Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics

▪ Through our support group, we hold space for Autistic and ADHD Black, Brown and Asian people to connect, share, and find community after trauma.

Awareness is not enough. Real protection begins when every survivor is seen, believed, and supported in ways that reflect who they are.

▪ We contribute to policy work, including the Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodivergency (LDAN) Bill, ensuring that protection systems are designed with intersectionality in mind.

At SEMA, we believe safety and justice must include neurodiversity.

▪ We advocate for specialist training so services understand the realities of racialised Autistic and ADHD women. This includes having informative conversations with Rape Crisis centres (@Forth Valley RapeCrisis Centre)

These numbers reveal more than vulnerability. They show a lack of accessible safeguarding, trauma-informed services, and professionals trained to recognise neurodivergent experiences of abuse.

▪ Experts note that neurodivergent people are less likely to report abuse, often due to communication barriers, sensory overwhelm, or not being believed.

The Autism Research Institute ARI works to advance the understanding of autism by funding research and facilitating education on its causes and the potential treatments.

▪ Research from Autism.org indicates that Autistic youth are three to four times more likely than their neurotypical peers to experience sexual victimisation.

▪ A study in Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders found that nearly one in four Autistic adults has experienced domestic violence.

Some realities:

▪ According to research published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, almost 90% of Autistic women report experiencing sexual violence, often more than once.

A dark-toned awareness poster for Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, October 2025, by Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics (SEMA). The background features a close-up of a Black woman’s face, partially in shadow, conveying strength and vulnerability. At the top is SEMA’s logo with the text “Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics.” Below, bold white text reads: “DOMESTIC ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH — October 2025.” In the center is a large female gender symbol, and at the bottom, the message: “AWARENESS IS NOT ENOUGH. INCLUSION SAVES LIVES.”

Abuse is not blind to difference. For Autistic, ADHD, and other neurodivergent women, the risks are often higher, and the systems meant to protect them frequently fail to understand their needs.

#DomesticAbuseAwareness
#Neurodiversity
#AutisticWomen
#Intersectionality
#SEMA

At SEMA, we are grateful for everyone in our community who continues to bring light through advocacy, collaboration, and compassion.

Wishing everyone celebrating a joyful and peaceful Diwali filled with warmth and connection.

The SEMA team

#Diwali
#FestivalOfLights
#Community
#Inclusion
#SEMA

A festive Diwali greeting graphic from Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics (SEMA). The SEMA logo appears at the top. Below it, the text reads “Happy Diwali.” The message says, “May the divine light of Diwali dispel all darkness from your life and fill it with peace and prosperity.” The design features hanging decorative lamps and bells in red and gold. At the bottom, three brightly lit traditional oil lamps (diyas) sit on a colorful rangoli pattern.

Happy Diwali from SEMA

As homes light up across the world for Diwali, we celebrate the spirit of brightness, renewal, and community.

For many, Diwali is more than a festival of lights. It is a reminder that light grows stronger when shared through understanding, inclusion, and kindness.

Autistic Adult Support Fund - Inspiring Scotland The Autistic Adult Support Fund aims to help adults with an autism diagnosis, self-identified autistic adults, and their families and carers understand what neurodivergence means for them and improve ...

You can check them here: inspiringscotland.org.uk/fund/autisti...

The many faces of ADHD include racialised voices that are too often left out. Our work is about making sure those voices are seen, heard, and valued.

— The SEMA team

#ADHDAwarenessMonth
#TheManyFacesOfADHD
#Neurodiversity
#SEMA

🔹 Employment: inclusivity in recruitment, culture, and retention

🔹 Life transitions and womanhood: exploring puberty, menopause, and gender roles with cultural and intersectional insight

These resources give educators, employers, and service providers practical guidance informed by real lives.

With funding from the Scottish Government’s Autistic Adult Support Fund, we created training resources developed with Autistic and racialised professionals.

These cover:

🔹 Education: barriers in transitions, career advice, and university access

▪ We run a support group for Black, Brown and Asian Autistic and AuDHD people, building safe spaces to connect and share.

▪ We amplify community voices through campaigns like Autistic Ramadan and ongoing storytelling that challenge stereotypes.

For racialised communities, ADHD is often unseen. Stereotypes, stigma, and cultural bias mean that too many people go undiagnosed or unsupported.

At SEMA, we work to change this by centring the lived experiences of racialised Autistic and ADHD people.

Graphic for ADHD Awareness Month, October 2025, created by Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics (SEMA). It features a gold and brown gradient background with the SEMA logo at the top and an orange awareness ribbon on the left. The text reads: “In the UK, ADHD affects around 3–4% of adults and about 5% of children according to NHS England and NICE estimates. Yet, many remain undiagnosed. A study of 9 million GP records found only 0.32% had a formal diagnosis, suggesting that as few as 1 in 9 people with ADHD get recognised. In England alone, an estimated 2,498,000 people are thought to have ADHD (including undiagnosed cases), and more than 549,000 people may be waiting for assessments.”

Behind these numbers are lives and stories, and too often, racialised voices are the ones missing.

October is ADHD Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is The Many Faces of ADHD.

People deserve to be seen as whole, not as a set of disconnected diagnoses.

— The SEMA team

#DyslexiaAwarenessWeek
#Neurodiversity
#Intersectionality
#ADHDAwareness
#SEMA

▪ We bring lived experience into conversations on assessment reform through policy engagement and consultation work, including our contribution to the LDAN Bill.

▪ We hold support groups where intersectional neurodivergent experiences are shared and understood.

At SEMA, we see how these fragmented systems affect real lives.

▪ We advocate for integrated neurodevelopmental pathways that consider co-occurring conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia together.

Each assessment is financially costly for the NHS and emotionally costly for the person waiting. Many go through months or years of re-referrals, repeated questionnaires, and uncertainty- if they even have an open pathway to begin with.

Some realities:

▪ Around 25% to 40% of people with ADHD also have dyslexia.

▪ Up to 80% of Autistic people may also have ADHD.

▪ Separate pathways mean repeated costs and longer waits for individuals who often need multiple assessments.

Infographic by Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics (SEMA) for Dyslexia Awareness Week, October 2025. It highlights the overlap between Autism, ADHD, and Dyslexia using a three-circle Venn diagram. The Autism and ADHD circles intersect with the text: “Separate assessments. Separate waits. Same person.” A caption above reads: “Up to 80% of Autistic people also have ADHD.” Another note says: “25–40% of people with ADHD also have dyslexia.” A red dyslexia awareness ribbon appears on the right side.

Many people know dyslexia. Many know ADHD. But what happens when the two intersect, or when an Autistic person also has ADHD? The impact is profound, especially in systems built around singular-focus assessments.

We see their courage every day, and we are committed to ensuring that racialised Autistic girls have the recognition, resources, and respect they deserve.

— The SEMA team

#DayOfTheGirl
#TheGirlIAmTheChangeILead
#Neurodiversity
#Intersectionality
#SEMA

Through campaigns like Autistic Ramadan and contributing to resources such as NeuroBears’ “Unpacking Understanding”, we continue to challenge stereotypes and build visibility.

Girls are not waiting for equality. They are already leading change.

Our support group offers Autistic and ADHD people of colour, including girls and young women, a safe space to connect and be heard.

We contribute to policy development ensuring racialised Autistic voices shape the future.

At SEMA, we work to change this narrative.

Our work centres on representation, training, and lived experience.

Through the Autistic Adult Support Fund, we created resources exploring intersectional perspectives in education, employment, and womanhood.

For racialised and neurodivergent girls, these inequalities deepen. Many grow up unseen by education systems, unrecognised in healthcare, and unheard in conversations about leadership or womanhood.

📊 Did you know?

▪ 133 million girls are out of school today.

▪ Almost 4 in 10 adolescent girls do not finish upper secondary education.

▪ 1 in 4 married or partnered girls aged 15–19 has experienced intimate partner violence.

A graphic by Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics (SEMA) for International Day of the Girl Child, dated 11 October 2025. The background shows young girls of colour playing together on a playground. The text reads: “The girl I am is not defined by barriers but by how I move through them.”

This year’s theme for International Day of the Girl Child is “The girl I am, the change I lead”, it honours girls on the frontlines of crisis, those shaping their futures despite systemic inequality. Yet the global picture shows how far there is still to go.

#DayoftheGirl #GenerationEquality