After being diagnosed with autism in 2015, I was inspired to share the unique sensory experiences of life on the autism spectrum through my art and my writing.
I am launching a five-book series on autism and work, timed with World Autism Awareness Day (2 April) 2026, to confront the global employment crisis affecting autistic people.
These five interlinked guidebooks – written from lived experience and grounded in emerging research – expose what modern workplaces systematically get wrong about autism. The series re-frames autistic burnout not as a personal failing, but as the predictable outcome of environments that were never designed for autistic nervous systems, communication styles, or sensory needs.
The series explores autistic burnout, masking, invisible discrimination, and workplace trauma, while offering compassionate, practical frameworks for change. It speaks both to autistic people navigating work, and to the managers, HR teams, and organisations responsible for designing it.
I’ve also had my artwork displayed in both fine-art and community venues in seven countries, as I push for artwork to be experienced by a wider variety of audiences.
‘Autismo 25’ is a body of mixed media works on paper. The work reflects on my autism diagnosis and the perceptions around this. The collection uses the Spanish word for autism; ‘autismo’, as it was created while taking part in an artist residency in Spain, but also acts as a reminder that autism is a global condition and something that affects people regardless of where they are in the world.
I used autistic traits that I struggle with as a starting point for the work. This ranges from challenges around communication, the continual feeling of overwhelm, sensory overload and more. I felt very raw and exposed as I worked on this collection, which is reflected in the heavy mark-making and limited palette used.
Each piece is framed, but with the glass removed from the front. This is to enable each piece to ‘breathe’ and to allow the textures to show through clearly. There was also a metaphorical sense of wanting my autistic experiences to be validated and clear for all to see. For they are real and should not be covered up by anything.
You can see more of Mahlia’s work and find links to buy her books on her website.
