Kat Williams was diagnosed as autistic with ADHD at the age of 32 following a number of years of mental illness.

Due to mental ill-health, Kat was unable to attend university after completing her A-levels. As a result of positive feedback from those who read her blog about her mental health, she applied for an Open University degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, which she’ll be graduating from this year. Then she commences a MSc in Social Science Research Methods (Social Policy) in September 2021.

After years of advocacy work, in 2020 Kat joined the board of Autistic UK, an Autistic-led Disabled People’s Organisation which focuses on systems advocacy, currently working with bodies such as Welsh Government and NHS Boards to influence policy. Kat leads Autistic UK’s research, focus groups and reporting. She works to ensure autism research is Autistic led, and/or co-produced with Autistic people.

Kat recently spoke at the NHS Wales Equality Week event at which she presented her experiences of being an Autistic inpatient and outpatient. Kat’s main area of interest is the inequality in access to healthcare faced by autistic people, and the impact this has on health outcomes. She campaigns against the use of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) as a ‘treatment’ for autism, particularly considering the high incidence of PTSD among those who have been through it.

More recently, Kat has been diagnosed with hypermobility spectrum disorder, mast cell activation syndrome, and fibromyalgia. She talks about the impact these conditions have on her ability to partake in her favourite hobby – running – on my social media pages and YouTube channel.