The Other Autism

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 jo...

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 pers...

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 me...

Welcome to this guided meditation, created with autistic and neurodivergent brains in mind.

Meditation is often depicted a certain way — sitting still, cross-legged, eyes closed. But here, we do things differently. Here, you are invited to make meditation your own. Maybe that means sitting in a way that feels natural to you. Maybe that means allowing gentle movement, like rocking or fidgeting. Maybe it means simply listening and let...

In this episode, I dive into rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) and how it connects to both ADHD and autism. I explore the intense emotional responses that come with RSD, the common triggers, and the ways it can impact relationships and self-worth. I also share some therapeutic approaches that might help and explain why it's so important to understand RSD — whether you experience it yourself or want to better support someone ...

If you're autistic and you're diagnosed with cancer, will your care be impacted by your unconscious wish to be the perfect patient? Or will it be impacted by an abusive spouse or partner, the kind so many of us on the spectrum find ourselves with? We explore these questions and much more.

In this episode, we honour the life and legacy of Lindsey Carla Holmes, a late-diagnosed autistic woman, who passed away from ...

Meet Dennis Bourne, a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD personal trainer and martial arts instructor. Dennis shares his journey growing up undiagnosed in New York with immigrant parents, recounts his experiences as a Hispanic neurodivergent person, and describes how ADHD and autism diagnoses reshaped his worldview.

Dennis also offers fitness and dietary tips for neurodivergent individuals and emphasizes the importance of a...

Today, I'm speaking with Sarah, a musician, gardener, and former teacher based in Pennsylvania. Sarah spent much of her life in therapy and struggling with others' misunderstandings and insensitivities. Now, in her 60s and with a handful of mental health diagnoses behind her, she is finding that autism might explain so many of her experiences.

A series of back-to-back crises set the stage as Sarah wrestles with ...

Many think that autistic people lack empathy, but do they? Even if you think you know the answer, you'll find new content about empathy and relating to others in this episode.

Join me as I explore empathy in the context of autism research and the origins of the autistic empathy deficit idea. In this episode, I cover the double empathy problem with help from a friend. How does the double empathy problem explain misunde...

Today, I'm speaking with Helena, a retail worker and soon-to-be college student and fiction author. Helena came to Canada as a child, but wasn't assessed for autism or schizophrenia until her 20s. She talks about who the biggest bullies were in school and shares some activities that have helped her.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Check out Helena's Instagram.

Theme music: "Everything Feels New&...

Are my traits or symptoms related to autism? Or are they caused by trauma? This is one of the top questions asked by individuals going through the process of identifying their neurodivergent identity in adulthood.

Join me as we explore how autistic and trauma traits intertwine and differ, with a focus on familial mental health challenges and their impacts.

Get clarity on trauma, autism, and PTSD with insights from...

By popular demand, I've released the first reading episode for Patreon paid members. Here is a sneak peak! We're reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and this is part 1, chapter 1: A Shifting Reef. To listen to upcoming reading episodes, you'll need to be a paid member of The Other Autism's Patreon.

Many listeners (especially those coping with autistic burnout) have written to me over the past...

Here's a deep dive into the controversial topic of trigger warnings. I explore the ongoing debate surrounding the effectiveness and potential dangers of trigger warnings, particularly for those who have experienced complex trauma. I highlight the latest research on trigger warnings, their impact on emotional responses, learning outcomes, and more.

Don't miss this episode where I challenge the common usage of trig...

Today, I'm speaking with Zoe Alexandra Glass, a Jiu Jitsu instructor and artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Zoe went from listening to The Other Autism while working in a warehouse to being a guest on the show almost a year after her own diagnosis. She shares the story of receiving her autism diagnosis after nearly losing her home and having considerable mental health challenges during the height of the COVID-19 pand...

What aspects of the brain differ between autistic people and non-autistic people? Do these brain differences lead to things like synesthesia in autistic people? Synesthesia is when your senses or perceptions overlap, like when you think of a number and see waves of red or some other colour. Or when you can feel in your own body the sensations and physical pain of another, just by looking at them!

In this episode, I also ta...

Today, I'm speaking with Trissa, an autistic parent with ADHD based in Washington State. Trissa talks about ways to regulate yourself as a neurodivergent parent and also give your neurodivergent children ways to self-regulate.

Trissa's helpful tips and suggestions are particularly useful for autistic, ADHDer, and otherwise neurodivergent parents of children who are both experiencing sensory and cognitive overloa...

Autistic burnout is very different from the work-related burnout that non-autistics experience. In this episode, I cover the official definition of autistic burnout, how autistic burnout differs from non-autistic burnout, the latest research on this topic, how burnout relates to shutdown and social hangover, and more. I also discuss my own experiences with burnout and some strategies for avoiding it.

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Dr. Kim Sage is a licensed clinical psychologist in southern California. Dr. Sage joins me to discuss her discovery that she may be autistic, the problem of autism underdiagnosis, and the close connection between autism and personality disorders (especially narcissistic personality disorder) within families.

Dr. Sage also talks about her early autistic traits, friendship challenges, autistic traits' impacts on romanti...

Feeling like a fraud or a fake autistic is so common in those who are diagnosed as autistic in adulthood. In this episode, I talk about impostor syndrome and how it relates to autistic impostor syndrome. I also talk about the impact of impostor syndrome and some strategies for coping with it.

Be sure to stick around right to the end. Toby is super chatty. And so is Google... It gets weird.

Watch this episode on Y...