Welcome to our new series ,'Navigating Neurodiversity' where we explore case studies of how being neurodiverse can be a strength leading to success. We also be featuring latest guidance and strategies to help you in the classroom.

Here, Jo interviews Maddy who has used her creativity to manage her Autism and pursue her own business venture.

Q: Tell us about your journey to diagnosis of Autism/ ADHD.

I was diagnosed with autism when I was 5 years old but I didn’t understand and notice my autism until I was 11 years old. When I was 11, my school suddenly shut down a couple of months before I was going to start year 6. The move of schools was very stressful and triggered my OCD. When I was in high school I was severely bullied after telling people that I had Autism which put a target on my back along with my severe OCD that I was getting treatment for! My mum in a effort to help me make friends got me to join some friendship groups for autistic people but the majority of the people in the group had low functioning autism which made me feel different to others. That’s when I decided to get re tested for autism and I found out that I had high functioning autism which wasn’t explained to me or my parents when I was originally diagnosed at 5 years old.

While I was at high school I was extremely ashamed to tell people that I was autistic as I was always told by people that I didn’t look autistic which affected my self-confidence along with the extreme bullying that I was experiencing. It was after being told this for years at school and in my first two jobs that I started to get frustrated that society had a limited view of what autism was and I started to want to know more about autism to try and understand why I was the way I was.

Q: What inspired you to set up your own business?

A: In the third lockdown in 2021 I was looking for something to do to relieve my boredom. My mum suggested crocheting so I ordered myself a kit and watched some YouTube videos and quickly got addicted. Crocheting was my new favorite thing to do and it wasn’t until my dad saw them that he said you should start selling them. That’s when Craftsbymaddy was born and I set up my Etsy shop and Facebook from scratch.

Q: Had you always been artistic at school?

I had always been artistic at school. I loved creating and had several great teachers at school that taught me to paint, sew and create. My gran also taught me to knit when I was younger and I have always done painting by numbers. I have always found creating very fun , relaxing and enjoyed it a lot. I still have several of my art projects from school and my bedroom is covered with paintings and other things I have made.

Q:What are your hopes for your business?

A: My hopes for my business is to keep encouraging all people with autism that they shouldn’t be ashamed of their autism and learn to embrace it as I have done through doing this. I also hope that this business continues to help me grow my confidence and provide with me happiness from doing something that I enjoy.

Q: How do you find your creativity helps your ADHD and Autism? I find if I make time to write every day, my mental health and wellbeing significantly benefit.

A: My creativity helps me a lot with my autism but also my OCD and anxiety. I tend to create at night while watching a TV program and it is my chill time. I find that when I am making items I can just step into my own little bubble and all the stresses of life just fade away for a couple of hours.

I have also realized that creating has allowed me to heal my inner child and allow me to just be creative and be at peace. This has been so important since being diagnosed with OCD at 11 years old meaning I have always felt that I have had to grow up very quickly as I had to put aside being a kid. The bulling made me ‘mask’ and sucked all the joy out of me, so it’s nice to have something that helps me heal my inner child where I can be creative without any expectations.

Q: Do you find aspects of running your own business more of a challenge because of your neurodiversity?

A: There are several aspects of running my own buisness that are difficult due to my neurodiversity.

The main one is that I am a perfectionist so I like to make sure that everything is perfect before I sell it to people which can sometimes take the fun out of creating.

My anxiety and overthinking from my OCD can make it hard for me to try new things as I don’t like change like most autistic people so I regularly require encouragement from my family and boyfriend to try new things like new products etc.

My autism makes me ‘not very social’ and I benefit from my boyfriend helping me at craft fairs to talk to customers, especially if I need a break. I also have dyspraxia which means I struggle with carrying things so my boyfriend also helps me set up my stall at craft fairs.

Even though I have all these struggles I still give my heart into my business. The support from my family and my boyfriend along with the support from my followers help me stay motivated to keep growing my business!

I am extremely grateful for all the support I have received with business!