Autistic at 40

This week I share what I now understand about how trauma has presented during my life.  I set out what I have figured out about what is and is not a direct result of being autistic (and not knowing it) and how this has impacted on me.

This week I talk about what I have learned to cut out of my life, or to actively seek to work into my life, to build and sustain wellbeing.

This week, I describe how I accessed an assessment, what the actual assessment involved and how I prepared. I describe the examples I gave for the sections of the assessment, and discuss why I believe self identification is completely valid.

This episode is about my experiences of living with shame, and the impact it has on my decisions, behaviour and relationships. I share what I know about healing from shame and the resources and ideas I have found most useful.

This week I talk about the fight or flight trigger of anything new or unfamiliar (anything I don't have a 'schema' for), and how this has affected my friendships and relationships.

I talk in this episode about my experience of what triggers an autistic meltdown, what it's like having them and why our needs being met on an ongoing basis is the only way to prevent them.

In this episode, I talk about my late autistic father's older age and end of life health experiences. This includes the impact of the lack of autism knowledge in health services and practitioners on his access to care and treatment. Extra end of year episode.

To mark the 12 days of Christmas (or Yule), I am talking about 12 of the many signs of my autism. These were not obvious to me at the time I became aware of them, but they are now I know I'm autistic. 

This week I explain why autism is not a superpower - as well as the pros and cons of being an autistic person with specific strengths and skills.

This week I share what I have learned about navigating Christmas or other festive occasions, including respecting my own boundaries and preventing burnout.