Jenny Loughran: Leading a Revolution in How We See Neurodivergence
"Community Champion: Jenny Loughran
Founder, Autistic Revolution
Challenging outdated narratives and creating space for neurodivergent voices to thrive
"Autistic people aren't broken. They've just been spoken about in the wrong language for too long."
Jenny Loughran is leading a quiet revolution, one rooted in truth, identity, and the power of language. As the founder of Autistic Revolution, Jenny is working to shift how society sees, speaks about, and supports neurodivergent people. What started as a personal journey of advocacy for her son has grown into a bold, community-powered movement with national reach.
Why Autistic Revolution Exists
After years of supporting her son through the education system and navigating professional assessments that didn't reflect who he truly was, Jenny began to question the deficit-based language used to describe autism.
She saw firsthand how harmful terminology and outdated ideologies shaped not just how others viewed autistic individuals, but how they saw themselves.
This realisation sparked her mission: to change the narrative.
Jenny created Autistic Revolution to:
- Champion neurodivergent identity and culture
- Challenge harmful stereotypes and medicalised language
- Offer a platform for autistic and otherwise neurodivergent creatives
- Provide resources that empower parents, young people, educators, and employers
Through both digital and community-based work, Jenny is re-educating the public and giving people the tools to understand autism from a strengths-based, identity-affirming perspective.
What Autistic Revolution Does
At its heart, Autistic Revolution is a multi-platform project with a mission to inform, uplift, and connect.
AR Magazine
A digital publication written by and for neurodivergent people, AR Magazine shares real stories, creative work, and educational content. It highlights the richness of autistic identity and showcases talents that are too often hidden or undervalued.
Training and Advocacy
Jenny uses her professional background as a child practitioner, and her lived experience as an autistic woman, to deliver workshops, talks, and resources that equip others with up-to-date language, concepts, and understanding. Whether supporting parents or educating organisations, she brings clarity and compassion to every conversation.
Recently, Jenny was invited as a guest speaker at The Sunday Assembly held at The Canopy hub. She shared the importance of shifting away from deficit-based language and treating autistic people equally, exploring neurodivergent affirming language, the meaning of new terms coming in, and understanding the history of pathologising language and its impact on mental health.
Creative Opportunities
One of Jenny's biggest priorities is helping neurodivergent people find meaningful, paid opportunities to share their work. She's building a platform that recognises talent and ensures contributors are valued, creatively and financially.
Community Vision
Jenny hopes to grow Autistic Revolution into a fully resourced community hub, offering events, exhibitions, advocacy spaces, and career pathways tailored to autistic and neurodivergent individuals. She believes every community needs a place where people feel seen, heard, and celebrated for who they are.
What's Coming Next
Jenny has some exciting collaborations on the horizon:
1. Podcast with Angie Graham from Cudox
Exploring historical language within wellbeing services and how it impacts neurodivergent communities.
2. Featured Interview with comedian Suzi Payton
Discussing how neurodivergence has influenced Suzi's comedic career and creative voice.
3. Guest speaker on The Autistic Culture podcast
Invited by neurodivergent trailblazer, TED speaker and consultant Angela Kingston, Jenny will be joining a podcast that focuses on late-identified autistic women.
These collaborations reflect the growing recognition of Jenny's work and the vital conversations Autistic Revolution is opening up, both locally and nationally.
Next Steps for Autistic Revolution
Autistic Revolution is now looking to provide the opportunity for the right charity or CIC with the same values to form a partnership. This partnership will help expand the reach and impact of the work, ensuring more neurodivergent people can access support, opportunities, and community.
How You Can Get Involved
Whether you're a parent, professional, ally, or creative, there's a place for you in the revolution:
Follow and share: Help amplify Autistic Revolution by subscribing to AR Magazine and sharing its stories.
Invite Jenny to speak: From schools to community groups, Jenny delivers powerful talks on neurodivergence, advocacy, and inclusion.
Fund or sponsor: Support the expansion of paid creative opportunities and future community projects.
Collaborate: Are you part of a youth project, arts group, or support network? Jenny is open to co-creating workshops, exhibitions, and events.
Hire Jenny for neurodiversity training: Jenny is frequently asked for advice and insight, but rarely compensated. Businesses can take real action by booking her to deliver paid training sessions that foster true inclusion and value her expertise appropriately.
Autistic Revolution is more than a movement, it's a mirror. It invites us to reflect on the language we use, the assumptions we hold, and the kind of world we want to build for the next generation.
At Our Future North East Lincolnshire , we're proud to spotlight community champions like Jenny, whose work is changing hearts, systems, and futures, one story at a time.
