Autistic and Expecting

A school teacher of over ten years, former professional athlete and now author of her ground-breaking memoir, Unbroken, Alexis is Manager of the Restraint Reduction Network. Activists all have a story or defining moment that propel us into action. Alexis Quinn's began with a crisis after she birthed her first child and her youngest brother died. She asked for help from services, responded autistically to the 'help' and was detained under the Mental Health Act for three and half years before escaping to Africa.
On conceiving her second child, Alexis reasoned that autistic mothers should not have to enter pregnancy and birth worrying about being misunderstood, marginalised and traumatised. She set about connecting with other autistic mothers and was saddened at the scarce resources for autistic women. Determined not to repeat what had happened in the past, Alexis took matters into her own hands. Assuming a human rights approach to her second pregnancy, Alexis succeeded in having an entirely uneventful, and 'perfect' autistic birth experience. Her new book, Autistic and Expecting was then born.