Melanie Sykes have just been diagnosed with autism

It makes me really happy seeing her and Christine McGuinness talking about their diagnosis. As a female with autism, it's hard enough for us to get a diagnosis, then a lot of people think we're lying if we dont fit the stereotypical look of autism.

If we don't look or talk or act like Anne Hegarty, apparently we can't be autistic. I'm happy that there are glam girls speaking up about it.

Also: not saying anne isn't glam... I love that woman.

One size doesn't fit all!

I agree. We are not all like SuBo! But also I do feel that Ms McGuiness would use it to her advantage for self publicity. This is just my opinion from what I have seen of her on the local news website and her instagram page.

Melanie Sykes said she was "celebrtaing" her diagnosis and good for her. I kind of feel like doing the same, to increase awareness that it affects normal, every day people. But at the same time, I'm just normal like everyone else and don't think I should be making a song and dance about it and coming across as "special".  I did fill in the Guardian questionnaire that someone posted on this forum but I'm in two minds about whether I'd like it published or not if they contacted me. Maybe without my real name as i don't want to be Google-able.

I suppose, I can't comment as obviously I don't know them personally but I am glad that when I get my official diagnosis and my parents inevitably say something like 'well you don't look autistic.' ie (i'm not like SuBo or Anne Hegarty) i can show them Christine and Melanie and say, well these women are autistic and I'm very much like them!

Yes I'm hoping my parents have seen about melanie. It's understandably for them been very difficult to talk about it since my diagnosis because autism = weird. 

Yes I'm hoping my parents have seen about melanie. It's understandably for them been very difficult to talk about it since my diagnosis because autism = weird.