Richie Bow-Grace
Nominee Profile
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Hi am Richie Bow-Grace and as you can see am just me. all my life I was told I couldn't be the person I am today. so now I am showing everyone that you can just be a straight man that loves pink an girly things. as my partner sue says" handsome and pretty girl of new York city. You don't have to have a name for it, you can just be your self. but it hasn't come easy. feeling like a FREAK for over
35 years, until now. I have achieved everything I have done all on my own, there isn't a team there is just me, everything you see me do and complete has all been organised and done on my own.
Check out the wheels with a very clear message that I take
the super car into schools so children can embrace life and
I show them that autism can be awesome and we can
achieve. @awesometistic Facebook. ( the car is sponsored its not mine ha ha)
Over the last 5 years I have managed to help face2face over 10,000 people and even tho I have a lovely community following me. You see my work I do is face to face work so I can say in the real world a mix of over, 10,000+face to face people have stood infront of me and listened, everything from,
Teachers / Students / Pupils / SEND / NHS / Police / Universities/ one2one sessions / Primary schools / councils / Colleges /
Public sector / and adults and children of all ages have been helped. all around the UK all in 6 years with hard times and good
times and challenges but I did it. With autism at the heart of my talks, its also about adoption, neglect and what it feels like to have
an attachment disorder and other complex needs.
I am the Autistic Adoptee – With A Story about a boy from a troubled childhood to AUTISTICALLY AWESOME. It’s time to take off some of the blankets and show ‘it’s ok to be me!’
“Richie overcomes huge challenges presented to him by the ignorance to his condition, and ultimately emerges triumphant. His
poignant and optimistic story is a must watch/ listen”
Growing up without a diagnosis of ASD was difficult to say the least; struggling immensely with everyday life”.
Not understanding where he fit into this world. carrying out different behaviours to others, but at the time he didn’t understand why he was doing them but really struggled to stop. Sharing his life through a story of how he seen the world growing up around him, struggling to understand his adoption and feeling
rejected. I felt like a freak for 35 years. I have felt throughout my life I have had to hide away and compress everything deep inside –
resulting in some very low points in my life. Mix in my adoption and child abuse, it has been a roller coaster, that I’m keen to share.
“I have learned a lot about myself and became very self-aware. I feel this puts me in a very good position to share my story from
my heart of my life growing up. Now it’s time to take the blankets off! Over the last 6 years I have changed my whole self, I now embrace the Richie I was born to be. I don't let others control what I wear are who I can be.
I was 34 before I received my ASD diagnosis and when I finally did, it felt like a great weight had been lifted away and I could finally
be myself. If I had been given this diagnosis as a child and received the proper help and support, I needed, then my whole
childhood would have been so different and much happier.
I never want another child to have to go through their childhood like me, having to hide their ASD for fear of punishment or
criticism. This is why I started Awesometistic. I want to help others to understand a child with ASD and a child that was adopted. If children with ASD/ or an attachment disorder are supported correctly throughout their life, there is no reason why they cannot go furfil their own dreams. Provide information on your background and of your achievements as a role model (i.e. biography) I am autistic and if you want to know everything about me please just look at @awesometistic Facebook page as it everything I have done and achieved with all links and photos and support etc. I started life in a very volatile family which resulted in abuse towards myself and so I was eventually put up for adoption. Growing up with both autism and an adoptive family with whom didn’t bond with me very well proved to be a very difficult childhood. I wasn’t diagnosed with autism until I was an adult and so when growing up I felt very much out of place and very much like a freak as I would do some things that were considered very strange to other people, now I understand they were parts of my autism. My struggle continued into my adult life and I have suffered with mental health illness and thankfully come out the other side.
After receiving my diagnosis, I feel like my whole life has now been shown to me in a very different light and now I feel very positive
about life. I have been to university and received a degree and now I have moved forward to opening my company which helps me
to support and help families like my self with autistic children that may need a bit of guidance and encouragement through life. To
date I have been very privilege to reach quite a lot of children and families through my company and have had all positive feedback
from the work I am doing. I try to give people a realistic but positive view about life with autism and am hopefully becoming a very good role model for children who are now trying to Cnd their way in the world with their own autism.
I wear my heart on my sleeve, and put it on the line so others dont have to. so many awesome people in the word waiting to Cnd
them self and voice their own needs. its my job to show them "its ok to be them"
35 years, until now. I have achieved everything I have done all on my own, there isn't a team there is just me, everything you see me do and complete has all been organised and done on my own.
Check out the wheels with a very clear message that I take
the super car into schools so children can embrace life and
I show them that autism can be awesome and we can
achieve. @awesometistic Facebook. ( the car is sponsored its not mine ha ha)
Over the last 5 years I have managed to help face2face over 10,000 people and even tho I have a lovely community following me. You see my work I do is face to face work so I can say in the real world a mix of over, 10,000+face to face people have stood infront of me and listened, everything from,
Teachers / Students / Pupils / SEND / NHS / Police / Universities/ one2one sessions / Primary schools / councils / Colleges /
Public sector / and adults and children of all ages have been helped. all around the UK all in 6 years with hard times and good
times and challenges but I did it. With autism at the heart of my talks, its also about adoption, neglect and what it feels like to have
an attachment disorder and other complex needs.
I am the Autistic Adoptee – With A Story about a boy from a troubled childhood to AUTISTICALLY AWESOME. It’s time to take off some of the blankets and show ‘it’s ok to be me!’
“Richie overcomes huge challenges presented to him by the ignorance to his condition, and ultimately emerges triumphant. His
poignant and optimistic story is a must watch/ listen”
Growing up without a diagnosis of ASD was difficult to say the least; struggling immensely with everyday life”.
Not understanding where he fit into this world. carrying out different behaviours to others, but at the time he didn’t understand why he was doing them but really struggled to stop. Sharing his life through a story of how he seen the world growing up around him, struggling to understand his adoption and feeling
rejected. I felt like a freak for 35 years. I have felt throughout my life I have had to hide away and compress everything deep inside –
resulting in some very low points in my life. Mix in my adoption and child abuse, it has been a roller coaster, that I’m keen to share.
“I have learned a lot about myself and became very self-aware. I feel this puts me in a very good position to share my story from
my heart of my life growing up. Now it’s time to take the blankets off! Over the last 6 years I have changed my whole self, I now embrace the Richie I was born to be. I don't let others control what I wear are who I can be.
I was 34 before I received my ASD diagnosis and when I finally did, it felt like a great weight had been lifted away and I could finally
be myself. If I had been given this diagnosis as a child and received the proper help and support, I needed, then my whole
childhood would have been so different and much happier.
I never want another child to have to go through their childhood like me, having to hide their ASD for fear of punishment or
criticism. This is why I started Awesometistic. I want to help others to understand a child with ASD and a child that was adopted. If children with ASD/ or an attachment disorder are supported correctly throughout their life, there is no reason why they cannot go furfil their own dreams. Provide information on your background and of your achievements as a role model (i.e. biography) I am autistic and if you want to know everything about me please just look at @awesometistic Facebook page as it everything I have done and achieved with all links and photos and support etc. I started life in a very volatile family which resulted in abuse towards myself and so I was eventually put up for adoption. Growing up with both autism and an adoptive family with whom didn’t bond with me very well proved to be a very difficult childhood. I wasn’t diagnosed with autism until I was an adult and so when growing up I felt very much out of place and very much like a freak as I would do some things that were considered very strange to other people, now I understand they were parts of my autism. My struggle continued into my adult life and I have suffered with mental health illness and thankfully come out the other side.
After receiving my diagnosis, I feel like my whole life has now been shown to me in a very different light and now I feel very positive
about life. I have been to university and received a degree and now I have moved forward to opening my company which helps me
to support and help families like my self with autistic children that may need a bit of guidance and encouragement through life. To
date I have been very privilege to reach quite a lot of children and families through my company and have had all positive feedback
from the work I am doing. I try to give people a realistic but positive view about life with autism and am hopefully becoming a very good role model for children who are now trying to Cnd their way in the world with their own autism.
I wear my heart on my sleeve, and put it on the line so others dont have to. so many awesome people in the word waiting to Cnd
them self and voice their own needs. its my job to show them "its ok to be them"