Category: After Autism Diagnosis

Zoe, a Jiu Jitsu Instructor Diagnosed As Autistic at 38

February 23, 2024

After Autism Diagnosis, Autistic Experience, Interview With An Autistic Person, Late-Diagnosed Autism

Episode #32 is here: Zoe, a Jiu Jitsu Instructor Diagnosed As Autistic at 38.

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 pandemic.

Zoe also discusses her stance on going undiagnosed for nearly four decades, the types of pragmatic successes she’s experiencing in occupational therapy, and the disability assistance and tax credits that are available to autistic folks (with a focus on those in British Columbia and Canada).

Together, we talk about the overlap of autism and eating disorders, the problems with traditional sitting meditation for some autistics, and much more!

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Check out Zoe’s TikTok, Substack, and YouTube channel.

And links mentioned in this episode:

Disability Assistance (for British Columbians)

Disability Tax Credit (DTC) (for Canadians)

Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) (for Canadians)

Transcript

Kristen Hovet: 1:06

Hey everyone, welcome back to The Other Autism podcast. Today I’m speaking with Zoe, a martial arts instructor based in Vancouver, British Columbia, but before I share our conversation, I’d like to thank Carol and an anonymous donor, who both used the Buy Me a Coffee link to send in a one-time donation.
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Life After Late Autism Diagnosis With Melissa Elaine

July 16, 2023

Adult Autism, After Autism Diagnosis, Autistic Experience, Interview With An Autistic Person

Season 3, episode 2 is here: Life After Late Autism Diagnosis With Melissa Elaine

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 as a child, and what aspects of life have changed since her late-autism assessment and identification.

Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn.

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

“Females and Autism/Aspergers: A Checklist” by Samantha Craft

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price

So You Think You’re Autistic: A Workbook for the Confused Person Who’s Trying to Figure Things Out by Samantha Stein

Transcript

Kristen Hovet: 1:06

Today I’m speaking with Melissa Elaine, a late-diagnosed autistic music industry professional from California.
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Bereavement and Losing the Ability to Mask With Cat

May 12, 2023

After Autism Diagnosis, Autistic Experience, Female Autism Phenotype, Interview With An Autistic Person

Season 2, episode 13 is here: Bereavement and Losing the Ability to Mask with Cat

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.

If you’d like to know more about this topic, check out:

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

“Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)” —Cleveland Clinic

The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry by Gary Greenberg

“In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)” —Mayo Clinic

“The Polyvagal Theory: New Insights Into Adaptive Reactions of the Autonomic Nervous System” by Stephen W. Porges

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I Was Diagnosed Autistic… Now What?

April 10, 2023

After Autism Diagnosis, Autism Diagnosis, Autistic Experience, Late-Diagnosed Autism
Season two, episode 10 is here: I Was Diagnosed Autistic… Now What?

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 experiences following my own autism diagnosis in my 30s
- Recent research documenting women’s experiences of increased self-compassion following autism diagnosis in adulthood
- My suggestions for the time following your autism diagnosis
If you’d like to know more about this topic, check out:

“Autism Diagnosis in the United Kingdom: Perspectives of Autistic Adults, Parents and Professionals” by Laura Crane et al.

“Exploring the Experience of Seeking an Autism Diagnosis as an Adult” by Matthew de Broize et al.

“‘Anything But the Phone!’: Communication Mode Preferences in the Autism Community” by Philippa Howard and Felicity Sedgewick

“Autistic Women’s Experiences of Self-Compassion After Receiving Their Diagnosis in Adulthood” by Rosemarie Wilson et al.

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Category: After Autism Diagnosis

Zoe, a Jiu Jitsu Instructor Diagnosed As Autistic at 38

Transcript

Life After Late Autism Diagnosis With Melissa Elaine

Transcript

Bereavement and Losing the Ability to Mask With Cat

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I Was Diagnosed Autistic… Now What?

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