The people behind it

Hi! I'm Rachel and I'm 20yrs old. Along with Millie and Lucy I am one of the founders of Lucy's lights. I was diagnosed with autism when i was 17 as well as various mental health problems. In my spare time I like to go play rugby, on bike rides, surfing, hill walking and really anything outdoors. I also like graphic design and created our logo, banner and this website. I work at a care home and hope to be a paramedic or go into medicine in the future! I have autism and my special interest is world maps and everything related, give me a map and I can tell you all the countries and US states! I feel passionate about educating others on autism in girls and women. When it comes to treating mental health conditions (especially anorexia and other eating disorders) in people with autism the approach needed is completely different, something which needs much more awareness. We need more support, something me and Millie know and want to change. I am so excited to start this group with Millie by my side and Lucy in my heart, hopefully making a difference to the lives of autistic girls and women in Moray!

"Hi. I just wanted to introduce myself. I am Lucy and the oldest so far at 38, I am also a qualified Maths teacher (not in Moray Council). My story is that I was never flagged as having any issues (which when I look back now I think did they have their eyes closed?)

In 2012 I went through a major mental health crisis and was diagnosed with EUPD. Wrongly I now believe. A couple of years ago there were some questions by my GP and Psychiatrist at the time about Autism and I never felt it fit. However I was doing some research into ADHD and I felt I hit almost every criteria and was diagnosed with ADHD a year ago. I then started to look more at the Autism and how masking is a major issue for us and I realised I had masked so much I had lost the real me and when I started to work on dropping that mask I realised I definitely had Autism and accepted my Psychiatrist’s diagnosis last month.

So my current status is that I have ADHD and ASD and most of the symptoms that the EUPD was based on can be explained by them. I still have a mental health condition on top of being Neurodivergent as I definitely suffer from depressive episodes and as my Psychiatrist pointed out that has been my state for most of the past 6 months. That is still being discussed and one suggestion is Bipolar ll but that part is TBC.

I met others who have gone through the same thing whilst I was in hospital and thought it would be good to start up a group on FB that may even lead to people meeting up in person."

Hi! I’m Millie, I’m 21 years old and I live in Elgin. I was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 16. As well as autism I have various other disabilities, mental health problems and health conditions. I am a sensory seeker and absolutely love lights, bubble tubes, fibre optics, swings and weighted blankets. My hobbies include baking, surfing, darts and makaton. I attend many groups including SurfABLE, Dreamtime and inspiring darts. My special interest is everything Disney ! Even my dog is called Disney. I  have many jobs working with children and young people who have autism, complex needs and challenging behaviour. I am supported by Autism and Neurodiversity North Scotland 7 days a week to help me live independently, Charlie who is team leader for the moray A-ND team is even one of our committee members ! I am very aware of the lack of autism support in moray, especially for adults. Which is why I am so excited to work with Rachel and get this support group started so that we can create a safe and supportive environment for all autistic females.