The Other Autism

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.

Watch this episode on ...

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...

Are you ready to navigate the intricate maze of adult autism diagnosis?

I dedicate this episode to offering tips and advice to help you determine whether autism assessment is right for you, suggestions on how to find a psychologist who conducts adult autism assessments, and brief strategies on securing financial support if you can't afford the exorbitant assessment fees.

This episode is designed to be a supp...

Courtney Benner, a neurodivergent occupational therapist based in Utah, shares how occupational therapy can help autistic adults. She also talks about her neurodivergent identities and the ways these help her relate to her clients.

Courtney shares the lead-up to her diagnoses and how much of an impact they had on her life. Additionally, she shares some very interesting statistics about autistic sleep patterns, explains the...

Melissa Elaine, a music industry professional in California, shares the lead-up to getting an autism diagnosis just this past January and what life has been like ever since.

Melissa shares how past therapists chalked up her challenges to trauma and C-PTSD, dismissing her and her family's well-informed suspicions that she may be autistic. She also shares her experiences of going nonverbal, her main autistic attributes ...

Let's delve into an under-discussed topic — the intersection of autism and non-monogamy. I talk about the differences between polyamory and open relationships, and challenge the stereotype that autistic individuals are incapable of or uninterested in sexual relationships. Drawing from research and personal experiences, I discuss why autistic individuals are more inclined towards non-monogamous relationships.

If you&ap...

In the final episode of season two of The Other Autism podcast, I explore the concept of masking. We've talked about it a lot this season, but now I'd like to do a deeper dive.

Topics discussed also include:

• The definition of masking
• Why autistic people mask
• What it means to unmask
• When masking can be a good thing

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

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Cat is an Australia-based, late-identified autistic individual who suddenly lost the ability to mask following the death of her baby.

Kristen and Cat discuss being autistic while undergoing fertility treatments, trauma in midlife, out-of-order loss and bereavement, polyvagal theory, the ways life crises often precede late identification of autism, and more.

Correction: Cat said "microwave" when she meant...

Jennifer Dodd is a Portland-based therapist and owner of the Embodied Life Therapy Center. Jennifer is a late-diagnosed autistic individual who has also been diagnosed with the inattentive type of ADHD.

Kristen and Jennifer discuss the ways that ADHD and autism compete with and complement each other, neurodivergent loathing of CBT (sorry, not sorry, CBT!), best types of therapy for autistic folks, the autistic penchant fo...

Kim Gallo is the author of the new book, The Pivot: For Parents and Educators – Looking at Autism and ADHD Through a Different Lens. She is a speech language pathologist in south Florida and has experience as a former applied behaviour analysis (ABA) practitioner.

Kristen and Kim discuss Kim's changing views on ABA (thanks in large part to TikTok!), the changing landscape of what it means to be autistic in today'...

The number one question I receive from listeners is some version of, "I was just diagnosed as autistic. Now what?" What are some common experiences that people have after autism diagnosis in adulthood? Late autism diagnosis is often defined as diagnosis received after one's 18th birthday. 

Topics discussed also include:

• Positive and negative thoughts and emotions following late autism diagnosis
• My experien...

Heath Wilder is the Director of Customer Experience at the Sydney Theatre Company in Sydney, Australia, and they were one of the first listeners of The Other Autism podcast — maybe even the first!

Listen as Kristen and Heath aggressively abstain from small talk and dive right in to gender, autigender (aka gendervague), the female autism phenotype or presentation, the double empathy problem, alexithymia, masking, meltdowns...