Yenn passionately advocates for autism and promotes inclusion as a keynote presenter and author. Yenn has authored several books including The Parents Practical Guide to Resilience for Preteens and Teenagers on the Autistic Spectrum and The Parents Practical Guide to Resilience for their Autistic children aged 2-10 years. They have also presented at events such as TEDx Canberra, Asia Pacific Autism Conference and Autism@Work conferences. Yenn hosts an internet radio show and is a guest presenter on the Canberra Radio 2CC 'Talking Disability' show.

What is your most memorable writing work and why?Y: My autobiography, Finding a different kind of normal, published in 2006. This was my first published book and it changed my world. It was the biggest accomplishment I had experienced at the time and it gave me a lot of confidence and increased my self-esteem. When I wrote it I was living in public housing and was only working a few hours. Three months after the book came out I applied for professional jobs and was successful. I would not have done this without the book. It was also me publicly affirming I am autistic which was a big deal. The book essentially gave me my advocacy career.

What are the key initiatives needed to raise autism awareness?Y: A willingness to listen to autistic voices, better representation of autistic people across all domains of life and autistic people being respected and accepted for being our authentic selves.

What is the most memorable speech you delivered to inspire your audience? How do you usually connect with your audience?Y: I have had a couple of very significant talks. The first is my TEDx talk from 2013. This was a huge effort and I am really proud of myself for doing it. It was the scariest presentation I have ever given due to the TED brand being so established. I didn’t want to ‘break’ TED! I reached an audience beyond the autism community with the TEDx talk. The other memorable talk was one I gave in 2015 alongside Temple Grandin and Tim Sharp. It was a huge audience - 1500 people - and was probably the most connected I have ever been to an audience. I felt like they were one entity and I was talking with them and sharing stories. It was lovely and they all gave me a standing ovation which was nice.
I connect with my audience with narrative and humour. People remember funny things and they remember stories, Humans are a narrative species. I see my autism knowledge as being the result of listening to other people's stories - I’m more a journalist than a researcher!

What challenges did you face during your school days? How did you motivate yourself to face those challenges?Y: I was a high achiever academically but I was bullied a lot at school. Primary school was better for bullies but I struggled with my levels of engagement. I was a pretty typical ADHD kid at primary school and was the class clown. I didn’t do well academically at primary school. When I went to high school that changed and I was a high achiever but everyone. - or almost everyone - hated me. I was not a fan of high school and if anyone had sown the seeds of the idea of school refusal I would have definitely done that! As it was I was told that I had to go to school so I went to school. I was a very rules-focussed kid for most of my school career.
I never found a strategy to address the bullying. I thought it was my fault so I tried to change myself to be less weird but nothing I tried was effective. When I finished school I felt like dancing down the street! I still experience trauma from those years in high school

What are your other hobbies?Y: Autism and mental health advocacy and my paid job take top most of my time! I don’t really have a lot of hobbies but I have some fandoms including Dr Who. I used to love Harry Potter but had to drop that fandom after discovering that JK Rowling is a transphobic bigot. I love cats and always have. I do not have a cat at the moment but had the wonderful and singular feline Mr Kitty from 2013-2020 and he is much missed.

What is your favourite place to visit? What do you love about that place?Y: I love visiting my parents who live in country Victoria (Australia). My parents stood by me when my life was very difficult and have always been there for me. They live in a beautiful country town which has amazing shops and restaurants. Whenever I visit my parents treat me and make my favourite dishes. We ago for day trips to nearby towns and it is just magic. My parents are my favourite humans in the world. My mum is autistic too.

What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?Y: Read /view material by people with disabilities, don't see it as a ‘tragedy’ and give your kids positive messaging about their capability. Connect them with roles models and / or mentors who are people with disability too and don’t make assumptions about their capability.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who are interested in exploring their creativity?Y: Just do it! Don’t think ‘I cannot draw’ or ‘I cannot write’. Everyone is creative! Practice improves things too. I write most days which improves the quality of my writing. Creativity is often not a gift that you are born with but a practice and something to work at. Don't be critical of your capability. It is very easy to say ‘this is no good’ but challenge that.

Any special message for our community?Y: Own your amazingness. Believe in yourself and value what you bring to the world. We all have something to give and something to share. Also work together with each other. We do better united than divided even if some people like to compete and criticise.