was speaking alongside Farage, who said Yusuf will now effectively be doing “four jobs”, although his formal title has not been decided
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: A Liberal Democrat MP has been refused entry to Hong Kong to visit her newborn grandson
Wera Hobhouse, 65, flew to the Chinese region — a British territory until 1997 — on Thursday but was held at airport security, questioned and put on the first flight home five hours later
She had her passport confiscated, was asked about her job and purpose of her trip, had her luggage searched and swabbed, and was then escorted to the boarding gate by four immigration officers