‘My mission to help autistic adults’
As new research highlights that autism is more common than previously thought, we meet the mum on a mission to celebrate and give a voice to autistic adults
When Anna Taylor looks at the messages on her phone, she can’t help but smile. As she reads the requests for advice on what to wear to a job interview, or panicked messages about how to sort out an eye-watering utility bill, she’s humbled to receive these texts from people who were once told that they’d never be able to even think about applying for jobs or moving into their own home.
Anna is founder of Autism Matters, a Teesside-based charity helping autistic adults cope with life’s challenges and the people in her phonebook know that, with her encouragement, anything is possible. And that’s a message that’s more important than ever, as recent research shows autism is more common among children in England than previously thought. This means changing perceptions of autism now will give hope to this rising number of children growing up to become the next generation of autistic adults.
Anna’s story started around 30 years ago when she had her two sons, James and Daniel. From the start it was clear both boys were different as they didn’t develop language
skills. Daniel also had obsessive behaviours, such as lining up his toys, while James, who was born with a larger head, was diagnosed with hemimegalencephaly and Proteus syndrome – the same rare condition as the elephant man.
As time passed, though, Anna realised that there was something else going on with both boys and when she saw a documentary on television about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the penny dropped. After an extensive period of testing, both James and Daniel were diagnosed as autistic.
“At the time, it was really hard as there was no support,” says Anna. “I also had to kind of mourn the childhood I’d imagined them having.”
As Anna rallied to find help, she was introduced through the National Autistic Society to parents of autistic children. At their first session together, which was a disco, she watched in awe as autistic adults and children danced the night away without any of the inhibitions others might feel. “It was a glimpse into the future that was scary as it made me realise this was lifelong – my autistic children would grow into autistic adults – but it also gave me hope that this adult life could be happy and that their autism could make them unique in a good way.”
This memory stayed with Anna for many years, as did the experience of becoming a teaching assistant in a special school so she could learn more about autism. “I went into the school thinking ‘oh, those poor children’ but they taught me that they’re not suffering ‘with’ autism; autism is part of who they are and it can be empowering.”
So, as her sons headed towards adulthood, Anna decided to set up her own charity, Autism Matters, committed to providing the opportunities and support to allow autistic adults to be themselves.
“While there were lots of charities for autistic children by this time, looking round at what support my boys could get, the only option was to go to a day care centre where they would sit with elderly people all day. This didn’t feel right for my teenaged boys,” says Anna. Setting up Autism Matters, she began by getting together with autistic adults in her area to ask what they wanted to do.
“I saw lots of autistic adults with little control over their own lives, but they told us they wanted to be able to do fun things with others like themselves and to be given the same opportunities as anyone else, but just with a little extra help when they needed it,” says Anna.
In no time she had launched daily fun social activities along with one-toone support sessions, where autistic people could share their dreams of working, volunteering or living independently with someone who could then help them make that happen. She’s also launched a project called Autism Angels, where autistic adults learn skills that allow them to help their community free of charge, whether that’s mowing the lawn for an elderly neighbour or putting up shelves in a community building. “Instead of being the recipients of help as they’ve been their whole lives, they’re able to help other people and that gives them such a sense of accomplishment,” says Anna.
Among her favourite success stories is one lady who, when she first arrived at Autism Matters, hadn’t left her house in three years because she was so scared to leave it. But after a few sessions, she blossomed and now has dozens of friends, a boyfriend and her own house. “This girl believed she had to live a certain way but when she
‘I saw lots of autistic adults with little control over their lives who wanted the same opportunities as others’
saw all these other autistic adults with different lives, it opened her eyes and made her believe that could be her, too.”
Now Anna has big plans for the future. She’s just about to recruit her first autistic member of staff, setting a positive discrimination precedent she hopes other recruiters will follow.
She’s also working on reducing the two-to-four year wait many adults face in getting an autism diagnosis through the NHS by creating a virtual reality tool, which doctors can use to make a faster diagnosis.
“I would one day love for our work to be replicated across the UK to help more autistic adults really enjoy their lives and feel good about who they are.” ■ To find out more about Autism Matters, including how to support the charity, call