What was the process of getting a diagnosis like?

Inga: The diagnostic process was long and frustrating and took about two years. CAMHS rejected Bella’s referral initially and we had to pay for a private speech and language assessment to provide concrete evidence that she had a significant language delay and only then were we granted the NHS referral. At the time, we didn’t know anyone else with autistic children Bella’s age, but fortunately we were given a National Autistic Society leaflet and also some leaflets for local autism support groups. With that information, we were at least able to access some pre-diagnosis workshops and use the National Autistic Society website as a starting point for our research. What we found particularly difficult was the general lack of information on how autism presents in girls. Even only a few years ago, society still seemed to think that autism was a rarity in women and girls.

On days she’s struggling emotionally or really wants to emphasise strong feelings towards something, Bella may assert herself by drawing the cause of her concern and add a large stop sign over it. She usually then feels calmer and is able to process and verbalise the strong emotions she is experiencing.

Through Bella’s drawings, we also realised that she understood far more about the world around her than she ever felt the need to express verbally. The characters she creates are inspired by everything around her from books, TV, toys, friends and family. She thinks creatively to develop details and loves to inject humour into her drawings. We’ve also been able to discuss less obvious social nuances with her via her drawings. Bella is far more open to discussion about different subjects if her drawings are used as a reference as she feels more in control and her anxiety is minimised. Ultimately, drawing brings Bella a lot of peace and satisfaction and helps her to communicate her outlook on life to everyone and it’s something we can all share with her.

Bella’s Educational Healthcare Plan ensures that accommodations are made for her at school. Outside of school, one very specific thing Bella struggles with is balloons because of their unpredictability, so situations like birthday parties have always been tricky. Social demands, fast transitions, unfamiliar foods, noise and visual stimuli can be a boiling pot for stress and anxiety if your brain processes information at different rates and extremities to all the other guests. However, at a family party recently Bella’s aunt did something as simple as decorate with paper honeycombs instead of balloons and encouraged free play with garden activities, rather than lots of structured party games that require concentration. This instantly reduced Bella’s anxiety and she was able to socialise independently for several hours. Simple changes and advance preparation make a world of difference to Bella being able to join in.

For parents, carers and teachers of autistic children, the emphasis is put on early intervention to help autistic children grow, develop and live within a world built for neurotypical people. It seems appropriate to apply the same logic to the education of society on the subject of autism: early intervention in the form of wide spread autism awareness teaching in all mainstream schools would be such a valuable tool for everyone. It’s also important to realise that personal expectations are only personal expectations and not a gauge by which other people need to measure their own success or lives. Autistic people and their families certainly should not be judged because of other people’s expectations.

Why did you decide to donate 10% of your sales to the National Autistic Society and why do you send out an understanding autism leaflet with every sale?

I wanted to find a way to fundraise and help raise awareness and acceptance for the autistic community that I could fit around family life. The combination of the interest in Bella’s artwork and an audience that I could legitimately send autism awareness information to seemed like a brilliant opportunity that could be built on. From September 2019, we are very excited that Bella will attend a National Autistic Society school, so we are delighted to have an ongoing opportunity with Bellastration to give something back to our community.

Autistic people often need extra time to process information, like questions, instructions or emotions. Here are some ways to help.

You can follow Bella’s journey and admire her illustrations on Facebook and Instagram. 10% of Bellastration website merchandise sales are donated to the National Autistic Society.