Neurodiversity service aims to help girls flourish

Hannah Carrington, 30, was diagnosed with autism only 18 months ago

A mental health charity has started a new service to support neurodiverse girls and young women, after an increase in referrals.

Flintshire-based KIM Inspire said that because conditions such as autism and ADHD are often overlooked in girls, it could make mental health issues worse.

That can lead to high levels of distress and even self-harm.

One of the project's developers, Hannah Carrington, who is neurodivergent, said having specialised support when she was a teenager would have made all the difference.

Hannah, from Holywell, is exactly the type of young woman KIM Inspire hopes to help.

She said she cried tears of relief when she was diagnosed with autism 18 months ago at the age of 29, which explained years of anguish and confusion, especially during her school years.

"When I transitioned to secondary school, which was probably one of the most horrendous times of my life, I found it difficult to settle.

"Our bus route going to school... on this roundabout there was a petrol station and every time the bus got the that point, every morning... everything inside of me was heightened anxiety... from the top of my head to my toes, my body was on fire inside of me, it was so extreme.

"I thought everybody must be feeling the same... you've got to do this.

"Looking back I coasted a lot, I masked a lot, managed to get through, keep myself quiet."

Amy Gray said she wanted the girls to be able to "be themselves" and "flourish"

Research carried out by the charity found that Hannah's experience is not unusual, and that for many of the young women who come to them with mental health issues, there's more going on.

Some may not have had a formal neurodiversity diagnosis, others might have, but haven't found anywhere to go for follow-on support.

Amy Gray, the director of operations at KIM Inspire, said that often, by the time the girls are referred to KIM, they were in "a terrible state", with problems like eating disorders, being unable to attend school, and low self-esteem.

She said she had also seen young women who were self harming, or who have attempted suicide.

"Around them, there were families who didn't know what was going on with their girls, and didn't know how to help them," she said.

"The families themselves were absolutely in crisis.

"We want to offer this very specific, safe space for those girls, to connect with other girls... there will be shared experiences and overlaps. They are really welcome to be their authentic selves."

'They are not on their own'

The new service is being funded by The Neumark Foundation, which supports children and young people across north Wales.

Its chief executive, Rebecca Neumark, said she wanted people to know that getting a neurodiversity diagnosis was not the end of the story.

"It's really important to spread the word, especially to families who are giving support to these young women, that there is support out there, and strategies of moving on, and that they are not on their own."

She said they were excited to see the results of the service.

"We want to bring out the positives in these girls... they offer so much. It just needs to be pushed forward."

KIM Inspire's research helped them understand what neurodiverse girls and young women need

These days, Hannah has a much better understanding of herself and what works for her, to keep herself "as well as possible".

Though she said it would have really helped to have support for her autism earlier, she is happy she will be able to use her own experience to help others through the KIM Inspire project.

"If you understand yourself the best you can, that's the key to being able to live the life you want to live.

"And I hope by doing this, we can get our girls and young women who go missed, back on the path of the life they want."

The new service is currently being offered in Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire, but it is hoped it will eventually be rolled out across the rest of north Wales, giving young women like Hannah, somewhere to turn.