Author(s): Kerryn Burgoyne
The purpose of my abstract and presentation at the conference in Paris France is to highlight the impacts of mental health for individuals or people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
I am introducing myself to the wider audience as an individual diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and I am presenting my life’s issues with living with mental health issues associated with (ASD) autism spectrum disorder.
Those mental health issues have been significant in my life due to living in a very dark black hole during my early childhood, but teenage years as well, to coming out of that blackhole and joining the light at the end of the tunnel, to see the brighter side of life, but also how I adapted to the life that I now live as an autistic adult.
How that diagnosis changed my life completely, but also how it changed me as well as my personality, deep down in my soul so that I could be happier and positive and to change other people’s perspective about me as an independent individual person.
This part of the presentation is not from materials that I’ve researched in libraries, (from an academic study) or studies, but from my very own lived personal perspective & experiences.
My presentation goes on to ask the questions of “What are the challenges that people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) have to overcome those everyday obstacles of their lives?
There are no methods in this discussion, other than my own lived experiences of which I will discuss in detail of how I’ve had to overcome my own obstacles and barriers to be accepted into society to take my place there, but also how I’ve had to learn to become determined, strong and very resilient to deal with situations that have come my way
My motto in life is “never give up” and “always give things a go” Exceed your own expectations which I’ve done many times over my lifetime.
The results & discussion of this question/s outline the positive steps that I’ve taken to overcome & shaken off the negative steps of lifestyle that I used to lead to focus on the positives and not live in the past that I used to do, as well as try to live in someone else’s life seeing them far better than me.
My mental health was and has always been impacted by the way people do things and have skills in certain areas such as playing a musical instrument doing sound for a service, but what was I really good at? I’d always felt inferior because I was seen as having no skills at all and that people were always higher than me and always told me that I was a worthless person that was useless in society. I should belong under a rock or buried deep in a pit or grave, dead never to be seen again!
How does this affect & impact one’s mental health in one’s imagination or mind?
I then conclude that there needs to be more education/training on mental health for those with “diffabilities” or disabilities to equip them for the real world but have strategies in place to allow them to not only participate in activities within their community, but also contribute to society also.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was carried out in the absence of any commercial or financial relationship that could be interpreted as a potential conflict of interest.
Website: https://ktalk.au
Sources of Funding: The authors declare that this work did not receive any funding for its development and publication.
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