Before her diagnosis for autism, Beatrice Leong struggled to cope in situations with people who were unaware of her condition. At that time, she felt unwanted and misunderstood. Leong herself was confused about her own actions, until she started reading about autism. After some tests, a neuropsychiatrist confirmed what she suspected all along.

Since then, Leong has taken giant strides as an autism activist, speaking openly about her struggles, and the challenges faced by the adult female autistic community in Malaysia, especially those diagnosed only later in life. A documentary called The Lost Girls is in the works, which shares the unseen experiences of autistic women who have been misdiagnosed with other mental health conditions, and stigmatised in society. Leong also founded an NGO called Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group to champion representation for the autistic community in media spaces and policy-making. Through this NGO, Leong has worked on several initiatives calling for more targeted sex education and empowerment programmes to safeguard autistic girls.

Apart from that, Leong, the entrepreneur, founded a health technology start-up called Gather. It is a medical diagnosis platform that helps users (including autistics) manage their healthcare concerns and medical records. Gather’s first digital product, Project Lily, is an online service that will make autism assessment and support more accessible to users while offering early intervention programmes (EIP) to families with young children.