Autistic Licence

Content warning: weight and body related issues, death and mortality, brief mention of suicidal ideation     This episode begins with an exploration of the impact on Siana of seeing Ariana Grande's weight loss in the Wicked For Good movie, and on Leo of hearing this in the context of his own past experiences of judgment in relation to his weight. We openly discuss and disentangle many strands with...

This short episode was recorded a few days ago at Leo's house in Suffolk when Siana came for a pre-xmas visit. We mostly chat about managing gift-giving and surprises as autistic people. Pics on our pictures page of the wonderful illuminated garden trail we visited. Thank you for listening and for all the ways you connect with us - we love to hear from you - contact us at: autisticlicence@gmail.co...

Leo reflects on watching a Netflix show which brought up a myriad of thoughts and feelings for him around not being understood by loved ones (the double empathy problem). Siana shares some current challenges with work and business planning.  We speak about success and what that means to us as autistic people and specifically as autistic therapists. We relate this also particularly to this time (in...

In this episode we speak about "landing on our feet". In particular, we relate this to the double empathy problem whereby the processes "behind the scenes" are often missed entirely in our interactions with non-autistic people. We share examples of our experiences in the workplace and significant relationships, noting that in some aspects our ways of being can seem to collude with the apparent opa...

Welcome to the first "From The Vault" episode. Today we're going almost back to the beginning. We're going to listen to Season 1 Episode 2, which we called "Nothing Just Happens", from two years ago. Listening back to this not only brought back memories of the beginnings of Autistic Licence, but also sparked a conversation between Siana & I about what's changed for us, and what's been reinforc...

Welcome to Season 3 💛 We recorded this a couple of weeks ago. We thought about cutting the bit at the beginning where we speak about Halloween in the interests of "keeping up" with the actual date of release. However, given that the rest of the episode traverses the general theme of our relationship with time, we thought we'd leave it in for context.   We speak about overwhelm and the processes w...

Trigger warning for Christian evangelical culture, mention of suicidal ideation. If you have particular sensitivities around these subjects, please consider carefully whether and / or when you might listen to this episode.    This episode was recorded while Siana was visiting Leo in his new house in August. Most of the conversation ended up being a trip down memory lane, to 1995, with the usual ta...

This episode was recorded just a couple of days after Leo moved house from London to Suffolk, England. Leo highlights the benefits Leo of his ADHD meds in terms of maintaining focus and maximising efficiency during the move. We note wider factors and accommodations which help in managing setbacks and unexpected changes. We candidly speak about the challenges and limitations of being AuDHD - medica...

This episode, on listening back, sounds a bit like a whistle stop tour of everything both of us has ever thought about our relationships with things and particularly about "moving" with them. We speak about moving house and / or office and the significance of replication and familiarity in our new environments. We noted how this can extend to holidays and even simply leaving the house. We differen...

This episode is mostly a light hearted autistic chit chat.  Siana's daughter has finished her GCSEs (national exams taken by 16 year olds in the UK). To celebrate, they have planned a trip to Scotland to see Lana del Rey in concert.   Meanwhile, Leo's parents' 80th birthdays are coming up over the summer. He shares the birthday card and watch he created for his Dad. In true autistic style we manag...

Leo is planning a move to Suffolk, England. This conversation took place when we visited the area as part of his decision making process. We speak about a delightful and symbolic experience we had while we were there. We then explore the value of "story" within therapy, the significance of re-contextualisation, and even the potential of deeper memory reconsolidation and healing processes. Our next...

Welcome to the second half of our conversation with Meaghan Ray. This one begins with us speaking about the interplay between autism and ADHD, particularly in terms of executive functioning.  Meaghan Ray shares some specific areas of executive functioning which pose challenges for them in relation to parenting. Siana and Meaghan Ray discuss some of their experiences as parents, noting the widespre...

We're joined for this episode by Meaghan Ray from Edmonton in Canada. Meaghan Ray speaks about their process of coming to know their autistic self. They share the value within this of real time processing with a friend, particularly as it relates to the "doing" of being autistic in daily adult life. Meaghan Ray shares some unique aspects of their childhood which led to the development of self awar...

We are delighted to share with you our guest conversation with Nikita. Nikita is a trainee clinical psychologist with a special interest in neuropsychology.   Together we have a fascinating discussion about adult diagnosis and how Nikita has woven this into her self-understanding and relationships. She contrasts how this has been in her personal and in her professional life.  We also speak about d...

Join us for another wonderful guest conversation, this time with Dawn. Dawn generously shares with us about her experiences and challenges in relation to work, mental health and being different to others.   We talk about the generational grief and loss associated with late diagnosis. We speak about common expectations around socialising, learning and communication which can zap our energy and lead...

There's a bit of silliness at the beginning of this episode. We debated cutting it out, maybe due to the vestiges of internalised ableism but we decided to keep it in the interests of authenticity. It's fully possible to be "silly" and childlike right alongside having the capacity for psychological depth and vulnerable conversations. We move from "here and now" chat into speaking about tears and o...

Trigger warning: This episode includes references to neglect and developmental trauma which some listeners may find upsetting.  It's been a while since we recorded together! In this episode we expand on our discussion about grief. Leo reflects on the loss of Woody, three months on. We then move into exploring other feelings such as disappointment and pride. We speak about the conditional meanings...

Trigger warning for mention of death, loss and grief. If you have particular sensitivities around these subjects, please consider carefully whether and / or when you might listen to this episode.  Leo's dog, Woody, died just before Christmas.  This episode was recorded in December and the "previous" episode we mention at the beginning was "Furry Friends & Existentialism". We speak about our ex...

This is a short chat we had following our guest conversation with Elisabeth. In it we further develop our thoughts and reflections about self compassion. We also contemplate our identities within the queer community, recognising that we have much more personal "work" to do in this area.  Obviously it's vulnerable to put something like this out into the world ... however we do so for two reasons. F...

We have a treat for you today - our guest conversation with Elisabeth. 💛🧡 Elisabeth shares her story generously and insightfully. We speak about late diagnosis and the idea of a second adolescence. We contrast medicalised perspectives with the neurodiversity paradigm, for example in navigating group contexts.    We explore the intersectionality of queer and neurodivergent communities. We also di...

In this episode we meet Catherine, one of our listeners from the USA. Catherine shares with us about her deep dive into autistic identity. We discuss some of our experiences throughout our life spans relating to others in education and group settings. We notice ways in which we adapted that don't feel so necessary any longer. Catherine also comes up with the phrase "social dyspraxia" which we agre...

In this episode we speak with Daniel, one of our listeners who responded to our invitation to join us for a guest conversation. We speak about Daniel's ongoing process of coming to know himself as autistic. We then branch into discussing therapy with AuDHD people, including an exploration of the role artificial intelligence (AI) might play in this. Daniel introduces us to his concept of "Grand Cyc...

In this episode we reflect on the new calendar year and whether this has significance for us. We then open up a long discussion about the process of "middle age". Leo shares some of his identity shifts and pillars which have become clearer and more robust over the past decade. Siana reflects on the significance of readiness and of having a template of sorts which has enabled her to enter and navig...

Cadbury has discontinued Festive Friends biscuits 😭 We speak about the effects of product changes for autistic people and  return to the topic of sensitivities and allergies. Leo reflects on the complex interplay he's noticing between ADHD meds, eating / appetite, medical history / considerations and sensory sensitivities. We move on to talking about aspects of this time of year which we enjoy. W...

TRIGGER WARNING This episode contains discussions about death, which may be triggering for some listeners. Please listen with care and prioritise your well-being. Leo's dogs join us for this episode and we begin by chatting about our pets. Siana then talks a bit about seasonal sensitivities. We move into speaking about aspects of the transition into sleep at night. From here things get a bit deep...