In her heart-warming talk, Monique will speak about the alienation and isolation experienced by individuals with autism and the stereotypes that plague the diagnosis. Having autism herself, she wants to raise awareness of the challenges faced by individuals who are on the autism spectrum. Monique challenges society’s perception of autism and urges a change in the way society interacts with autism as a whole.

Monique is a postgraduate student in the University of Surrey Psychology department who has worked with children with autism for a number of years as a Social Care worker. Having autism herself, it has given her an interesting perception on what autism is with regards to communities both locally and internationally. Now studying psychology, her dissertation focuses on the stress of being of being different faced by individuals on the autism spectrum and how it affects their lives.