AN autistic artist is urging people to join a bold new awareness campaign by a Dorset-based charity.

Inter-disciplinary artist Deborah Goatley-Birch was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 41 and spent six years seeking a diagnosis of autism for her son Danny, now 17.

As Artist in Residence at the specialist Portfield School in Christchurch, which is operated by charity Autism Unlimited, Deborah is sharing her own experiences as part of the charity’s new campaign titled ‘Autism, the same, but different’.

Deborah, from Hampshire, said: “[The campaign] invites people, both neuro-diverse and neuro-typical, to share life experiences on our forum, positive and negative and to come up with tips for how everyday life can be improved for everyone.

“Autism in its many forms is complex. But better understanding of what makes autistic people both different and the same as everyone else is of huge benefit to us all.”

Siún Cranny, Autism Unlimited CEO, added: “We feel privileged to be able to benefit from both Deborah's huge talent as an artist and her knowledge of what it is like to be an autistic person in a largely neuro-typical world.

“Her personal story and stunning art form an important part of what we hope will be a highly effective campaign.”

Visit autism-unlimited.org/forum for more.