I LEARNED I WAS AUTISTIC thanks to my son'

After Callen was diagnosed, Katherine began to see parallels with herself

- Emma Babbington

When Katherine Payne received her autism diagnosis, her husband Ben's reaction was just as she had hoped.

"My diagnosis wasn't a negative thing, it was a 'yes, of course, that's perfect, that's why I love you'!" she tells Woman's Day.

But it was Katherine's young son Callen's response that was even more important, as her own diagnosis meant the thenseven-year-old wasn't the only neurodivergent member of their family.

"Of course he went, 'OK, great, that's good," Katherine remembers, "[Because] he felt different and like a bit of an outsider to the rest of the family."

OPEN & POSITIVE

Callen had been around 12 months when Katherine and Ben became concerned that he was unable to communicate his needs, unlike his older siblings at a similar age. At around 18 months, the then-non-speaking Callen was diagnosed, and Katherine soon became an expert on neurodiversity.