Julianne Maree Higgins

I am an experienced autistic advocate and peer-researcher and have been involved in the conceptualisation and conduct of research relating to autistic burnout and to the co-production of research between autistic and non-autistic researchers. This has included co-leading the “Investigating Autistic Burnout #AutBurnout” project with CI Arnold. I am a non-binary late diagnosed autistic adult, receiving diagnosis at the age of 62. I bring diverse rich experiences to my research, having lived in various cultures, worked as an artist, as well as various professional and unskilled endeavours. I also spent twenty + years studying at university at both undergraduate and post graduate levels across academic disciplines/faculties. The focus of my masters’ degree, incomplete due to onset of autistic burnout, was on anxiety disorders, counselling and stress management. Other degrees were also incomplete due to autistic burnout, as I maintained employment whilst pursuing additional study, and accommodations were not made available to me. A background in philosophy, psychology and meditation complemented my academic work and my voluntary work with Griefline and Beyond Blue. I am an Alumna of Autism CRC Research Academy 2015, to which I was an Autistic Advisor for the Inaugural Workshop. I have been a research advisor to the Australian Longitudinal Study of Autism in Adulthood (ALSAA) for several years. Since 2016 I have presented at several autism conferences, covering areas of diagnosis, co-existing conditions, health care, and most recently at APAC2019 on participatory inclusive peer research and co-production and INSAR2021 on autistic burnout.