Unlearning Autism

In the final episode of season one of Unlearning Autism, Christine reflects on the journey of creating a neurodiversity-affirming podcast that centred the lived experience of late-identified Autistic people in their own words. Across 18 episodes, conversations explored identity after knowing, masking, burnout, motherhood, nervous systems, belonging, creativity, relationships, sensory overwhelm, an...

In this episode of Unlearning Autism, Christine reflects on the profound role of Autistic community and why connection with other Autistic people can feel so deeply regulating, validating, and life-changing. She explores the difference between being understood and being understood without explanation — the relief of hearing someone speak aloud an experience you thought was uniquely yours. Christin...

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Emma Offord — clinical psychologist, founder of Divergent Life, and host of This Voice Is Mine . Emma’s work centres on late-identified Autistic and ADHD adults, and on what happens when we begin to understand ourselves outside of the medical model. We talk about the power of lived experience — how stories, not textbooks, often become the pathway to recognition....

Therapy can help deeply — but only when it understands what it’s looking at. In this minisode, Christine reflects on therapy through an Autistic lens — what can help, what can miss the mark, and why support should never be about forcing people to fit environments that are harming them. Therapy can be life-changing. It can also completely miss the point when Autistic experience is misunderstood. In...

In this episode of Unlearning Autism, I sit down with Eliza Fricker — author, illustrator, advocate, and one of the most respected voices in conversations around Autistic children, PDA, education, and parenting outside the traditional behaviour model. Eliza is the author of A Different Kind of Parenting , the Sunday Times bestselling Can’t Not Won’t , the autobiographical Thumbsucker , and her lat...

In this short musing from Unlearning Autism , I share a simple, practical way I support myself in staying connected with the people I care about. For many Autistic people, friendship isn’t about a lack of care — it’s often about capacity, a busy or overwhelmed mind, and the very real experience of “out of sight, out of mind.” In this episode, I talk about: why staying in touch can feel difficult,...

You can be trained to recognise neurodivergence in others… and still miss it in yourself. In this episode of Unlearning Autism , I’m joined by occupational therapist Katie Kerley to explore late identification, masking, and what it means to finally see yourself clearly. Katie shares her journey to identifying as Autistic, ADHD and dyspraxic — including the complexity of “coming out,” the fear of b...

In this My Autistic Musing, I share a very real, everyday moment of time blindness—and how it shows up in my life in ways that aren’t always obvious from the outside. What looked like “plenty of time” on paper felt completely different in my body. A simple task—something that could have been done the next morning—became something my nervous system couldn’t settle around until it was done. I explor...

In this episode of Unlearning Autism , I sit down with Laura Guckian — host of the award-winning MomFessions podcast and one of the UK and Ireland’s most recognised voices in maternal mental health and neurodivergent motherhood. Laura shares her deeply personal journey from severe maternal mental health challenges, including a psychiatric hospital stay, to becoming a coach, advocate, and storytell...

In this episode of My Autistic Musings , I reflect on systemising — a tendency many Autistic people , particularly late-identified Autistic women , recognise in themselves. Systemising can show up in subtle everyday ways, bringing calm, focus and satisfaction through organising ideas, environments or information. Recently, I decided it was time to finally organise my nutrition. What followed was s...

In this episode, I’m joined by Andrea Anderson for a gentle, honest conversation about late  recognition, identity, andthe long process of becoming who you always were. We explore the unravelling that can follow late discovery — the relief, the grief, and the courage it takes to let go of ways of living that were never natural, and to move toward self-understanding, compassion, and belonging. Andr...

In this unscripted musing, I record in real time what overwhelm can look like for me as an Autistic mum during a week of transition. Nothing catastrophic happens — just a series of small changes. A new driver in the house. A delayed prescription. A last-minute plan change. Dinner to cook. Work to prepare for. And suddenly my nervous system tips. This episode explores how seemingly minor disruption...

In this episode of Unlearning Autism , Christine speaks with Nicola , a late-identified Autistic woman, mum of three, andadvocate for a more compassionate understanding of Autistic life. Nicola talks about discovering she was Autistic at 42 and what that unlocked for her, the overlap between perimenopause and recognising Autistic traits, the impact of burnout and why rest is essential, parenting A...

In this unscripted My Autistic Musing , I reflect on something I return to again and again in post-identification life: re-remembering . Re-remembering is the gentle, ongoing practice of noticing when we’ve slipped back into judging ourselves through a non-Autistic lens — holding ourselves to expectations that once created external safety, but at a huge internal cost. It’s the moment we pause, pla...

In this episode, Christine sits and chats with Laura Crowley an Autistic and award-winning advocate with over 25 years of experience supporting neurodivergent children, teens, and families. Laura shares her late-identification story after decades of working in autism services, the myths that kept her hidden, and the deep relief of finally recognising herself. Her work is grounded in lived experien...

In this solo episode of Unlearning Autism , Christine Doyle explores Autistic communication as a rich and distinctive expression of neurotype. She reflects on how communication can shift depending on regulation, environment, and relational safety — moving between fluent hyperlexic speech, quietness, word loss, or difficulty translating thoughts into language. Christine speaks about tangential and...

In this episode, Christine is joined by Abs, the producer of ‘Unlearning Autism’ and a late-identified Autistic artist and audio producer. Together they explore masking, sensory flow, burnout, and creative recovery — how sound, rhythm, and art can hold what words sometimes can’t. “Creativity isn’t about performing — it’s how I translate the world.” — Abs About Abs: You can connect with Abs in her...

In this opening episode, Christine Doyle introduces Unlearning Autism — a podcast exploring what it really means to be Autistic and AuDHD through lived experience, reflection, and conversation. Christine shares why she created the podcast, who it is for, and her hope that each episode offers language, context, and comfort for those navigating late identification and also for those who wish to unde...

Unlearning Autism — real stories, gentle conversations, and a fresh perspective on autism, especially for those of us who found out later in life. Hosted by Christine Doyle, Autistic mentor & late-identified Autistic woman. Listen in and start unlearning. Launching on 14 January 2026 - Subscribe now.