In conversation with Chloé Hayden: award winning motivational speaker, actor, author, Autism and ADHD activist and advocate, for World Autism Month.

This year World Autism Understanding Day (WAUD) is about more than awareness—it’s about action. 

Autism Spectrum Australia has shared that conversations with the autistic community have made it clear that while awareness has grown, genuine understanding and meaningful support are still lacking.  So we decided to speak with Hey Lemonade voice companion and autism & disability activist and advocate, Chloé Hayden to better educate ourselves on how to genuinely support and engage with our autistic community.

What do you want people to know about autism? 

If you know one autistic person, you know one autistic person. The autism spectrum is so broad; it isn’t a linear spectrum, it’s a colour palette, with an infinite amount of hex codes. Don’t assume you know about autism because your friends kid is autistic, or because you’ve seen it in a film (especially if you’ve seen it in a film), or because a classmate is.  Every autistic person is going to have a vastly different hex code; we are all going to have vastly different needs, different areas that we struggle and succeed in, and different ways of viewing and interacting with the world around us.

Also, learn from autistic folk. Read books, listen to podcasts, follow autistic creators… The more you know, the more you know.

What are some things people can say or do to be supportive?

Ask us. So much of the time, it really is that simple. Ask us what you can do to support us, ask us what we may need to regulate, or feel more comfortable. Ask us our access needs; particularly so if you’re an employer or a teacher with autistic folks in your work-place or classroom (hint: there probably is, even if you’re not aware of it. And if there isn’t, why isn’t there?)

Which 5 talks ( of the talks you have recorded) do you feel could be a useful resource to support and celebrate people with Autism Spectrum Disorder or their families?

• Activist fatigue
• Need to remember that you are enough
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Disabled pride celebration
• Feeling anxious about going to school

In addition to being an award winning actor you are also a published author. Is there a talk that you would like to write?

Hey lemonades talks are all so beautifully curated and speak to so many niches that would have saved me on so many occasions as a confused, overwhelmed teenager. More than anything, I think we need so many more versions and varients of you are enough talks. Enough so that there’s a new talk every single day, enough that eventually, it will start to make sense, enough so that one day, a teenager listening to the talks will go ‘…hm, you know what? Maybe, just maybe, they’re right.’

Is there anything else you would like to share or spotlight this month?