Eli and Chantelle McGuinness
Eli McGuinness is a bright ten-year-old who loves YouTube videos and wants to be a vet at the zoo when he grows up.
When Eli was three, his mum, Chantelle, noticed that he played differently from other children. He used to line up his toys and preferred to play on his own. Still, she wasn't sure if Eli was autistic because he didn't present with typical characteristics.
After Eli's diagnosis at four, Chantelle, a Gunditjmara Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri woman who works at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, was determined to find out all she could about autism. She found an intensive program for autistic children to help Eli prepare for school.
"Eli came out of his shell when he started school," she says.
Since Eli's diagnosis, Chantelle has been a strong advocate in her community, raising awareness of autism and organising events.
Louise Mackenzie
Louise Mackenzie didn't finish high school because her school principal didn't believe she was capable.
Today Louise is a doctoral candidate in architecture and film at Swinburne University, holds a full-time job as a records officer and writes for a music magazine. In 2019, Louise presented on her research at an international conference in Paris.
Diagnosed with autism in 2016, Louise says finding and keeping a job have been her biggest challenges.
"It's important that employers have an understanding of the difficulties someone with autism may face in the workplace," she says.
Bailey Müller
Bailey Müller understands what it's like for autistic kids. The 19-year-old, who was diagnosed in grade five, says finding a group of friends who understood him was incredibly important.
"My friends – and they're only a small group – I know they're there for me," he says.
Ask about what's most important to him, Bailey says, "Having a good support network of family and friends who care – that feeling of being loved and cared for, that they're always going to be there for you."
It's this insight and experience that has prompted Bailey to help other kids with autism.
Now studying mental health at university, Bailey wants to work with autistic children as they transition from primary to secondary school. He has also volunteered as a coach at an AFL football clinic for children with autism for the past five years.
"I just fell in love with it – I see the kids smiling and laughing and it's so rewarding."
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