59. S5, Ep4: Getting an autism diagnosis while doing a PhD in autism and parenting an autistic child

Gilly McKeown is an autism researcher in Brisbane, Australia. Originally from Manchester in the UK, she is in her thirties and was diagnosed autistic in 2021, when she was already more than halfway through her PhD in autism. She also has suspected ADHD, and is a single parent to her young autistic and ADHD daughter.

Like many autistic people she has pursued various different courses and degrees, including doing a degree in speech therapy, and at the time we recorded this episode she was just coming to the end of the third year of her PhD, looking at the challenges faced by autistic children and young people in sport. 

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Parenting an autistic daughter as an autistic adult, and what’s changed since they’ve both been diagnosed

➡ When is a good time to share a child’s diagnosis with them

➡ The difficulties she faced as an undiagnosed autistic student on an undergraduate course

➡ Her research into access to sport for autistic children and young people

➡ The barriers to inclusivity in sport, including sensory and physical needs - and ableism.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

 

EPISODE LINKS:

Gilly’s website: https://neurodivergentresearcher.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gemckeown1 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergent_researcher/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neurodivergentresearcher

 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Susan Millington, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

 

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast