Hi, Charlotte. Hello.
How are you? I'm good, thank you.
Good, good, good. So we first met you at
Parliament. Yeah.
And we were, like, blown away by.
How are you, 16? Yeah.
Yeah, I'm 16. You were 16 then as well.
Yeah. OK.
You gave a speech. Yeah.
Loads of people were giving speeches.
Yeah. But you just kind of stood out.
I mean, everybody, we were just stood there, weren't We were
watching everybody saying stuff. And then when you were speaking,
we were just like, holy crap. And everyone around us was going
holy crap, because you just spoke very eloquently, very
confidently, something I definitely wouldn't have been
doing at 16 years old. So everyone was really
impressed. So why were you there?
Why were you talking? What?
What were you there? For so I started my Instagram
not that long ago really. August last year started
following Send Sanctuary, but it was formerly known as SEND
Reform. I think Amy was advertising the
fight for ordinary, asking for speakers.
And I was like, oh, put myself forward.
So I put myself forward only two weeks before the actual rally,
put a speech together, and then that she did it.
But I've never done public speaking.
Before. Was that the first time you'd
done any public speaking? Oh, that's even better.
Yeah. Oh, I thought you'd done stuff
like that before. No, never.
You took. It in your stride like.
I wouldn't even put my hand up in class.
Like nothing. And then I went and did that.
So you wouldn't put your hand up in class to speak, but you go to
Westminster outside the Houses of Parliament surrounded by
people you don't know, politicians and yeah, and just
take a microphone and give a prepared speech, Yeah.
And we bottled it. And we were asked to do it.
We said no, we were. Like no and.
Then you did it. You did it much better than we
we, we could have done. Yeah, absolutely.
And swore, probably. So yeah.
You did very well, so tell us why you're involved in the
autism. Community because this is a
great story. Massively amazing story.
So I'm autistic and I've got ADHD.
I was only actually diagnosed with ADHD though end of October.
So all of primary school I was just shy.
Well, I wasn't shy, I was autistic.
I was labelled as shy. Lockdown came and I think it was
then really that it really stood out to me.
OK, I don't think I am just shy, I think I might be autistic and
I watched a programme called The A Word.
It was about a non verbal little boy and I think it was just
going around during lockdown. So I watched that.
I was only 10 at the time and it was my grandparents that got me
onto that. That was BBC series, wasn't it?
Yeah, I think it was. That, yeah, very, very good.
It was very good. I loved it.
Watched that and I was there. I saw a lot of similarities
between me and the little boy, started looking up autism
because I had access to an iPad, I had access to the Internet,
proposed it to my parents. I think it was, I love that.
June 2020. You, you, you, you researched
it. Yeah, at the age of 10 years
old. Gathered the evidence and then
proposed it to your parents. Said we need to have a
discussion. I have a proposition for you.
Yes. You better take a seat.
How did they take it? They didn't believe me at first
because even though it wasn't their fault of their own,
there's a very stiff stereotypical view on autism I
think. I think they just pictured like
a 5 year old boy obsessed with trains and because I didn't
present in that way they were like no you're not autistic
you're just shy. And it took a lot for them to
finally came in. That's a fairpoint though,
because we've talked about this. My initial exposure to autism
was that Lydia would line things up in a line, have something
that she was overly passionate about and that would be the only
thing, or she'd arranged things in colours or anything else like
that. And we have none of that
whatsoever. And we've talked about sort of
certain programmes where they always depict somebody who's
autistic in a certain way, and that was my only understanding
as to what an autistic person would be like.
So I completely understand where your parents were coming from.
Yeah. Oh yeah, totally.
I mean and, and I've said it. We want more evidence from you,
Charlotte. Where is it?
The So what happened? What happened next then?
So my mum eventually said OK, phoned up the GP, yeah, I was
put on the autism pathway and I was on that pathway for almost
three years before I got my diagnosis.
So that's what mum is at 10 to 13, we talking that age.
Group so I was 11. 11 to 14. Yeah, yeah, literally a month
after my 14th birthday. Wow, yeah.
So I went half of secondary school undiagnosed.
How did you feel when you got it, when you got that diagnosis?
Did you? Feel relieved.
Yeah. It didn't really change much
because I knew I was autistic. Yeah, that didn't change my
opinion of myself, but it was. Just clarity, yeah.
And recognition from outside. In Absolutely.
And I knew myself more, yeah. Yeah, what do?
You What about your friends? Did you have a good friend
group? Yeah.
You seem to now I see on social media you got really good
friends. I've got a lot of friends and
I've met a lot of people through Instagram, through the same
community. So I met Charlie back there.
I met you too. Everyone knows me.
Yeah, I met a lot of people on there.
Cool, that was good. It was really good to meet you
in London. Yeah, it was really good.
Yeah, I loved it. Yeah, yeah, you must have.
You must have got some followers when you were down there.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So after you get your diagnosis,
then, I mean, you're kind of sat there, but I'm kind of asking
questions that your mum might want to answer.
But in fact, I will. I'm just going to ask you, what
was it like finding out that that she was autistic?
Was it, was it, I mean, was it upsetting or did it answer a lot
of questions was? Clarification and acceptance, I
suppose that somebody acknowledged why she was, why
she was, how she. Was and you recognised that the
that the way she was was different when.
When she did the she she did. But then when we were waiting
for when she was on the pathway, I was doing my own research.
And it probably been there since they obviously she was born
autistic. And it's when you do the
research and you start thinking, God, you know, Charlotte,
Charlotte, Charlotte. So when the diagnosis was given,
it was like that final bit of the puzzle that clicked in, you
know, and yeah. And then people say, well, why?
Why do you want to label her? It's, it's not giving her a
label. It then brings that support that
she needed. Yeah, through education.
It's with friends and family. Accepting that she is, is
different. She's autistic.
Yeah. Yeah, you know.
So she does have different ways and different quirks and
everything. I don't think that there's
anything wrong with her, no, just because she does things
differently. Except her for who she.
Is have you noticed? That's a, that's a very proud
mum there, that's a. Very proud mum have have have
you noticed her flourish since getting the recognition and the
help and. That's a big, that's a that's a
really big thing though. You said about getting the
label. Yeah, OK.
She was diagnosed autistic the summer of 2023.
Charlotte has gone through a really tough couple of years and
she had a really, really bad experience with levels of
support at her secondary school. It took us a while to get an
EHCP. As we all know, it's a national
crisis and just takes forever. See a lot of people nodding
their heads in the background there.
Charlotte's also been diagnosed with functional neurological
disorder and last year we went through an awful time.
She had an unprecedented amount of seizures, everything that
went with that. And I think when she was in
hospital with everything going on, she set up this account
because she wanted people to see her and also perhaps look at her
and get support. And through that she has also
got such a support as well. And that's where I've seen a
massive change in her is the same community is fantastic.
It's a massive family. And it's, I think knowing that
she isn't the only one, I'm not the only mum going through it.
There is so much the warmth and support that we all get from it.
And she's just grown. I mean she's left secondary
education now with no GCS. ES overrated.
It's overrated because you understand.
It now, it's in your time. Yeah, you do it in your time.
She's now at a mainstream college with an EHCP.
Yeah, we've had some teething problems, but I think it's just
bedding in and getting to know her.
She's flying. What?
Flying, Yeah. Apparently so, she's found her
people. Yeah.
That can support her and college to Charlotte is is massive.
She's doing childcare because she wants to hopefully get into
the world of SEND and everything.
And she's found her niche. And with that, everything else
is starting to to philtre through.
Yeah, she's, she's participates now in a lot of sort of
extracurricular activities. She's found friends, and I mean
friends who understand her. When I look back now to what she
was like last year, the year before, we've had some real
tricky problems, you know, because we all know autism can
affect mental health. As well, Yeah.
She's hit. A lot of bumps in the road
smashing it now though. Mate, what, what I think's why
I'm so proud of her. Yeah, absolutely.
What I think is quite nice is that you set this account up
now, and we know it's absolutely flying, is that there's going to
be other kids out there who are 10.
Yeah, 11, exactly where you are going.
I've just found this account. I'm doing some research, and
they'll be presenting it to their parents, the evidence and
saying, look, proposal bias. I see myself in in Charlotte.
Yeah. And you're just giving it back,
passing it on. So thank you very much for doing
that. I really appreciate it.
And you enjoy it as well, don't you?
Yeah. You enjoy it, yeah.
Because you know you're doing something that's worthwhile in
giving back. Yeah.
So what's on the horizon for next year?
What's your big goal? So on the 17th of January there
is a March happening in London about the children's school and
well-being. But I think it is.
So we go into that and yeah, just see where we go.
See where we go? Oh fantastic.
Yeah, let's make a difference on Instagram.
Eve probably do some bits with her.
I've got very close with her I think through Instagram because
there's not many teen accounts as such on Instagram of people
sharing their story. It's mainly parents, mums
especially I find. And you and.
Me, yeah. So I attend Youth Parliament too
weekly so. Weekly.
Yeah, so every Wednesday I'll go to like the local authorities
and sit with counsellors and stuff and.
Decision makers. Yeah, the big people, so.
You're influencing them. Yeah.
So you're an influencer? And do you feel like when you go
every week, do you feel like they're listening?
Sometimes, yeah, yeah. Most of the time, yeah, but
having you there is going to be different than just having a
load of adults just going on. About it, yeah, yeah.
And that's why I like it, because when it's adults, it's
like just another adult. Yeah, but when it's a child.
I think sometimes they do as well.
Yeah. That's fantastic.
Mate, killing it. Thanks.
Killing it anyway, awesome meeting you.
Yeah. Thank you for everything you're
doing. You are absolutely smashing.
You want to give a shout out to your account?
Yeah, do it. Shout.
Out. Shout out.
Yeah, so my account is called
Audi HD dot F&D underscore and me, but I've got the what's it
called? QR code on my phone if you want
to scan it. We'll link it to this.
Yeah, we get it out so. Thank you very much.
Charlotte.