ABOUT US
OUR AIM
Our mission is two-fold. To campaign for better recognition and diagnosis of autistic girls and to support them in finding their identity and feeling understood.
We can sign post you to support networks, organisations and resources and provide a safe space to ask questions, raise concerns and share experiences in our private Facebook group.
OUR TEAM
AGN’s team is a mix of parents and autistic adults with experience and passion.
Our ethos is about celebrating autistic girls’ many gifts and talents – not to change them but to support them. We want the world to recognise our amazing girls!
Cathy Wassell, CEO
Cathy took over the helm of Autistic Girls Network in late 2019. She is neurodivergent, runs a digital marketing agency from home and is mum to 2 autistic teens, both late diagnosed. One of her teens was diagnosed at 13 amid a massive mental health crisis and it was that story, and the need to make sure such traumatic occurences didn’t keep on happening for autistic young people, which led Cathy to AGN.
Cathy is currently writing a book for families to help them support and nurture their late diagnosed or suspected autistic children and young people, to be published in 2022 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. She is also a Masters student at the University of Birmingham on their MEd in Autism (Children) course.
Lindsay Anderson
I’m Lindsay and I have a 15 year old beautiful autistic daughter called Poppy. She was diagnosed age 12. She was given an EHC plan in her 2nd year of high school.
At the end of that 2nd year we began homeschooling Poppy as her anxiety and mental health were extremely low and the main stream school were not meeting her needs.
Vicki May
I’m a parent of 2 teens, and our youngest was diagnosed aged 13 having flown under the radar throughout school. My involvement with AGN began at the group’s inception back at the start of 2018. I’m astonished that so many autistic girls are missed or misdiagnosed, and angry at the devastation which occurs when a lack of understanding of autistic of presentation goes unchallenged. I’ve also realised that my own neurology is likely to include ADHD – I may pursue a diagnosis at some point. In real life, I work in data/systems at a University.