When Belmont-based Jess Otter first found out her son was autistic she felt a mix of shock and relief.
She had waited almost a year to hear the diagnosis of level three autism, which was the highest level of support needs.
"When you get the diagnosis, you kind of look to the future and go, 'hold on, how is this going to look for him in his lifetime?'," Ms Otter said.
Her son, Jacob, is now seven and Ms Otter wishes more people could see autism as a strength and not just a challenge.
"The world kind of disables autistic people rather than their autism itself," she said.
Community and connection
In 2019, when Jacob was diagnosed, Ms Otter turned to social media to help her feel less alone.
What started as a way to connect with other autistic families has grown into more than 30,000 followers on her Instagram, Aussie Autism Family.
"The connection is so important and the community of people just get it and understand what you are going through," Ms Otter said.
Her feed is populated with relatable content of what it is like to raise Jacob and his sister, Jazz, who is also neurodivergent.
"I share quite real, raw, not fake things. People say thank you for helping us feel less alone and isolated," she said.
"We're not bad parents because we're in PJs at midday."
Ms Otter is also autistic, and social media has helped her connect with others in a "world not set up" for her.
She was officially diagnosed a month ago after wondering for the past two years if she shared similar traits with her son.
"I experienced a lot of anxiety growing up, I just remember periods of time where I was feeling a lot of anxiety, I was trying to keep up whilst also being autistic," she said.
Not all 'doom and gloom'
Ms Otter and her husband, Jordan, first visited a paediatrician after Jacob stopped talking at 18 months old.
The journey to a diagnosis was a long one, as doctors told them not to worry as boys developed slower than girls.
When Jacob was eventually assessed, doctors gave the diagnosis in a "gloom and doom" way, Ms Otter said.
"We shouldn't have had doctors say 'you've got to reach this milestone like everyone else, you've got to get therapy to make sure they can talk to everyone else'," she said.
While Jacob can say a few words now, he mostly communicates in other ways using his body, Ms Otter said.
"I don't want to teach him the way that he is, is bad. I want him to know that him being himself is incredible," she said.
