Melanie Heyworth

Hi! I'm Mel (she/her). I am an Autistic woman, Mum to Autistic children, an Autism researcher, and I run an Australian Autistic-led charity. My children are my world, but I count myself somewhat lucky that I am an insomniac, because I have a lot to get through each day! I am currently undertaking a second PhD about parenting Autistic children. My first PhD study was in the entirely unrelated (and less practical) field of late pre-Conquest England. That thesis was 160,000 words instead of 100,000, which shows my lack of skills in being succinct. Even so, I am little help at a trivia night, since no one ever seems to ask questions on “my” time-period, and I find myself embarrassingly shaky on anything that occurred post-1066. My passions are earrings, painting Warhammer miniatures, drinking tea, and (unsurprisingly) Autism. I want our Autistic children to grow up being accepted and welcomed, and to know that they are just right.