And the evidence is catching up!

For most of autism's diagnostic history, clinicians have repeated some version of the same number: autism is about four times more common in boys than in girls. That number has shaped which children get screened, which symptoms get recognized, and which ones get explained away as anxiety or shyness or a hormonal thing. Generations of autistic women and girls have been missed because the people doing the looking were taught to look for boys.

In this episode, I walk through a 2026 study published in the BMJ that followed 2.7 million Swedish birth records over 35 years. The findings suggest the four-to-one ratio is collapsing — and in adolescent and adult diagnosis, it has either evened out or flipped. Autistic women were never rare. We were just being missed.

Topics covered include:

• Why the four-to-one male-to-female ratio has dominated autism research and clinical practice
• What "masking" or "camouflaging" means, and why it has cost so much
• The biological vs. diagnostic explanations for the apparent gender gap — and what this study tells us about both
• Why this looks like a catch-up effect rather than a sudden surge in autistic girls
• What this means for autistic adults who got missed for decades

If you'd like to know more about topics discussed in this episode, check out:

"Time Trends in the Male to Female Ratio for Autism Incidence: Population Based, Prospectively Collected, Birth Cohort Study" by Caroline Fyfe et al.

"What Is the Male-to-Female Ratio in Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" by Rachel Loomes et al.

"'Putting on My Best Normal:' Social Camouflaging in Adults With Autism Spectrum Conditions" by Laura Hull et al.

"Clinical Characteristics and Problems Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder in Girls" by Hannah Young et al.

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

A short, audio-only episode. No research breakdown this time — just a few honest things I wanted to say before getting back into the swing of things.

Some of you noticed the gaps in the feed over the last couple of years. This is a brief check-in about why, what I'm bringing back with me, and what's coming up next. It's also for the autistic listeners who have been through hard things at the hands of people who were supposed to love you. You're a big part of the reason this show exists.

The next regular research episode will be along soon. Thank you for sticking around.

If anything in this episode resonates and you want to reach out, you can write to me or send an audio or video recording to [email protected].

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

Every few months, a headline lands that makes autistic people brace for impact. A young man does something terrible. Somewhere in the story, the word "autistic" appears. And the public conversation drifts, again, toward the idea that there's something inherently dangerous about how our brains work.

In this episode, I walk through a 2026 study from Autism in Adulthood that pushes back on that drift. Researchers interviewed family members, friends, and clinicians who watched autistic people slide into extreme ideologies up close. What they found is more complicated, more compassionate, and more useful than the headlines suggest. 

Topics covered include: 

• Why autism alone does not explain extremism 
• What "negative autistic identity" means and why it matters 
• Hyperfixation as both superpower and liability 
• How algorithms exploit the gaps left by under-resourced autistic people 
• What real prevention looks like — and why it isn't surveillance 

Watch this episode on YouTube.

If you'd like to know more about topics discussed in this episode, check out: 

"Family and Clinician Perspectives About How Autism and Extremism Intersect" by Sachindri Wijekoon et al.

"Neurodivergence and the Rabbit Hole of Extremism: Uncovering Lived Experience" by Sachindri Wijekoon et al.

"Autism in England: Assessing Underdiagnosis in a Population-Based Cohort Study of Prospectively Collected Primary Care Data" by Elizabeth O'Nions et al.

"Understanding the Use of the Term 'Weaponized Autism' in an Alt-Right Social Media Platform" by Christie Welch et al.

"Social and Individual Grievances and Attraction to Extremist Ideologies in Individuals With Autism: Insights From a Clinical Sample" by Cécile Rousseau et al. 

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

Janet Walsh-Adams is a neurodivergent PhD candidate at Deakin University, researching a pattern that many autistic people have noticed for years: autistic adults may be more likely to pursue consensual non-monogamy (CNM). We talk about what CNM is (and what it isn't) and how stigma — not the relationship style itself — often creates the biggest risks.

Janet shares personal context alongside early findings from her work, including how autism, ADHD, gender diversity, and LGBTQIA+ identity can overlap with relationship structures like CNM, polyamory, kink/BDSM, and relationship anarchy. We also dig into what clinicians still need to learn (and unlearn) about autistic intimacy, and what Janet hopes her research will change — especially when it comes to safety and autonomy.

Topics explored include:

• What consensual non-monogamy actually means (polyamory, monogamish, swinging, and more)
• Why autistic people are so often miscast as uninterested in intimacy and where myths like these come from
• Autism + ADHD overlap, AuDHD, sensation seeking, and more
• Gender diversity and LGBTQIA+ culture as key factors in relationship styles
• Which group reports higher infidelity — autistics or neurotypicals?
• Why breakups in non-monogamous relationships aren't "proof they don't work"

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Follow Janet on LinkedIn.

If you'd like to know more about topics discussed in this episode, check out:

"Sexuality, Gender, and Autism" by K. Cooke et al. (chapter in The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability edited by Gabriel Bennett and Emma Goodall)

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

I've had so many jobs over the years — from babysitter to office administrator — and I didn't know until much later that my struggles in certain environments were connected to being autistic. In this episode, I talk about what it means to navigate workplaces that aren't built for neurodivergent minds, and how universal design could change everything. This is about moving from just "accommodating" us to truly including us.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

If you'd like to know more about topics discussed in this episode, check out:

"Workplace Accommodations and Neurodiversity" by Susanne Bruyère and Adrienne Colella (chapter in Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities edited by Eric Patton and Alecia Santuzzi)

"Accommodations vs Universal Design" by CultureAlly

"Autistic Adults' Views and Experiences of Requesting and Receiving Workplace Adjustments in the UK" by Jade Davies et al.

Universal Design: Creating Inclusive Environments by Edward Steinfeld and Jordana Maisel

"How Can the Work Environment Be Redesigned to Enhance the Well-Being of Individuals With Autism?" by Michał Tomczak

"Autism and the Right to a Hypersensitivity-Friendly Workspace" by Bouke de Vries

"'It's Like a Ramp for a Person in a Wheelchair': Workplace Accessibility for Employees With Autism" by Michal Waisman-Nitzan et al. 

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

Rebecca is a mental health counsellor in Australia. Diagnosed at 47 — with level-two autism and ADHD combined type — she shares her story of self-recognition, complex emotions around diagnosis, and the challenges of navigating neurodivergence in both personal and professional life.

Rebecca reflects on masking, internalized ableism, and how people-pleasing tendencies developed as survival strategies. The conversation also explores her work as a counsellor and how parenting neurodivergent children has shaped her own self-understanding.

Topics explored include:

• The slow unmasking process
• How late autism diagnosis reframes childhood memories and identity
• Parenting with empathy
• Avoiding the pitfalls of compliance culture
• The nuanced relationship between sensitivity, empathy, and strength
• Disbelief from healthcare professionals and the impact of diagnostic invalidation

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Rebecca recommends these resources:

Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)

Embrace Autism website

Is This Autism? — A Guide for Clinicians and Everyone Else by Donna Henderson and Sarah Wayland, with Jamell White

The Neurodivergent Woman podcast

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

Dr. Brett Ranon Nachman is an autistic higher education researcher and co-lead of the PEACES study. We talk about what success means for autistic post-secondary students, the impact of internalized ableism and masking, and how campuses can better support marginalized autistic students, including LGBTQIA+ and late-identified individuals.

Brett shares insights from both personal experience and research, and we reflect on the importance of autistic-led scholarship and inclusive academic spaces. This conversation left me feeling hopeful — and I think it will do the same for you.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Dr. Brett Ranon Nachman's Instagram, BlueSky, and email

Learn more about topics discussed in this episode:

College Autism Network

PEACES Project

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

millie joins me to talk about autistic culture, creativity, surviving in a neurotypical world, and finding true community. We get into late-diagnosed autism and ADHD, harm reduction, AAC (augmentative and alternative communication), and why autistic spaces can feel like a breath of fresh air. millie also shares how surviving — and thriving — as a disabled, trans, autistic person reshaped their ideas about belonging, burnout, and joy. What if the world isn't made for us — but we could build something better? A rich, raw, and hopeful conversation you won't want to miss.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Check out millie's website.

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

Odosa Obasuyi is the founder and CEO of Autinerary, a positive, all-purpose hub for all things autism-related. Odosa is the brother of an autistic sibling, a student at the University of Toronto, and suspects he may be neurodivergent himself. He joins me for a quick chat about the ways Autinerary can help you on your autism journey — whether you're an autistic person or a sibling, parent, friend, or partner of an autistic person!

Watch this episode on YouTube.

If you'd like to know more about topics discussed in this episode, check out:

Autinerary

"Autism Is" merch

Autinerary's TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube 

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness. 

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Lenz, a physician specializing in pediatrics, internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and lipidology. Dr. Lenz is the author of Conquering Your Fibromyalgia and host of the podcast by the same name. His passion for lifelong learning and holistic patient care has led him to specialize in chronic pain syndromes — conditions that are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and dismissed by the medical community.

Together, we explore:

• The different types of pain — nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic — and why understanding these distinctions is crucial
• How chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, POTS, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and migraines often intersect with neurodivergence
• Why so many autistic and ADHD individuals experience chronic pain and how sensory processing differences can complicate diagnosis and treatment
• The emotional and psychological impact of being dismissed by medical professionals
• Why outdated medical education and systemic gaps continue to leave neurodivergent patients struggling for validation and relief

Dr. Lenz also shares insights from his clinical experience, including real patient stories that highlight the need for greater awareness, compassion, and interdisciplinary care. If you've ever felt unheard or gaslighted by the medical system — or if you want to understand the complex relationship between neurodivergence and chronic pain — this conversation is for you.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Check out Dr. Michael Lenz's website: Conquering Your Fibromyalgia 

Theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.

All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.

Send in your questions or thoughts via email or audio or video recording for a chance to be featured on the show! My email address is [email protected] 

Large files can be sent for free via WeTransfer.

Buy me a coffee!

Buy The Other Autism merch. Use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders over $75 USD!

The views, opinions, and experiences shared by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or production team. The content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions related to your health, fitness, or wellness.