10. S1, Ep10: Childhood misdiagnosis and autism and ADHD

Nov 21, 2020

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Sarah Boon was diagnosed autistic last year, at the age of 24, and was diagnosed with ADHD this year. She initially self diagnosed, after assessments during her childhood failed to diagnose her.

She lives in Surrey in the UK, is a former TEFL teacher, and has recently completed an MA in Psychology of Education. She recently started an online survey exploring how autistic psychology students feel about how and what they are taught about autism.

In our conversation we talk about:

Being misdiagnosed as a child
Adult self diagnosis
The crossover of autistic and ADHD traits
Being autistic at work
Her experiences of studying psychology at university
Autistic involvement in research and training

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:

You can find Sarah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saraheboon

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Saraheboon/

She also has a blog: https://autisticallysarah.com/

The Ken Robinson quote I refer to at the end of the episode:

“Some of the most brilliant, creative people I know did not do well at school. Many of them didn't really discover what they could do—and who they really were—until they'd left school and recovered from their education.”

If you’d like to find out more about the late (and brilliant) Ken Robinson, visit his website: http://sirkenrobinson.com/. His TED talks are well worth a watch.

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: http://squarepeg.community/