Dr Aimee Grant
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draimeegrant.bsky.social
Dr Aimee Grant
@draimeegrant.bsky.social
2.3K followers 97 following 130 posts
#ActuallyAutistic Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow: "Autism from Menstruation to Menopause" | Swansea Uni
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draimeegrant.bsky.social
It's so exciting to see the advert for my Autistic maternity guide!

If anyone is thinking of buying a copy, I have a 20% discount code if you buy from JKP. Code: %AGRANT20

Link: uk.jkp.com/products/the...
Screenshot of sponsored advert on Facebook from Jessica Kingsley Publishers, for my book The Autism Friendly Guide to Pregnancy Birth and the Fourth Trimester.
November 6, 2025 at 12:53 PM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
📢 New research: how Autism charities talk about Autistic people.

TLDR: they say we're a problem.

Summary in The Conversation: theconversation.com/autism-chari...

Full text: https://doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0335132

@helenabnett.bsky.social @kat-williams.bsky.social @willowholloway.bsky.social
Screen shot of The Conversation headline: Autism charities portray Autistic people as helpless and a burden - our research shows why it matters
October 25, 2025 at 5:21 PM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
The book has received really lovely reviews from @niamhgarvey.bsky.social Alexis Quinn & @autisticdoctor.bsky.social, which you can see below. (2 of 2)
Here’s an example from the book on morning sickness: Image of exclamation mark. Text: If you can’t keep drink or food ‘down’ because of sickness, contact your midwife or GP. Image of a notebook: Text: Script: Talking to your GP or midwife about sickness and vomiting Tell them about the sickness or nausea: • ‘I feel really sick, but I’m not being sick.’ • ‘I’m being sick (say a number) times a day.’ • ‘I’m sick every time I eat something.’ • ‘I’m not able to keep liquid down.’ Tell them how long it’s been going on: • ‘I’ve been like this for (say a number) of days.’ • ‘It started on (say the fi rst day, e.g. Tuesday).’ Tell them how it’s impacting you and ask for help: • ‘Because I can’t keep food and drink down, I’m starting to feel (e.g. weak, dizzy, lightheaded).’ • ‘Because I’m Autistic, I’m limited in the range of food I can eat already, and I can’t really eat at the moment.’ • ‘I think it could be hyperemesis gravidarum. Do you think it could be?’ • ‘Is there any treatment I could have?’ • ‘Some medication to help with the sickness would really help me.’ Reviews say: “This deeply human, neuroaffirming book offers a positive and empowering approach, making an often unknown and overwhelming experience feel navigable.” Alexis Quinn, Author of Unbroken. “(it) is easy to read, with practical advice, scripts and tools. It will be fantastic for autistic people who are pregnant and those who support them.” Dr Mary Doherty, consultant anaesthetist and chair of Autistic Doctors International. “This book is an absolute goldmine of information… I wish I had this book when I was pregnant- it would have made (it) so much easier and less scary.” Niamh Garvey, an Autistic registered nurse & Author. The book is now available to buy from most book shops. You can also ask your local library to get a copy for you to borrow for free. To come to the event for the book, email AutismM2M@swansea.ac.uk to be added to our email list The videos linked to in the book are all available on our YouTube channel - @AutismMenstruationToMenopause Stay in touch: Instagram: AutismM2M TiKToK: AutismM2M Website: www.autismmenstruationtomenopause.com Facebook: Menstruation to menopause research: Autistic community group (autistic people only) and Dr Aimee Grant: Autism from menstruation to menopause Youtube: @AutismMenstruationToMenopause Email: AutismM2M@swansea.ac.uk
October 21, 2025 at 11:22 AM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
The Autism friendly guide to pregnancy, birth and the fourth trimester is published today!

Below you can see some information about the book (1 of 2)

There's a 20% discount code if you buy from Jessica Kingsley Publishers - %AGRANT20
White to red faded background with doodle of a pile of books. Title is in a banner “New book: Autism and pregnancy.” Doodles of parents with babies along the top. Image of a book cover with multiple pregnant people on it. Aimee wrote a book! Aimee (our lead investigator) has been doing research on Autistic people’s maternity experiences since 2021. She wrote a book which is aiming to be easy to read. Autistic people said they didn’t get enough information about pregnancy. This book… Shares experiences from Autistic people about what to expect Has tools to try when things are difficult Gives scripts for when it’s hard to know what to say Reinforces the important bits in summaries Has top tips from Autistic midwives Has a birth plan template Topics include: Pregnancy Sensory experiences Staying healthy in pregnancy Appointments and information Pregnancy complications & pregnancy loss Birth Where to give birth Giving birth & pain relief What happens after you give birth When baby has arrived Baby’s care, sleep & feeding Your emotions
October 21, 2025 at 11:20 AM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
📣Join me to for a free talk!

Topic: a summary of the research on Autism and menopause:

Tuesday, October 7 · 6 - 7pm GMT+1

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dr-aimee-g...
Event Announcement, picture of a megaphone. Dr Aimee Grant: Autism and the Menopause - what does the research say? Picture of Aimee Grant, a white woman with short dark hair and glasses smiling. • Free online talk • 7th October, 6-7pm BST • Register at Eventbrite – link available across our social media. Trigger warning: bad medical treatment
October 1, 2025 at 11:46 AM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
My copies of The Autism Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and the fourth trimester have arrived 🥰

20% discount code: %AGRANT20

uk.jkp.com/products/the...
September 23, 2025 at 10:42 AM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
I can't believe that until 2002, the National Autistic Society were still using a puzzle piece logo containing a crying child!

Found on their annual accounts on Company's House: find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/0120...
Front page of 2002 NAS accounts - original: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/mPhzSqpUC3rBRNZ4iCd1BvJiBSHMWLBAJp07E4kIK_Y/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3PCGVCO4T%2F20250404%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250404T105803Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEJn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIE%2B7f6Hvq7XZ5oL3qyUpCVNgYqJkqdWLnJpQFb8TJ9PyAiEAmkIsVdARnhyavOOGPcBGbWbCH2eYTH8QOS5O3S7SB%2B0quwUIEhAFGgw0NDkyMjkwMzI4MjIiDGLR0wmS57%2BYR0PS1yqYBX%2BSiZBn8u0JHUfoWgjHBlVrtjg8cF2rxqSxG9kEE1rg3ABXBRXq73wHAnnJ%2Br%2FvrUM%2BYXe4nSPz9M4VG%2FlMl1jrsOzGoKP%2FHrSBOAAcAms8Qkc1uIX2sH02MIrXd91%2BEg97Lx3L9O8cdgs%2BNjXNJArsJhJnNtEy2C8VVA6Wbx5WoYJOy5RVVNqbCEthR6Oc718TtgqQ5ug8uVRyS4zjDckfulnJNcDBd4jlRm0qvn7KJOMjpAE2jvCh4YyI8zM2a5o7y93aShwqT9zxpqOhHvlsWORCwokOteOSG1aWLrxlMLzHxc8Vmi83e5xU3%2BbRXU2uPxgrTMkj6z0H300TYE76oz5f6TQ7zqXzuKoUuHTWoHniftOd3FmLh6CZs5enWDDusBRDzBQKKi%2FC2S608H%2BW%2BVlKukQxjhCMrxFkHLv%2FZSn1lc1ixnBA89zBdCTiCJoB4PMv%2F5pSMFI6ggpoOTFjbRqCRaaXxKqbT%2FtvJOKyy2vtJ5Rq%2BNmCtCY7AWvVhmniq6iG3gVrb9wwS%2B%2BbMswYl6hATsl1rmXEtpfwUmZP4uKB1N84vuIgdXm1GC1onGuxIuhQ0OgEid%2B3OPEF02LSbeiQXzDmmzUT%2B5Z9tRjWIfp6HKUqbrZo8Lx%2BVILaBVDLUCIyD0SLzfVbckGoYuAtWZiwPtMDTOxjPDE5GqzxgRB7UE0NCO%2FTiK92qX2LkzOida3XSZT8vLicebDGqZZCz7yqfFq%2BKscHyuFmjYsGjI5wJCR7hjrG5x4OZg9XeRd55RiXt29OBw9drlzZ0GrbM9p2CWRPygJYwg3wtKVzv%2BUbEjnHnE5qkD6m27E3trBSIzIJZ56heklDZjTXBm3i8jFgWCwIELbYaOnlL%2BpQLPGbtYNEvoEw%2B8K%2BvwY6sQHeigUCrW64VzPDakUZF1PcAHfZP9H%2F%2Bx1wSCDznfYlJno81PcSLaPXrVN6%2F9UXV6IyxQUcVX94Tzv%2BHZo0vsWDmwRH7ldCjKc%2FDnXm2fcKZdYim74SQZxvFjAOpkkAiDLxkwf4ucoS351CxedFFmW%2FB65yTuGn7QEbcRJ9sOm%2B570FrV1SCJ8h6AGJIsZcdTwWIp1xtHniRH9SCdoCjdTij3PXlhNEgZvy3LJWML84eKY%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies_house_document.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=d420ce0099681e372232318b0e615a64955d9e90c7a4a9824392642517ba2c77
April 4, 2025 at 12:17 PM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
It's still glitching for me - just a big white box at the bottom of the screen where you'd usually select your tickets (ALT: image is a screenshot of Eventbrite link in above post showing the fault)
March 29, 2025 at 7:17 PM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
Today I wrote to my MP, @annamcmorrin.bsky.social, to ask her to oppose the government's proposed disability benefit changes which will be really harmful to disabled people.

You can write to your MP too - personal stories about why this would impact you are powerful!
Dear Ms McMorrin, Re: Concerns regarding “Pathways to Work” green paper I am one of your constituents and a long-term supporter of the Labour party. You may recall chatting on the doorstep last year, as for many years the Labour Party have displayed campaign boards in my garden, and you stopped by to thank me for your support. I am a Disabled person, and a researcher at Swansea University with a significant interest in disabilities. My doctoral research (2007-2010) focused on the previous “Pathways to Work” presented by the New Labour government, which resulted in significant changes to benefits (eg: replacing Incapacity Benefit with Employment and Support Allowance. At that time, there was similar rhetoric as is displayed in the current green paper, around giving people opportunities. However, my research showed that this rhetoric does not translate to reality: - Disabled people in Wales left the labour market largely due to lack of good employment options [1]. Arguably the situation has significantly worsened in the past 15 years, with zero hours contracts and the “gig economy”. - JobCentre Plus advisors were given targets to make claimants undertake “work focused activity” even if there was a lack of suitable employment for them to engage with afterwards [2]. - Disabled people attending mandatory work focused interviews did so out of a sense of fear, and it did not remove barriers to finding suitable employment [3]. - Arguably, the “Condition Management Programme” was the only new part of the previous Pathways to Work policy. It was intended to involve multi-disciplinary teams from the NHS providing short term (6-8 weeks) support for Disabled people with minor to moderate barriers to work. However, in practice many of the people the clinicians saw were severely Disabled and highly unlikely to return to all but the most accessible employment [4]. In addition to my professional knowledge of benefits policy for Disabled people, I am also disabled myself – I am … if I were to lose my Access to Work package, I am highly unlikely to be able to retain my employment. I can attest to this as someone who has previously had three years out of work (2018-2021) because of my disabilities and their interaction with an inaccessible workplace. For this reason, I am very worried that many of my Disabled colleagues at universities around the UK are reporting significant cuts to their support workers – for example one person had a large cut to the hours provided and the amount they would pay per hour so they effectively lost 91% of their Access to Work support worker package. Moreover, because of my disabilities, I receive the highest rate of PIP for both components. This is vitally important to me as it is very expensive being this Disabled; on a weekly basis I have no choice but to pay for everything I need to be delivered to me, more expensive pre-prepared food and for “cleaners” who undertake many household tasks I am unable to. I have received full PIP for around 6 years, and really do need a wheelchair accessible vehicle (a van that my NHS wheelchair can be driven into) to be able to get around, but I am ineligible for the motability charity fund because of my salary, meaning I would need to pay £25,000 as a down payment alongside my higher rate mobility PIP. Currently this vehicle could then be taken away from me at any point if my PIP is incorrectly stopped (which happens to many people who are re-assessed for their PIP). Because I am so reliant on a car to go anywhere further than a few miles, I have not felt able to do this, although the folding electric wheelchair I store in my car causes me considerable pain. I hope that my research and lived experience has shown how important it is for you to: - Challenge the false claim that cutting benefits will increase employment – there is no evidence to support this claim, and my research from previous New Labour policies show that this will have a significant negative impact on Disa…
March 24, 2025 at 1:47 PM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
This week @drhelenkara.bsky.social and I have been doing the final review of chapters for our new book: Using Documents In Research. It's due to be published in January 2026, and has 12 amazing chapters with case studies of how documents can be used.
Picture of the front cover of a book. Background image is a stack of different types of paperwork and paper folders. Dark banner across the image reads: "Using Documents in Research: when, where, why and how". At the bottom it says "Edited by Aimee Grant and Helen Kara". The Policy Press logo is in the bottom right hand corner.
February 27, 2025 at 11:22 AM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
The message every Disabled person dreads has arrived, it's time for my PIP review.

And I'm one of the fortunate ones who could get by without it, because I can work full time due to receiving reasonable adjustments.
Text message: The review of your PIP has started. We are sending you a PIP Review form. If you have not received this in 2 weeks call us on 0800 121 4433. The date you need to get your completed form back to us is on the front page. We will text you when we receive your form back.
December 9, 2024 at 10:28 AM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
I won another award!

Thanks Sense for awarding me complex disability "Campaigner of the year 2024" for my research and campaigning for better maternity care for Autistic people.
Aimee is a white woman with short brown hair. She wears blue glasses, a green shirt and a navy dress. She is holding the Sense Award trophy and sits in an electric wheelchair.
December 2, 2024 at 2:16 PM
draimeegrant.bsky.social
The Autism from Menstruation to Menopause study, that I lead, won the Autism CRC award for Best Inclusive Research Practice :)

I'm delighted and couldn't be more proud. Thanks to everyone in the team - lay members, academic researchers & our advisors.

www.autismcrc.com.au/news/latest-....
Image of Dr Aimee Grant holding the award. Aimee is a white woman with short brown hair and blue glasses. She wears a teal coloured dress and is sat in an electric wheelchair.
November 28, 2024 at 12:58 PM