ella_rose88

I’ve been back at uni for a few weeks and I’m already so exhausted. I’ve started Honours so I was aware it was going to full on but still it’s tiring and fatigue inducing. At least I’m doing it part-time and have two years to complete it. Despite that, I’m really interested in my thesis topic - I’m going to be exploring the lived experiences of women diagnosed as autistic in adulthood within Australia. Obviously my topic is motivated by my own recent diagnosis and after reading the literature it is definitely a topic that needs more research.

I’ve got two experienced supervisors too which is great! Though my original supervisor was more experienced in Autism, but unfortunately she is leaving the uni (she’s still doing her PHD here) and had to drop out. She still is going to be an advisor which is good as my supervisors are not very knowledgeable about Autism. My primary supervisor does have disability background and neurodiversity experience but more with brain injury and epilepsy, and my secondary supervisor is an expert in qualitative research and has a sociology background. So I do have a great supervision team to support me.

I’m hoping I do well with honours as I’m looking to do a PHD afterwards. I’m feeling like research is something I’m really interested in and would be good at. I definitely feel that autism research needs more researchers who are actually autistic themselves.