For the third consecutive year, Maud, dietitian and Chair of Gold Coast Health’s Neurodiversity Employee Network, shares her artwork for Autism Acceptance Month.
After many experiences of being misunderstood as a multiply neurodivergent person, Maud found in drawing a way to communicate what words sometimes cannot.
“For me, drawing is less about creating art and more about advocacy. Through my drawings, I aim to build shared understanding and challenge stereotypes about autistic and other neurodivergent experiences,” Maud said.
Throughout April, Maud is exhibiting a series of drawings in the Gold Coast University Hospital foyer, inviting viewers to engage with different ways of thinking, perceiving and interacting with the world.
Each piece is accompanied by reflections that support engagement with the work, while acknowledging that neurodivergent experiences are diverse and cannot be reduced to a single story.
Maud has also included QR codes linking to audio versions of each piece’s explanation, alongside detailed alt-text descriptions of the drawings to support accessibility.
The exhibition opens with Deep Dive Launch, which portrays how Maud experiences the moment she begins drawing.
“Deep Dive Launch captures the moment just before entering hyperfocus or flow — when I am about to start drawing and the outside world fades away, bringing a rare sense of calm,” Maud said.
For Maud, drawing offers a way to express experiences that are too nuanced to communicate verbally.
“It feels like a more accurate and authentic form of communication for me,” Maud said.
Having her work exhibited during Autism Acceptance Month is something Maud is proud of.
“Exhibiting my drawings is an opportunity to increase visibility and understanding. During my own identification journey, there were many experiences that didn’t make sense at first,” Maud said.
“While I do not speak for the autistic community, I hope other autistic people might recognise parts of themselves in the artwork, especially if they’ve previously felt unseen or misunderstood.”
Be sure to visit the Gold Coast University Hospital foyer to engage with the exhibition and reflect on how small actions — like listening with curiosity or validating unfamiliar experiences — can create ripples of greater understanding.
