The Autism Awareness Issue

Food

Syncing cycles

A Pontcanna-based nutritionist is helping women manage period pain by changing their diet.

Bloom Nutritional Therapy‘s Angharad Davies promotes “cycle-syncing”, the practice of adjusting women’s diets to match the phases of their menstrual cycle to relieve painful periods.

“Eat foods high in vitamin C to help absorb iron,” says Davies, following a YouGov Report which found that 80% of working women who menstruate have experienced severe period pain.

The nutritionist also suggests eating foods rich in omega 3, such as mackeral and flaxseeds.

“It’s such an impactful thing to do,” she says. “It can be lifechanging. for people.”●

Merthyr’s warm welcome

A church is responding to the rise in fuel poverty by becoming the first place in Merthyr Tydfil to join the Warm Welcome Campaign.

Hope Church Merthyr has registered its Friendship Cafe with the Warm Welcome Campaign, a project that equips UK organisations to offer free, warm spaces.

The church’s pantry coordinator, Heidi Jacobson, hopes the cafe will run every Monday for as long as it is needed.

“Merthyr is experiencing a fuel crisis,” says Jacobson. “So, we offer a place where people can meet and they’re not responsible for the heating bills to do so.”●

Culture

New artists come into Ffocws

Words by Frances Daniels

Anew exhibition is giving emerging photographers a chance to showcase their work at Ffotogallery in Cathays from November.

Ffocws will display the work of 12 up-and-coming photographers, including two artists who were discovered through an open call for photographers with no formal arts qualifications.

Curator Cynthia MaiWa Sitei says that, while the open call produced a lot of strong applicants, Pinar Köksal and Ed Worthington stood out to her the most.

Sitei says, “Pinar’s work is fascinating and raises questions on existentialism whereas Ed’s work consists of well executed, sitespecific shots of Cardiff and his relationship with the location.”

Köksal moved to Cardiff from Turkey just two months ago, and her work is inspired by life cycles and humanity’s connection with the universe. “I see this as the first step of my new life,” says the 33-year-old visual communications designer.

She also thanked Ffotogallery for helping to kick-start her photography

career and for allowing her to be part of “such a beautiful organisation”.

Worthington says his work seeks to find beauty in the ordinary, and admits he was stunned when his work was selected. “The opportunity to have my work displayed in a gallery to a wide audience who would never have seen it before is just incredible,” says the 36-year-old Caerphilly native.

Ten recent graduates will also be showcasing their respective work, including Alice Durham and Laurentina Miksys.

Durham says her work will tackle themes such as isolation and addiction, while Miksys says she uses black-and-white photography to emphasise line, form, and texture.

“The graduates that we saw all presented strong and well executed work,” says Sitei. “I was looking for artists who were going to allow the audience to engage in confronting difficult conversations with their work.”

Ffocws runs from 4 November until 14 January at Ffotogallery.●

Fffotogallery’s new exhbibition, Ffocws, will showcase the work of 12 emerging artists, including those with no formal arts qualifications

Pinar Köksal’s work addresses “everything that provokes curiosity”

Try flaxeeds, says nutritionist.

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Credit:

Credit: Pinar Köksal

Life outside the classroom

Karl Davies had taught art for 20 years and loved it, but he had been contemplating leaving Porth Community School for almost three years.

The Newport native felt the ever-increasing paperwork had become a distraction from helping students realise their full potential, a feeling echoed recently by the National Education Union Cymru’s pending industrial action.

“I think all teachers want what’s best for the students,” says the 51-yearold in a clear, confident voice derived from decades of standing at the front of classrooms. “If they feel that’s changing, they get fiery.”

Karl and his wife began discussing whether he should leave education to spend more time on his paintings. “The idea of leaving a steady job is a big decision for anyone,” says the father of two grown-up children. “I didn’t really know if I wanted to leave.”

However, when opera star Mark Llewellyn Evans hand-picked the Pontypridd-based artist to illustrate his children’s book series ABC of Opera, Karl

gained the self-confidence to leave in 2018.

With no experience of illustrating children’s books, the painter says he turned to Quentin Blake’s simple yet zany illustrations for inspiration. I told myself that I’m going to have to invent my own style,” says the painter, whose fun-filled illustrations are a stark departure from his dark landscape paintings of the Welsh valleys.

ABC of Opera aims to teach children about composers and is published by the Cardiff-based indie Graffeg. The illustrator says that his pre-existing interest in opera helped him to visually capture Evans’s words.

“To me, classical music is the pinnacle of art,” he gushes with a huge smile.

Pencilling in a pandemic Graffeg were so impressed by Karl’s illustrations that they recommended him to broadcaster Roy Noble, who needed someone to illustrate his children’s books.

Although he and Roy collaborated on three books,

they have yet to meet thanks to COVID-19 restrictions.

The self-confessed optimist concedes that the pandemic “slowed everything down”, admitting his biggest disappointment was his scheduled promotional appearance at the Hay Festival being cancelled.

He doesn’t dwell on this memory for too long, though.

“You’ve got to roll with the punches,” he laughs, imitating a boxer’s stance. “When you miss out on an opportunity, believe there’ll be others.”

Next lesson

When Karl had been working on a picture book for Graffeg, the publisher asked him to develop it into a longer book.

Suddenly, he had become an emerging author.

Now writing two books about Welsh history, the writer says that he drew on his teaching experience to write in a way that will both educate and entertain young readers. He believes all teachers should remember that they have the transferrable skills to see them through any career change.

“This may sound pompous,” he says. “But I honestly think a teacher could probably do most jobs in the world.”●

“When you miss out on an opportunity, believe there’ll be others”

Karl Davies left teaching to illustrate and write. Five books later, he’s glad he did

Karl Davies with his paintings of the Welsh valleys

Credit: Frances Daniels

Image Credit: Frances Daniels

Positive diagnosis, bright future

Five years ago, Wales became the UK’s first country to launch a national service for adults seeking an autism diagnosis or support.

The latest data report of the Integrated Autism Service (IAS) found that over half of adults referred to the service were requesting a diagnosis.

However, a recent independent review has now found that demand for an autism diagnosis is outstripping the service’s capacity.

This finding has led to the review asking an important question: Is increasing demand a problem or to be celebrated?

Chris Haines, who works for National Autistic Society Cymru, argues the high demand for assessments reflects a better understanding of autism in Wales. “The myth that women and girls can’t be autistic has been tackled in recent years, so a lot more women and girls are coming forward now,” says the external affairs manager.

Haines also explains that one of the most positive elements of the IAS is that adults can self-refer. Previously, only health professionals

could refer adults for an assessment. “Autistic adults can struggle with communicating their difficulties, and a GP might not pick up on autism,” he says.

Lost generation meets new generation

Many adults who refer themselves to the IAS for a diagnosis may be parents of autistic children, says Yvonne Odukwe of Autism’s Hidden Voices, a Newport-based charity that aims to destigmatise autism in cultural groups across Wales. “I think the majority of adults coming forward for a diagnosis have autistic children, so autism is already normalised,” says the director of the charity.

Odukwe says that as more children are being readily identified as autistic, more parents are realising they may have autism, too. “I think a lot of adults are seeing symptoms in their children which are making them question themselves,” she says.

Gareth Croot was diagnosed with autism in September 2022 and says he sought a diagnosis after his son was diagnosed. “My mother said he was a lot like me when I was little,” says →

Does the high demand for diagnosis signal a positive change in Welsh attitudes towards autism?

the 41-year-old Swansea-based commercial manager and author.

Croot says that the diagnosis explained his dislike of social interaction and the “tantrums” he had as a child.

“I started looking into things more,” he says. “It all started to click.”

Establishing an identity later in life

The review found that over 70% of adults accessing the IAS were aged 18-45. Haines believes that a lot of these adults attended school at a time when autism was not readily identified.

“They’re most likely to have had lower support needs,” he says. “That’s why there’s a pent-up demand of people in their 30s and 40s.”

39-year-old Matthew Enos was diagnosed with autism in October 2022.

Autism “wasn’t really picked up” during Enos’s school days, and he experienced mental health issues throughout his adolescence. At 16, he was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder.

He says he didn’t question whether he had autism until 2018, after his partner discussed the possibility with a relative. “I began to do online tests and was scoring very high, so I referred myself to the IAS,” he says.

While Enos hopes to soon attend aftercare sessions, receiving a full report on his condition is “most important” to him.

“I’d like to read the service’s opinions on where I am on the spectrum and advice for the future,” says the Porth native, who wishes to receive employment advice after experiencing a work environment that was “not sympathetic or understanding” of his disability.

According to Enos, he was pleased with the diagnosis, but also found it bittersweet.

“If you know what you’re dealing with, you’re able to look into it a bit more,” he says. “I do feel a bit sad that it took this long to know what it was I was struggling with.”

Attitudes in Wales

While adults aged between 26-45 were the second largest group accessing the service, the largest age group were young adults (18-25).

According to Haines, young adults may seek a diagnosis during transitional periods, such as starting university.

American-born Kaleigh Leiva first sought a diagnosis when they started university. “I moved out of my parents’ house and was on my own, so I thought that a diagnosis would help me better understand myself,” says the 23-year-old.

However, the cost of a diagnosis in the US deterred them from pursuing an assessment. Once they transferred to Swansea University, however, a diagnosis seemed possible.

With the help of the University’s autism team, they were referred to the IAS in autumn 2019 and diagnosed in April 2021 at age 21. “It was a relief –I finally knew why I was different,” says the Mississippi native.

Leiva believes the perception of autism in Wales is more positive than in the US, and they often wonder if being diagnosed as a child in Mississippi would have had a negative impact.

“I’m from a small town and we don’t have the resources in schools,” they admit. “I don’t even know how I would get a diagnosis in my hometown. Swansea University had autism practitioners. There’s more of an understanding in Wales.”

This increased understanding has led to more adults requesting a diagnosis, so should the overwhelming demand be celebrated?

Judging by the independent review’s recommendations, it should.

The review recommended the service actively engage with underrepresented groups – despite acknowledging it could raise demand.

So, five years from now, increased demand may not only be seen as a problem – it may also be seen as success.●

"I thought that a diagnosis would help me better understand myself"

Image Credits: Kaleigh Leiva (right) Yvonne Odukwe (left)

Above: Kaleigh Leiva in 2020. Left: Yvonne Odukwe of Autism's Hidden Voices (right)