Autism Central Podcast

In this episode, Catherine talks to Dr Aimee Grant, Associate Professor and Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow at Swansea University, who leads the "Autism from Menstruation to Menopause" study. Together, Catherine and Dr Grant discuss why periods can be especially challenging for some autistic people, including sensory experiences, pain, emotional changes, interoception, unpredict...

In this episode, Catherine talks to Dr Jessica Eccles, a consultant neurodevelopmental psychiatrist, researcher and public communicator whose work explores the connections between the brain and body. Dr Eccles co-leads the world’s first neurodivergent brain–body clinic and is a leading voice in understanding the overlap between autism, hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, dysautonomia, pain and...

In this episode Catherine Asta is joined by autistic psychotherapist and registered dietitian Camilla Ferraro to explore autism, ARFID and our relationship with food. Drawing on her professional expertise, alongside her own lived experience, Camilla explores why autistic eating differences are so often misunderstood and why what can look like "picky eating" from the outside can be someth...

Autism, Culture and Breaking the Silence In this episode Catherine Asta is joined by AuDHD advocate, mother, researcher and founder of Chinese Autism, Hazel Lim, to explore autism, culture and the experiences of families navigating neurodivergence within the Chinese community. Drawing on her own lived experience as an AuDHD mother of three neurodivergent children, Hazel reflects on how her journey...

In this episode Catherine Asta is joined by writer, birthkeeper and filmmaker Lucy Baena to explore the often-overlooked intersection of autism and epilepsy. Drawing on her lived experience as an autistic and epileptic woman, Lucy shares a deeply personal account of growing up with epilepsy, receiving a late autism diagnosis at 38, and how understanding both has transformed the way she understands...

In this episode of the Autism Central Podcast, Catherine Asta is joined by AuDHD coach, researcher and positive psychology practitioner Dr Rebecca Jackson to explore practical strategies and everyday tools for daily living. Drawing on both her lived experience and her work supporting neurodivergent adults, she shares why understanding yourself is the foundation for finding tools and approaches tha...

In this episode Catherine Asta is joined by AuDHD psychotherapist, author and researcher Alexis Quinn to explore what pregnancy, birth and early parenthood can look like for autistic people. Drawing on both her lived experience and the research behind her book Autistic and Expecting , Alexis reflects on how understanding her own neurodivergence transformed her experience of becoming a parent and w...

In this episode Catherine Asta is joined by award-winning autism advocate, author and founder of "Stories About Autism", James Hunt, for a heartfelt conversation about raising autistic children as they move from childhood into adulthood. Drawing on nearly two decades of lived experience parenting his two non-speaking autistic sons, James reflects on how his understanding of autism, commu...

In this episode of the Autism Central Podcast, Catherine Asta is joined by family law solicitor and neuroinclusion advocate Hannah Saxe to explore the complex realities of relationship breakdown, divorce and co-parenting through an autistic and neurodivergent lens. Drawing on both her professional expertise and lived experience as a late-diagnosed AuDHD woman and parent of two neurodivergent child...

In this first episode of S5, Catherine Asta is joined by award winning advocate Tumi Sotire, a British-born Nigerian with dyspraxia and founder of The Black Dyspraxic, a platform dedicated to championing intersectionality within neurodiversity. Together they unpack common misconceptions about dyspraxia, why it is often misunderstood as ‘just clumsiness’ and how it can affect everything from moveme...

In this final episode of Season Four of the Autism Central Podcast, Catherine Asta is joined by Emma Kluibenschadl, a passionate advocate, experienced professional and National Group Learning Facilitator Associate with Anna Freud who shares how Autism Central is creating a revolutionary space where families find community, understanding and practical support to help them thrive.  Emma shares a beh...

In this episode, Catherine Asta is joined by Dr Alison Lennox, a Consultant Neurodevelopmental Psychiatrist to demystify the adult autism assessment process and explore what a good assessment should really offer. Together they unpack common misconceptions about diagnosis along with the fear and uncertainty many people carry into the process. As one of only a few UK psychiatrists working exclusivel...

In this episode, Catherine Asta is joined by Dr Helen Lawal to explore the realities of work, identity and wellbeing as a neurodivergent woman navigating a demanding career. Together they reflect on Helen’s journey through medicine, from her early inspiration to become a doctor to the barriers she faced before understanding her ADHD and autism, and how that self-knowledge transformed the way she w...

In this episode, Catherine Asta is joined by Sophie Cartledge to explore the powerful intersection of perimenopause and late-discovered autism and ADHD. Together they discuss why many autistic and ADHD women describe perimenopause as the point where ‘the wheels fell off’ and how hormonal shifts can amplify sensory sensitivities, emotional regulation challenges and burnout. Late-discovered autistic...

In this episode, Mike and Phil, both mental health nurses and late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD, join Catherine Asta to explore their experiences of fatherhood. They speak about feeling unseen in schools and workplaces, confronting internalised rejection and navigating the expectations placed on fathers about how they ‘should’ show up. Through their own personal reflections, they share the journey...

In this episode, Catherine Asta is joined by Heidi and Theo, a single mother and her only son from Wakefield in West Yorkshire, for a powerful and hopeful conversation about autistic burnout, rebuilding confidence, and the power of self-advocacy. When Theo was 15, he crashed out of school in what was later understood as significant autistic burnout. What followed were five years of navigating comp...

Listener note: We want to let listeners know that this episode includes discussion of trauma, suicidal ideation, and mental health crisis. Please listen in a way that feels supportive for you. In this episode, Catherine Asta is joined by Brian Haines for a deeply reflective conversation about the often-unseen mental health crises faced by late-diagnosed autistic adults, accumulated trauma, and the...

Listener note: We want to let listeners know that this episode includes discussion of grief and the loss of a child. Please listen in a way that feels supportive for you. In this episode, Catherine Asta is joined by Sue Lansbury for a deeply moving and compassionate conversation about late autism discovery, grief, creativity, and aging as an autistic woman in a world that often overlooks older wom...

TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast episode mentions suicidal ideation. In this episode, Catherine is joined by Jo Feaster for an honest and deeply reflective conversation about lived experience, identity, and what it can mean to finally make sense of yourself later in life as an autistic and bipolar woman, along with the small, real life supports and accommodations that help power self-acceptance, buil...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Autism Central Podcast, hosted by psychotherapist, podcaster, and author Catherine Asta.  To open the season, we’re doing something special. In this episode, Catherine is joined by both of her daughters - Caty and Kristina - for a gentle, insightful mother-daughter conversation that sets the tone for the journey ahead. You’ll first hear from Caty, who not only joins on m...

Holly chats to autistic researcher Dr. Wenn Lawson aboutgetting older and what this means for autistic people. Find out more about our programme for parents and carers ofautistic people at autismcentral.org.uk Some of our podcast episodes contain specialist terms youmay be unfamiliar with. We’ve put together a glossary toexplain some of the terms mentioned. The Autism Central Podcast is produced b...

Holly talks to autistic mothers Lynette Morgan and Sophia Abdel about their experiences in pregnancy and motherhood. Links for this episode: Maternity Autism Research Group Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of autistic people at autismcentral.org.uk Some of our podcast episodes contain specialist terms you may be unfamiliar with. We’ve put together a glossary to explain some...

Holly meets Jamie + Lion to talk about their experiences around moving away from home, setting up an autism-friendly space and how to get support with independent living. Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of autistic people at autismcentral.org.uk Some of our podcast episodes contain specialist terms you may be unfamiliar with. We’ve put together a glossary to explain some o...

Holly talks to Senior Lecturer in Autism Dr Luke Beardon and autistic student Leona Laverty about starting university and how to get support. Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of autistic people at autismcentral.org.uk Some of our podcast episodes contain specialist terms you may be unfamiliar with. We’ve put together a glossary to explain some of the terms mentioned. The Au...

Holly chats to two autistic people, Andrew Carpenter and Mandy Taylor, about their experiences around starting work, with tips and advice for other autistic people. Links for this episode: ·       Access to work ·       Finding work – links to resources on the Autism Central website ·       Transition to adulthood – free resources that can be accessed by registering on the Autism Central website F...