June 2016

Latest News

A Day in the Life of Nichole Conolly

June 28, 2016 Spectrum Women

I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder ( aspergers under the DM-IV) and anxiety as an adult. My parents always suspected something was “different” about me but ASD didn’t really come up in conversations with specialists. Maybe it was because I was a girl or maybe it was because I was able to hold it together at school, so what my parents and siblings saw was totally different to what the teachers saw. I hear this scenario very often on facebook groups and pages that I am a part of. Due to much ongoing support from family and friends, I […]

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IT’S OK TO ASK… by Yenn Purkis

June 29, 2016 Spectrum Women

Independence is not something I am lacking in. I moved out of home at 17, got a job and went to uni. I had some serious difficulties in life and dragged myself out of them through determination, motivation and faith. I now work full-time, own my own home and spend a lot of my free time assisting other people. I pride myself on being able to manage my own affairs. These are all good and laudable attributes but there is something I struggle with – I find it almost impossible to give up control and to ask for help. When […]

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My Life – Sue Abramowski

June 27, 2016 Spectrum Women

My story starts when I was about 4 years old. You see, I’ve always been one of those kids who is a little bit different; who operates in a manner that’s not like that of the others. This became apparent in preschool. While the other kids were obediently listening to the teacher and following instructions, I was off in another world. They were learning their ABCs, and I was in the Little Tikes playhouse, doing my own thing. If they were working on a project, chances are that I was dashing to the carpet, doing cartwheels. My teacher expressed concern […]

General

The Chameleons: Women with Autism

June 19, 2016 Barb Cook

We often hear about autism in men, but rarely in women. SBS The Feed, looks at three different generations of women living with autism and how the stigma of the condition is amplified. We often hear about autism in men, but rarely in women. The Feed looks at three different generations of women living with autism and how the stigma of the condition is amplified by gender. More than 200,000 Australians have autism. It’s diagnosed four times more in males than in females and some experts in the field believe this reflects a failure of diagnostic processes rather than a […]

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COLOUR CODING FOR LEARNERS WITH AUTISM

June 19, 2016 Spectrum Women

COLOUR CODING FOR LEARNERS WITH AUTISM A Resource Book for Creating Meaning through Colour at Home and School By Adele Devine Jessica Kingsley Publishers RRP AU$53.95 print – Footprint Books Review by Barb Cook – Editor-in-Chief – Spectrum Women Magazine Colour Coding for Learners with Autism is a fun and motivational learning tool for children on the autism spectrum. Often visual learners, children on the spectrum will find this book engaging whilst giving them a secure learning environment. The author’s extensive background as a special needs teacher working with children with autism, has allowed her to develop this effective colour […]

Insights

LOVING, VALUING AND RESPECTING YOURSELF – THE BEST OPTION by Yenn (Jeanette) Purkis

June 17, 2016 Spectrum Women

Little Jeanette was similar to the current iteration of me in many ways. She was determined, motivated, curious, confident and smart. Little me had no reason not to love and respect herself. She had a loving family, enough food, a warm house, no neglect or abuse. And then she went to school. After thirteen years of being given negative messaging about who I was by many of the other kids at school, pretty much constantly and then enduring sexual violence as a teen, I started to hate myself. In fact, at twenty years-old I was so negatively focussed that I […]

Featured

Welcome from Barb Cook Editor of Spectrum Women Magazine

June 16, 2016 Barb Cook

Spectrum Women Magazine (SWM) is an online publication and community dedicated to women who are uniquely different. Our approach is to bring to you inspiring women of all ages who have had a different outlook on life in a positive and unique way. Our online magazine embraces diversity and the differing ideals we all have, but with one common goal, to bring together a wealth of knowledge and strength in being the unique women we are. Spectrum Women Magazine is an online publication and we are always looking for inspirational stories and writers who would love to be involved in […]