Best Latediagnosis Podcasts (2024)

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118. Bonus: Building a happy and authentic autistic life 17:17

1h ago17:17

17:17

In this bonus episode I share more about my own autism journey, and talk about my career-ending burnout and creating authentically autistic lives we don't want to escape from. Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and success…

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117. S9 E12: Transcendence, reinvention and self discovery: reconnecting with our essential autistic self later in life 1:09:22

28d ago1:09:22

1:09:22

Rose Matthews is an Autism Researcher, peer reviewer, consultant, presenter, trainer, and writer from Durham in the UK. Now 64, they first realised they might be autistic at 58 - and finally ‘found the answer to a lifetime of confusion’. Their long journey to diagnosis included an extremely varied career, leaving their marriage, living apart from t…

1
116. S9 E11: Rekindling our dimmed spark and reclaiming autistic joy 1:00:09

1M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

Dani Rodwell is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, therapist, and Co-founder of NeuroSpark Health. She lives in New Jersey, USA. She has worked in the field of autism and neurodevelopmental conditions for over 7 years - including working with neurodivergent youth, a brief period in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), then internships at The Center f…

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115. S9 E10: An outcast in thick armour: from not fitting in to finding autistic pride and community 1:12:12

1M ago1:12:12

1:12:12

Nigel Rising is the Founder and CEO of Autistic Women Emerging, a charity that aims to change the lives of undiagnosed and newly diagnosed autistic women. The charity was born out of her own personal struggle with depression and suicidal ideation, and it is her hope to help prevent autistic women taking their lives because they believe they are bad…

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114. S9 E9: Playing on ‘hard mode’: accepting our autistic challenges while anchoring to our brilliance 1:06:28

2M ago1:06:28

1:06:28

Anissa Ljanta is a writer, a neurodivergent specialist coach, educator and equity and inclusion advocate living in the remote hills of a wild surf beach in West Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. She grew up in Samoa and South Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand, where she was deemed a gifted child but was unable to deliver results. Her inability to live…

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113 [S9 E8] Making the invisible visible: getting comfortable with a late autism diagnosis 1:10:14

2M ago1:10:14

1:10:14

Marisa Hamamoto is a leading voice in disability inclusion, professional dancer and founder of Infinite Flow, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with a mission to create a more inclusive world, one dance at a time. Marisa is a stroke survivor, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. S…

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112 [S9 E7] Why the system is thwarting autistic people: reimagining neurodivergent health - with Dr Mel Houser 1:05:53

2M ago1:05:53

1:05:53

Dr Mel Houser is a family physician in Montpelier, Vermont in the United States, with a clinical focus on providing medical care for neurodivergent patients across the lifespan. Now 40, she was diagnosed autistic two years ago, following a burnout - and at the same time was diagnosed as ADHD, dyspraxic, dyslexic, and dyscalculic. She is also the pa…

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111 [S9 E6] A magnet pulling me out of darkness: thinking through my body into autistic expression 1:09:43

3M ago1:09:43

1:09:43

Dana Michel is a live performance artist and choreographer in Montreal, Canada, where she creates experiences based on a mixture of improvisation, choreography, hip-hop, cinematography, techno, poetry and social commentary. Now 47, she self identified as autistic in 2020. She also has a diagnosis of ADHD. Before graduating in Contemporary Dance in …

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110 [S9 E5] ‘My autism journey came out of my trans experience’: Navigating gender and autistic identities 1:03:54

4M ago1:03:54

1:03:54

Vic Weiner is a youth justice attorney and lifelong social justice activist in the USA. They were brought up by a college professor mother in an unconventional home without a TV, and as a child they always felt like an outsider. However, as they grew up and continued to struggle socially, they realised it wasn’t just their unusual upbringing - ther…

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109 [S9 E4] Little glimpses underneath the mask: unravelling people-pleasing and imposter syndrome 1:05:39

4M ago1:05:39

1:05:39

Gemma Gray is a strategic marketing consultant from Edinburgh in Scotland. She left her long-term role following a burnout two years ago and became self-employed. She is a parent to an autistic daughter, and was diagnosed herself in March this year, aged 46. Still in the early days of her diagnosis, she says she is unravelling being a people-pleasi…

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108 [S9 E3] Told I couldn’t be autistic: BPD misdiagnosis, mental health negligence and finally getting justice 1:03:35

4M ago1:03:35

1:03:35

Naomi Ghafoor is a mental health activist who has spent over a decade battling the mental healthcare system and dealing with misdiagnoses, negligence and systemic abuse, which recently led to her suing her NHS mental health trust earlier this year. Now 26, she works as a Lived Experience Leadership Officer for a mental health charity in London, UK …

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107 [S9 E2] Autism deep-dive: examining the literature and ourselves, and reflections on burnout 1:01:46

4M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Dr Alexandra Johnston is an academic and social anthropologist from Melbourne, Australia. Now 49, she was diagnosed in March 2023. She lives with her wife, Cherie, who she describes as the first person she ever truly unmasked with. She has several degrees, including a Masters and PhD in Psychology, and her special interests include writing, writing…

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106 [S9 E1] ND-affirming therapy: sensory regulation, integrating identity and understanding diffuse experiences 1:09:38

4M ago1:09:38

1:09:38

Dr Megan Anna Neff is a neurodivergent Clinical Psychologist from Portland, Oregon, in the USA. She has a small private practice specialising in neurodivergent-affirming therapy and is the founder of Neurodivergent Insights, where she creates education and wellness resources for neurodivergent adults. She is also co-host of the Divergent Conversati…

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105. Bonus: Eating disorder recovery, autistic self discovery and releasing ourselves from labels that limit us 59:08

11M ago59:08

59:08

Livia Sara is an eating disorder survivor, mental health coach, autism advocate and author from the Netherlands. Diagnosed autistic at 20, she now helps other neurodivergent people recover from disordered eating through learning to embrace their unique traits. She takes a holistic approach to health and healing, supporting each individual on their …

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104. S8 E12: Permission slip: embracing an authentically autistic life with no blueprint 1:04:17

11M ago1:04:17

1:04:17

Gem Kennedy is a Coach and podcaster from Essex in the UK. They are non-binary and queer, and self identified as autistic and ADHD last year, at 35. They are a Transformational Coach, facilitator and advocate, supporting neurodivergent and queer folk, present a podcast called Queers & Co., and are also co-parent to two home educated autistic childr…

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103. S8 E11: From feeling 'deficient' to self acceptance, research and advocating for autistic colleagues 58:19

11M ago58:19

58:19

Kirstie Pickles is an equine vet, academic, mum and mental health advocate from Derbyshire in the UK. Now 49, she was diagnosed autistic at 47, following her daughter’s diagnosis. She is passionate about sharing her story and raising the awareness of neurodiversity to allow for better self-advocacy and reduce the stigma associated with autism, and …

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102. S8 E10: From ABA to understanding an autism diagnosis as a unique pathway to a fulfilling life 58:27

11M ago58:27

58:27

Maisie Soetantyo is the founder of a nonprofit with a mission to improve employment prospects for autistic jobseekers and aspiring business owners. Now an openly autistic advocate and inclusivity trainer, she has been working with neurodivergent people since her undergraduate studies in 1991, but it would be many years before some of her clients st…

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101. S8 E9: From psychiatric trauma to autistic joy: a journey of healing and self discovery 1:05:06

11M ago1:05:06

1:05:06

Laura Richmond is a writer and researcher from Southampton in the UK. Now 35, she was diagnosed autistic last year. She had an extremely difficult road to diagnosis. Social and emotional struggles in childhood led to her being in and out of the psychiatric system for 15 years, misdiagnosed and spending time in various psychiatric hospitals. The tur…

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100. S8 E8: A sense of purpose: finding our own path and place in the world as autistic adults 57:45

12M ago57:45

57:45

Rosie Smith is the owner of a non-profit radical bookshop in Canton in Cardiff, just a couple of miles from where I live. Now 32, she grew up just outside Cardiff with her mum and sister. Leaving school at 16 due to anxiety, eating disorders and mental health issues, she found her people in music, joining bands and doing various different jobs unti…

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99. S8 E7: Finding freedom after autism diagnosis and embodying the spirit of our unmasked selves 55:38

12M ago55:38

55:38

Kay Louise Aldred is a writer, facilitator, teacher, mentor, and resource creator from North Yorkshire in the UK. Now 49, she was diagnosed autistic quite recently, last November. A former teacher, just like me she suffered burnout, left her career and became self employed before discovering her autism. Now she and her husband are co-authoring a bo…

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98. S8 E6: The fight for equity in education and work: an inspiring story of autistic self advocacy 1:02:14

12M ago1:02:14

1:02:14

Rosie Weldon is a Senior Financial Analyst and author whose memoir, ‘My Autistic Fight Song’, tells the story of how she fought to get her accountancy degree and find her place in the world of work, despite her struggles with mental and physical health and the challenges that come with being autistic. Now 31, she was diagnosed aged 25. Since gradua…

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97. S8 E5: Finding logic in chaos, burnout, and reconnecting with our internal compass and autistic joy 1:01:31

1y ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Martine van Bijlert is a writer and researcher from the Netherlands. Now 52, she grew up in Iran and worked in places like Kabul, Grozny and Tehran as an aid worker, diplomat and researcher. She now divides her time between her own creative projects and her work for the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul-based think tank she founded with friends…

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96. S8 E4: Safety, community and representation for Black and minority ethnic / global majority autistic people 1:00:42

1y ago1:00:42

1:00:42

Naomi Clarke is a freelance writer, community mentor, fundraiser and Human Design reader. She self diagnosed as autistic around two years ago, but due to inequality in the medical system has so far not been able to get a formal diagnosis. She describes herself as an autistic, queer, mixed race person with two children (one of her sons was diagnosed…

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95. S8 E3: Shelving the quest for normal: reframing, regulating, and removing the stigma from autism 1:04:22

1y ago1:04:22

1:04:22

Ebonie Allard is an award-winning International Master Coach, an author, and an artist. Now in her early 40s, she was mostly raised in the UK, but before she was seven years old she had lived in a house truck, on a commune, in France, New Zealand, Ireland, and England. She now lives in Spain. She says that she has never had a 'proper job' - she’s b…

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94. S8 E2: The sensory and social challenges of fitting into a new culture as an autistic adult 1:09:18

1y ago1:09:18

1:09:18

Karawynn Long is an American writer and proofreader living in Mexico. Now 52, she had what she describes as her ‘Autism epiphany’ just over three years ago, a few months before her fiftieth birthday. She is self identified as autistic, partly due to formal assessments not being available in the Mexican system, and difficult and expensive to obtain …

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93. S8 E1: Sport and fitness the autistic way: from not fitting in to feeling like a superhero 1:07:38

1y ago1:07:38

1:07:38

Mandy Williams is a Volunteer Coordinator with Scottish Women’s Autism and a competitive athlete. Originally from Manchester in the UK, she now lives in Stirling in Scotland. She was diagnosed autistic two years ago, aged 45. She is passionate about exercise, and her enthusiasm for this special interest shines out. She has achieved a bronze medal i…

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92. S7, Ep12: Compassion for my autistic self: gender expectations, troubleshooting traits, and unmasking on TV 1:06:37

1+ y ago1:06:37

1:06:37

Fern Brady is a comedian and writer born and raised in Bathgate in Scotland. Now in her 30s, she lives in London with her partner. Fern was a guest on the podcast back in the spring of 2021, soon after she was diagnosed autistic. Since then, she taken a deep dive into learning more about autism, toured her standup show Autistic Bikini Queen, been a…

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91. S7, Ep11: Relaxing into the truth of who we are as late diagnosed autistic adults 57:36

1+ y ago57:36

57:36

Angela Lauria is a CEO and author from Washington DC, USA. Now 49, she was diagnosed autistic 10 years ago, and initially underwent a form of the controversial ABA therapy in an effort to ‘fix’ the things about her that she had always felt were wrong. One burnout, some autism-positive therapy and ten years of processing later, she was able to fully…

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90. S7, Ep10: Burnouts, breakdowns and anxiety: a journey towards more supportive and sustainable work 1:01:54

1+ y ago1:01:54

1:01:54

Déa Neile-Hopton is a basketmaker and artist. She is of mixed Jamaican and English heritage and grew up in the 1970s and 80s in York, England. Now 47, she lives in Whitland in Wales, with her partner and three neurodivergent children. She is self diagnosed autistic and was diagnosed ADHD in 2021. She has a passion for arts and crafts, and for teach…

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89. S7, Ep9: ‘Outsider’ identities: the intertwining of gender, sexuality and autism 1:04:11

1+ y ago1:04:11

1:04:11

Kelly McCartney is a music journalist from Rhode Island, USA. She is 52 and self-diagnosed as autistic in April of 2022. She has turned a life-long special interest in music into an incredibly varied, 30-year career in almost every area of the music industry, including interning at Entertainment Tonight, working as personal assistant to various wel…

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88. S7, Ep8: Making art out of darkness: self acceptance, resilience and radical unmasking as an autistic counsellor 1:03:06

1+ y ago1:03:06

1:03:06

Audrey Mitchell is a counsellor with a private practise in Idaho, USA. She was diagnosed autistic in 2020, around the same time as her teenage daughter, and the last two years have been a time of processing and learning to accept herself as she is, and unmask in both her personal and professional lives. I first interviewed her two years ago, for th…

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87. S7, Ep7: Autism in mental health services: the experience of a late diagnosed autistic mental health nurse 1:00:32

1+ y ago1:00:32

1:00:32

Jacqui O’Riordan is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner from Harrogate, North Yorkshire in the UK. She has worked as a mental health nurse for almost 20 years, including working in a secure unit with chronically ill patients. She has worked in crisis assessment with Accident and Emergency and the Police since 2008. Now 49, Jacqui was diagnosed as autist…

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86. S7, Ep6: Narrative therapy: reflections on an autistic experience of mental health inpatient services 57:46

1+ y ago57:46

57:46

Alexis Quinn is a mother, author, educator and former teacher who spent three and a half years in inpatient services following a mental health breakdown in her mid twenties. 14 months into this period, aged 27, she was diagnosed autistic by chance, when an Autism Psychiatric Specialist happened to witness one of her meltdowns. I first discovered Al…

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85. S7, Ep5: Autistic motherhood: working through the overwhelm of birth and parenting 51:21

1+ y ago51:21

51:21

Sanna Östergren is a writer and literary translator from Sweden. She lives in the countryside with her husband and their two-year-old son, where she also runs a small independent publishing company. She realised she was autistic about a year ago, when the overwhelm of new motherhood started turning her life-long shutdowns into meltdowns, and she wa…

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84. S7, Ep4: Direct communication: navigating social and personal relationships as a highly sensitive autistic woman 1:03:18

1+ y ago1:03:18

1:03:18

Janet Murray is a content strategist who lives near London in the UK. She was recently diagnosed autistic, after first getting a diagnosis of ADHD in 2020. A former journalist and PR coach, Janet has written for many national publications, is the host of the Courageous Content podcast and founder of the Courageous Content Live Event - an annual con…

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83. S7, Ep3: Psychology as a special interest: relationships, research and educational equity 51:29

1+ y ago51:29

51:29

Janelle Johnson is an Inclusion Strategist, therapist and researcher from North Carolina, USA. She is self diagnosed and her son is also autistic. She has recently taken a step back from practising as a therapist to focus on her research as a PhD student and graduate research assistant at North Carolina State University’s College of Education. Her …

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82. S7, Ep2: God as a special interest: deconstructing religious identity as a newly identified autistic 1:03:26

1+ y ago1:03:26

1:03:26

D.L. Mayfield is a freelance writer from Portland, USA. She has written for Christian publications in the US for over 10 years, and is the author of several books, the latest of which, Unruly Saint, explores the life and work of the late American journalist, social activist and anarchist Catholic Dorothy Day. D.L. herself grew up highly religious i…

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81. S7, Ep1: The challenge of creating the life you want when you diverge from the neurotypical ‘norm’ 59:51

1+ y ago59:51

59:51

Dr Kate Tomas is a Spiritual Mentor who lives in mid Wales in the UK. Kate developed powerful psychic abilities from an early age, and by 22 had built a thriving international practice as a witch, healer and psychic for individuals, multinational brands, governments and CEOs. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Theology from the University of Ox…

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80. Bonus: Grief and validation: repairing the damage of autistic masking and finding a sense of self 1:03:14

1+ y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Aisha Edwards is a somatic trauma therapist, podcaster and writer from Vancouver, Washington, USA, and was diagnosed autistic last year, aged 39. Somatic trauma therapy is a body-centred approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder that rather than focusing only on thoughts or emotions associated with a traumatic event, expands to include th…

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79. S6, Ep12: Safety, success and shaping neurodivergent stories: reflections on intersectional autism 1:07:37

2y ago1:07:37

1:07:37

Diane J Wright is an autistic advocate and the founder of Autastic, an online community that aims to help late diagnosed autistic adults, particularly those from minority communities, and is the only resource of its size founded by a woman of colour. Diane was diagnosed autistic in her early 40s. Her career has been in the entertainment industry, a…

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78. S6, Ep11: The challenges of being autistic at work, and exploring the link between autistic trauma and our health 59:51

2y ago59:51

59:51

Claire Gardener is a homeopath and primary school teacher in London in the UK. She is 45 and self diagnosed as autistic five years ago, after experiencing burnout in her teaching role. A special interest in children’s literature lead to her first career in book editing, which came to an end as a result of workplace bullying. Since her burnout, she …

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77. S6, Ep10: Burnout, survival and feeling stuck: the intersection of autism, privilege and poverty 1:03:19

2y ago1:03:19

1:03:19

Alma is an unemployed forager, food designer, artist, craftswoman and permaculture gardener from the Netherlands. She was diagnosed autistic in 2019 after self identifying the year before; she has also since been diagnosed with ADHD. When her then undiagnosed autistic and ADHD traits meant that she wasn’t able to finish her degree, she was offered …

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76. S6, Ep9: Autism, psychotherapy and trauma: why many autistic people need a different approach. 55:40

2y ago55:40

55:40

Cloie Parfitt is a psychotherapist, originally from Tennessee in the United States, now living in Norwich in the UK. A former nurse, she switched to psychotherapy when she realised that she found the hospital environment and long shifts too much of a sensory challenge. She now works with many neurodivergent clients, and is currently undertaking a p…

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75. S6, Ep8: Unlearning the script: coming to terms with a late autism diagnosis and finding a voice in the community 52:55

2y ago52:55

52:55

Nadia Dillon is a software engineer and entrepreneur from London in the UK. Diagnosed autistic at 27, after experiencing a burnout, she is now 30, and her brilliantly insightful - and beautiful - Instagram account about her post-diagnosis journey has grown to over 25K followers (you may know her by her Instagram handle, @autisticblackgirl). She sta…

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74. S6, Ep7: Finding the right fit: autism, health and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 53:00

2y ago53:00

53:00

Elizabeth Williams is an acupuncturist from South Carolina, USA. She is 43 and was diagnosed autistic just a few months ago, in February this year. Like me, she started out her career as a teacher, before switching to acupuncture, which she says is a much better fit for her. Since her career change she has been on a journey of self discovery, explo…

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73. S6, Ep6: Building a more authentic autistic life and relationships, and managing health and energy. 54:22

2y ago54:22

54:22

Solgunn is a life coach from Oslo in Norway. She is 45 and was diagnosed autistic very recently, in April, following her husband's diagnosis last year. She has spent most of her working life in IT, web design, project management and consultancy, but after an unusual adverse reaction to medical treatment, which she believes is linked to her autistic…

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72. S6, Ep5: Autism, energy and the body: somatic healing for autistic trauma 55:32

2y ago55:32

55:32

Dr Vanissar Tarakali is a Somatic and Intuitive Trauma Coach from British Columbia in Canada. She was diagnosed in 2017, when she was in her mid 50s. She describes herself as ‘a queer autistic mystic misfit’, and says she loves to work with people who embody contradictions of identity and community. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology, and she offers coa…

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71. S6, Ep4: Resculpting our lives post-diagnosis: autism, art and connecting with ourselves and each other 1:01:15

2y ago1:01:15

1:01:15

Heather Peak is an artist who lives near Hay on Wye in the UK. She came from a working class background, and was discouraged from making a career as an artist, but decided to go to art school in Brighton where she found a place she finally felt she fit. Now 48, she has established an art practice over the past two decades that combines art, archite…

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70. S6, Ep3: Not autistic enough: disability discrimination and intersectionality 56:11

2y ago56:11

56:11

Aishah-Nyeta is an advocate for climate, race, and disability justice from Virginia in the USA. She says she grew up feeling ‘stupid’ and different from her peers due to her dyscalculia and the social challenges of her undiagnosed autism. Now 25, she was diagnosed autistic in 2020, when she began using her Instagram account to educate her friends a…

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69. S6, Ep2: Finding the right adventure: autism, resilience, sport and support 57:45

2y ago57:45

57:45

Allie Mason is a talent coordinator and author from Cheltenham in the UK. She has a keen interest in sports – especially solo sports – and her children’s non-fiction debut, The Autistic Guide to Adventure, is due to be published in 2023. Allie is 25 and was diagnosed autistic in 2020, whilst studying for her MA. She is currently training to rollers…

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