Hi, I'm Kieran Rose - The Autistic Advocate. 

This page is an opportunity for you to get to know me and my personal and professional background, my relation to autism and how 'The Autistic Advocate' started.

It's a bit in depth, so if you'd prefer the highlights, this is the too long/didn't read (TL/DR) version:

"Kieran Rose is a published mainstream and academic author, international public speaker, trainer, researcher and consultant to organisations all over the world with a specialism in Autistic Masking, Autistic Burnout and Autistic Identity. He was diagnosed Autistic in 2003 and is Dad to three autistic children."

Before I give you the longer version I want to make it exceptionally clear that when I create and deliver autism training, provide autism consultancy or talk at conferences I DO NOT talk about me and 'my Autism'. Plenty of other Autistic speakers do tell their story and shape their business around that and it works for them and I respect that. But, for me, I am focussed on challenging your perceptions of autism and I can't do that by only telling my story. Instead I can tell you the collective story of many Autistic voices and, by doing so, change the life outcomes for Autistic people everywhere.

Back to my personal story then....

Hi, I'm Kieran,

I'm parent to three  Autistic; children and I'm husband to Neurodivergent Marketing Consultant, Speaker and Trainer, Michelle Rose.

I'm originally from a (very) poor working class family in Essex in the South East of England, and now live at the top of a very tall, windy and snowy hill in the North East of England; The backdrop to time spent writing the essays and work you'll find on this website, which have been read by nearly 2 million people.

I have a varied career background, having spent over ten years as a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant in the South and the North, specialising in SEND Education; before moving onto administration and disability service delivery for children and adults, working in schools, Sure Start and Adult Disability services.

I was diagnosed as Autistic at the age of 23, in 2003, by Sir Professor Simon Baron-Cohen at his CLASS clinic in Cambridge, which is rather ironic, as I've since spent most of my time as an Advocate and a Professional dismantling many of the damaging theories put into the world by Sir Professor Simon Baron-Cohen;  You can read about those here. Interestingly, in 2021, I co-Authored an Academically published paper with my academic research partner, Dr Amy Pearson, of Sunderland University titled: 'A conceptual analysis of Autistic Masking: Understanding the narrative of Stigma and the illusion of choice', which was written as a way of increasing recognition that Autistic Masking is not just a series of social strategies; and challenges much of Sir Professor Baron-Cohen's work.

Prior to diagnosis I had what might be described as the typical life of an undiagnosed Autistic person. School was hell for me, I grew up with my needs un-recognised and I was un-supported properly educationally, emotionally and socially.  cries for help went ignored and invalidated. I struggled with relationships, experienced serious bully and interpersonal victimisation and had periods of extreme isolation, self-harm and unhappiness.  I tried to end my life on several occasions.  I had to unconsciously learn to project acceptable versions of myself (which I later worked out to be Autistic Masking) to counter-act the invalidation I experienced from my communication, my behaviour and any expression of my sensory needs.   

Post-diagnosis, in 2003, there was no support for Autistic adults, nearly everything in terms of information was geared towards children and what was out there for adults reinforced the negativity I felt within myself.  At that time I felt that being Autistic was a barrier to me living a 'normal' life.  So for about the next 7-8 years I carried on as I had previously, going through repeating cycles of poor mental health and physical illness, attempting to 'fix' myself through therapy, anti-depressants and self-medicating, unaware I was experiencing cyclical periods of what are now known as Autistic Burnout.  

It wasn't until the birth of my first child that things changed, I quickly recognised that the real barrier I needed to overcome was a lack of self understanding, I needed to figure out what being Autistic actually meant for me individually and for everyone else who is Autistic.

This led me to go on a journey of self-discovery (sorry, I know that's twee) where I read every book I could get my hands on, every research paper I could understand, watched every documentary. Yet none of it felt right, it was all generic and superficial and continued to reinforce me solely as the problem.  I joined parent support groups and watched people desperate to understand their children just reinforce awful thinking, pass around information I knew in my gut wasn't right.

For the first time I realised what had been missing: I didn't know what other Autistic people were experiencing. 

The books were all based on observations, the charities and groups were all non-Autistic people, or parents talking about children, the few books written by Autistic people barely referenced other Autistic people.  

It was all 'I' or 'They', where was the 'Us' and the 'We'?

At that point I went looking for and found the Autistic community and when I found it, my whole life changed.  Ideas and concepts I thought were unique, already had names.  There were a million lightbulb moments of:

"I do that too!" 

I experienced empathy, where previously I had experienced nothing but invalidation. I watched people like myself grapple with the reality that so many of us had so much connected experience and that nearly all of us were wrestling with what was very clearly trauma, internalised ableism, confusion and often self-loathing.

The more time I spent being supported by Autistic people, supporting other Autistic people and supporting parents, the more the awful narratives around autism and about Autistic people became obvious for what they were: wildly misinformed, wildly representative of an enormous power imbalance and a complete injustice; sometimes developed out of other equally bad narratives, sometimes furthered deliberately for personal gain; and all non-inclusive and incredibly harmful.

So not only did I feel at home, I also felt responsibility.

Responsibility for my children, for other Autistic people and myself to change this. To work with others to change this.

So I started writing. And working with others. 

The more I wrote, the more I worked with others, the more people took notice. 

I started to be asked to speak and, behind the scenes, was supporting parents and professionals had started asking my opinions. I threw myself into exploring research, spent time on and offline with other Autistic people, I watched and took part in debates and conversations, I read every book I could get my hands on, whether I agreed with it or not, I took courses in behavioural techniques and management, took autism courses and training, listened to talks by other Autistics.  I soaked up everything I could so that I could see things not only from my unique personal perspective, but also from the perspective of every possible angle I could think of.

And now?  

On a personal level, I understand myself better than at any other time in my life. 

I understand and recognise my sensory needs, I'm more aware when sensory dysregulation is on it's way and what I need to do about it. 

I have the knowledge and understand to explore my many and varied co-occurring conditions, that all previously would have been swept under an incorrect umbrella label of autism and gone unseen and unsupported, as so many people experience, leaving them struggling and often in pain.

I have far better boundaries with other people, which means I am mentally healthier and I have solid friendships and relationships with people both local and far away, who I like and who I choose to spend my time with. 

I'm still working through a lot of trauma (and probably will for ever), but have learnt to sit comfortably (and often still at times uncomfortably) with it, but I have definitely reframed my life to recognise that I was not always and entirely the problem. I carry that with me moving forward. 

I also recognise my privilege in being fortunate enough to be able to do all this.  I'm lucky in a lot of ways, which focuses my belief that I have responsibility towards those who haven't been able to do what I've done.

I'm privileged enough to have created a niche, this niche, that you're reading now. 

Despite a lifetime of emotional, communicative and behavioural invalidation and trauma, of having a range of previously unrecognised and unsupported co-occurring conditions, including attention differences, Dyspraxia, Hyperlexia, Hypermobile Elhers-Danlos Syndrome, huge pain responses to certain sensory stimuli such as touch, light and sounds, Meniere's Disease and Situational Mutism, I have somehow managed to create a platform for myself and have invested myself in being an advocate for the rights of all Autistic people. 

The damaging narratives about us and around us, along with the abuse, injustice and violation of basic rights that so commonly exist for Autistic people are the reasons that spur me on to advocate both for and with the Autistic community, to promote understanding of the Neurodiversity paradigm and to reframe the negative narratives around Autistic people.

Now:

I am a published mainstream and academic author, with chapters in a variety of books. In 2023 my own book on Autistic Masking, co-written with Dr Amy Pearson was published.

I am a private consultant to organisations, groups and charities all over the world, large and small, who are invested in real change in the way they practice and support Autistic people.

I'm an international public speaker, who has spoken at events and conferences all over the UK and the world.

I provide specialist training of differing lengths and on various subjects within the autism narrative to Professionals, parents and Autistic people, including my signature training, 'The Inside of Autism' which is between 10 to 20 hours of training reframing the understanding of autistic experience. I am also recognised as an expert in in Autistic Masking, Autistic Burnout and Autistic Identity.

I am a co-founder of The Autistic Cooperative; an International network and lobbying group for Autistic Professionals and Advocates, with over 700 members either represented individually or as representatives of over 50 different Autistic-led organisations; all designed to bring together Advocates from all over the world to share and join forces.

I am Neurodivergence Educator for the US-based Occupational Therapy charity the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing. Who are focused intently on sensory health and raising the profile of Sensory Processing as a major area for support needs and wellbeing.

I've consulted on various research papers and through my former Social Enterprise, Infinite Autism, I'm a published research partner with the Institute of Leadership and Management on the experiences of Neurodivergent people in employment. 

I have published academic papers on Autistic Masking and interpersonal victimisation and am currently co-producing further qualitative and quantitative research into Autistic Masking, Autistic experiences of interpersonal Victimisation, Autistic experiences of Domestic violence; and Monotropism and Autistic Identity. 

I also have a co-Authored qualitative research paper on Autistic Masking in young Autistic people in the publication process, with Dr Louise Chapman and Dr Louise Hull from University College London. 

I've guest-lectured at University's across the UK on Masters level courses including, Psychology, Sociology, Neuroscience, Education and specifically Autism and am a regular guest lecturer at the Anna Freud Centre.

I am an associate researcher with GRRAND University College London and a co-producer and co-deliverer of training with the Anna Freud Centre and AT-Autism related to Autistic people's mental health and inpatient mental health services.

I'm also very honoured to have recently accepted a position as Honorary Research Associate with the University of Sunderland.

Lots of people might read this and think that I'm 'mildly Autistic', or 'High Functioning'. 

"Look at all these things Kieran can do."

Firstly there is no such thing (and if you think there is, you might want to read few of my articles or even go on one of my courses). 

Secondly, you may have read all this, or seen me speak somewhere and think you know me, but you don't.  My relationship with spoken communication is immensely complicated and I have, do and will continue to have huge periods of my life where I do not speak. 

Many of the struggles and barriers I have faced have been external, but some are innate within me as part of my Autistic experience.  I have no shame in saying I am Disabled, there is no negative connotation in Disability for me. I am who I am and wouldn't change that.  

I also have no shame in identifying the support I have had in order to do the things I can do. My ability to 'function' is your perception, not my reality.  Others you perceive as functioning differently or less may have physical disabilities that I do not have.  It is not a measure of worth, or a competition. Autistic people, no matter what each of us may have going on individually, are of equal value to non-Autistic people, our rights are equal too. All human beings are interdependent in our own various ways, none of us exist within a vacuum.

As I said earlier I am privileged, I recognise that. 

I'm white, I'm male presenting, I am well-informed, I'm a parent, I'm able to speak eloquently on the subject of autism and people listen to me. 

It's also why this page is the only place on this website where I talk about myself in any real depth (aside from in some articles where I use isolated personal experiences to reference points).  None of this is about me.  It's about a collective us.  A group of us, diagnosed and undiagnosed who share collective difficulties and experiences; who deserve better than we got, than we are getting. 

It's about recognising that we are invested in a civil rights movement for Autistic people, that Autistic culture is a valid reality.

So enough about me... 

How to Contact Kieran

For all enquiries please contact Michelle Rose at michelle<at>theautisticadvocate.com

To find more about the types of services Kieran can offer please visit: Work With Kieran

Hi, I'm Michelle,

I'm Kieran's wife and also his business partner.

Although this is Kieran's website you might read 'our' rather than 'my' across the website i.e. 'our training' and that's because I support Kieran and we work together to run The Autistic Advocate. In the past few years it's become a two-person job to manage!

Kieran is the 'face' and creator of all of the training. I'm the 'back office' and do all of the marketing, build and maintain the website and manage the admin and finance. 

We've met in 2000 and we live together, work together, parent together, home-educate together and are best friends.

We make a good team!

That's probably all you need to know about me, other than I drink LOTS of tea and am always on the hunt for best slice of carrot cake.

Kieran Rose - The Autistic Advocate; advocating for the Autistic community since 2017 

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