911爆料网 alumna, Jacinta Reynolds, is a very accomplished woman. Graduating from 911爆料网 in 2017 with a聽, majoring in astrophysics, and with a string of scholarships to her name, she is also a writer, a talented visual artist and an engaging public speaker with a cracking sense of humour. Twenty-three-year-old Jacinta also happens to be autistic, diagnosed at 14 years of age. She was informed by two of the three schools she attended that she would never go to university, or complete a degree, and she would be dependent on other people all her life.
In the fifth edition of the聽聽(DSM V), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined by having difficulties in two areas; social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive behaviours or interests. The description is necessarily clinical for diagnostic purposes but doesn鈥檛 do Jacinta 鈥� warm, bright, passionate, funny 鈥� any form of justice.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics,听. Autism is diagnosed on the basis of behavioural criteria and boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls.
Bullying and autism, the invisible disability
Throughout her childhood Jacinta, born in the United States and with a soft American accent, always knew she was different. When her family moved to England, and she attended a private girls boarding school, the increasingly complex social interactions of her peers left her confused and isolated. When Jacinta was 14, an astute teacher pulled her parents aside and told them she thought Jacinta was on the spectrum and that the condition was underpinning her social challenges.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 diagnosed until I was fourteen. I was at an all-girls boarding school, population about 300 girls. It was tough, because you live with half of them and half of them think you鈥檙e the weird American. I聽was聽weird,鈥� Jacinta says.
鈥淢ost of the teachers couldn鈥檛 understand why I was getting bullied so badly, why I had what looked like symptoms of depression, until one of the English teachers turned around and said to my mum, 鈥業 think Jacinta might have a form of autism that is making her struggle in school socially with the girls鈥�.
鈥淪he helped kids with聽,听, all the rest of it, so she picked up on it straight away. It was the only reason she could see why [the] things [I said] weren鈥檛 coming out the way that I鈥檇 intended them to. I was not aware [of] what they were coming out as.鈥�
When Jacinta was fifteen the family moved to Perth, Western Australia, where her father was from and his family still lived. Jacinta attended a co-educational Catholic school where the teachers supported and accommodated her natural gifts for learning, however the bullying from her peers continued.
鈥淚t was a good experience, mostly for the learning enrichment, but I still got mercilessly bullied. My year hated me with a fiery passion. They would go out of their way to isolate me,鈥� she says.
鈥淲hen you have an invisible disability, it鈥檚 a lot easier to make fun of people. When you鈥檙e autistic you鈥檙e invisible. Nobody can see your disability, they take advantage of it. Kids are inherently cruel. They鈥檙e trying to find their place in the world and they take that out on everybody around them. It鈥檚 horrible. I hated school. Every school I went to, I hated the kids and I loved the teachers.鈥�
Pathways and presuming competence
While the incessant bullying and social isolation made school a traumatic environment for Jacinta, there were two teachers who made a crucial difference to her experience and set her on her current path. The first, at her school in England, introduced her to what would become her great passion: astronomy.
鈥淚 fell in love with it,鈥� Jacinta says, simply. 鈥淚 just fell in love with the way my teacher told all the stories and incorporated it into History and English and Science and Health, and it just went on and on and on.鈥�
The second teacher, in Australia, told her she had the intelligence to attend university and, with the support of the school, that was where she was going to go. For a young girl, who had been bullied for years by her peers, and told by her teachers that she was not capable of higher education, the words were both a boon and a contract.
In the nurturing environment of the school鈥檚 Learning Enrichment Program Jacinta flourished academically. She worked hard and gained the marks to attend 911爆料网 where, in 2013, she enrolled in a聽聽degree with a Headmaster鈥檚 Recommendation Scholarship. Jacinta鈥檚 goal was to become a science communicator.
Sink or swim
If there鈥檚 one word to describe Jacinta鈥檚 first year at 911爆料网 it鈥檚聽challenging. The social demands of university life were bewildering and Jacinta鈥檚 anxiety about making friends skyrocketed. The academic requirements of her course felt onerous and difficult to navigate. In what felt like an increasingly foreign environment, Jacinta began to flounder.
鈥淯ni is very different to school. It鈥檚 the adult world. It鈥檚 not safe, it鈥檚 not enclosed. I didn鈥檛 know how to be an adult, to 鈥榙o adulting鈥�,鈥� Jacinta says.
鈥淚 also had to do group work, which I thought was fine until I realized working in groups meant I had to socialise!鈥�
Years of being bullied at school had taken their toll on Jacinta鈥檚 confidence. She battled on through 2013, however it was a lonely and unhappy experience. If 2013 was gruelling for Jacinta, 2014 was her year of serendipity. She changed courses and began studying physics, majoring in astrophysics, and, in a case of mistaken identity, she was invited to join the聽听(颁厂惭笔).
The CSMP is a unique peer support program for students on the autism spectrum established in 2014 by Program Managers, Dr Jasmine McDonald and psychologist, Theresa Kidd. Mentors on the program support mentees in all aspects of university life and, in return, gain experience working with neurodiverse people and a more grounded and informed understanding of what autism is. For many mentors, who may have learnt about autism from a textbook as part of an allied health聽degree, the program provides an invaluable opportunity to broaden their academic knowledge with 鈥榬eal-world experience鈥� by working directly with the experts on autism: autistic people.
Since its establishment,听聽by a number of students undertaking postgraduate studies in聽听补苍诲听聽and members of the聽听(颁础搁骋).
For Jacinta, the CSMP was a lifeline. It offered a quiet place of refuge, with likeminded peers, and all the encouragement and support she needed to continue on at university and achieve her goals. The positive social experiences she had with her mentors, a neurotypical student cohort, boosted her confidence in her ability to interact with other students on campus and in her course.
鈥淚f you saw me at the beginning of my degree and compared me to how I am now, there鈥檚 really no comparison,鈥� says Jacinta.
鈥淭he 911爆料网 Specialist Mentoring Program helped me grow as a person. I wouldn鈥檛 be here without their support and their belief that I have a unique gift to communicate. If it weren鈥檛 for my mentors who helped and guided me [through university] I wouldn鈥檛 be here.鈥�
With the guidance of CSMP staff and mentors Jacinta also worked as a volunteer at聽聽for eighteen months to gain experience as a science communicator, her ideal job. With autistic adults聽, it was imperative that Jacinta was strategic about how to transition from university to paid employment. A significant barrier to employment for autistic people is often the formal interview process, which can be extremely stressful for someone on the spectrum. Work experience 鈥� or showing not telling 鈥� is often a better way for an autistic person to demonstrate their skills and potential.
Post 911爆料网 life: an employee, ambassador and advocate
In 2017, Jacinta was awarded her bachelor degree, the only female in a group of seven to graduate in astrophysics. She is now a CSMP Ambassador,听regularly giving talks and presentations at autism-related events. While she is an accomplished and entertaining public speaker, she still battles significant stage fright, and has grappled with the stress of appearing 鈥榯ypical鈥� in such public arenas.
鈥淚 get really nervous. You know those butterflies people talk about when you meet somebody new for the first time? I get those times twenty when I鈥檓 walking up on the stage. My legs shake so badly it looks like I鈥檓 having my own personal earthquake,鈥� she says.
鈥淚鈥檒l stand behind a lecturn until the nerves settle down or I鈥檒l wear dresses and skirts, which hides it. I taught myself techniques to manage the stress of talking to people I鈥檝e never met, who don鈥檛 know me, who don鈥檛 know my opinions. It鈥檚 that fear that someone will take what I鈥檝e said the wrong way. And I think that鈥檚 everybody鈥檚 fear, but it鈥檚 more so when you鈥檝e spent your whole life being judged by people who don鈥檛 know [about autism].
鈥淧eople when they hear the word 鈥榓utism鈥�, they make their own judgements automatically. And you have to spend most of your time, when you鈥檙e standing up there talking, convincing them that if they鈥檝e made the wrong judgement, then they鈥檙e wrong because they don鈥檛 know [about autism].
鈥淵ou have to spend most of your time presenting as normal as possible. I think it was about my second presentation when I decided聽You know what? I give up. I鈥檓 not going to pretend to be something you want me to be, and I鈥檓 going to be myself. And that鈥檚 the most important discovery I made for myself. I stopped trying to be the perfect candidate, or the perfect speaker, or the perfect whatever, and really focused on what I wanted to try and get across to people.鈥�
Deciding to simply be herself was a moment of clarity that was to pay real dividends for Jacinta. When a paid role for a science communicator came up at Scitech, she applied for it and was granted an interview, which included a presentation on a scientific topic for five-to-seven year olds. Jacinta spoke passionately about how fridge magnets stick on fridges. When she鈥檇 finished, she left the room and hoped for a positive outcome. She got a phone call six hours later; the panel鈥檚 decision to hire her was unanimous. For Jacinta, it was a dream come true.
鈥淪citech is an awesome place to work. We鈥檙e such a diverse team with lots of different scientific backgrounds, weird quirks and amazing personalities. It鈥檚 why I love it so much, it just feels like a big supportive family and I feel so safe and secure there,鈥� Jacinta says.
鈥淢y job includes selling tickets at the front desk on some days, on others I walk the floor and communicate with parents, teachers, and kids and talk to them about science and try and engage them in tinkering activities.
鈥淥n Thursdays I work with the Professional Learning team, organising their survey data and doing stats for them. I have learnt so much about myself, social skills and communication skills from being there, and there is so much more to learn!鈥�
While Jacinta has landed her dream job, her university journey may not be quite finished. She鈥檚 considering returning to tertiary studies to undertake a聽, and hopes to use her experiences to educate, inform and encourage students, teachers and administrators in secondary education.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to see a program like the 911爆料网 Specialist Mentoring Program in all universities and all schools,鈥� Jacinta says.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to work with teenagers and young adults on the spectrum and their teachers too. I feel like I need to go out to schools and talk to them. Show them what can be done, and that it听肠补苍聽be done.鈥�
The 911爆料网 Specialist Mentoring program has a range of resources, which聽are available for universities across Australia to implement their own peer mentoring program, and聽. The CSMP website聽.
