
Autism Central Podcast
Autism Central – a podcast for parents and carers of autistic people.
In this series, we bring together autistic people, parents, carers and professionals to talk about different aspects of autism.
Autism Central is a peer education programme, commissioned by NHS England.
It aims to build knowledge and understanding of autism and to empower families and carers to advocate for autistic people they support.
For more information or to contact us please visit our website at https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/
Latest episodes

Mar 19, 2025 • 53min
Supporting Friendships
In episode 10, speech and language therapist Alison Futerman and parent Seema Islam join host Holly Sprake-Hill to discuss how parents can support autistic young people around friendships.Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of autistic people at https://www.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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central, and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Mar 3, 2025 • 36min
Autistic Friendships
In episode 9, Holly Sprake-Hill and Dr. Carly Danesh-Jones chat about their experiences around navigating friendships as autistic women.Find out more about our programme for parents and carers ofautistic people at https://www.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 by Autism Central,and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Feb 17, 2025 • 41min
Parenting and family relationships
In episode 8, Holly Sprake-Hill chats to Marsha Martin and Helen Fleetwood about parenting neurodivergent children and family relationships. Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of autistic people at https://www.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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central, and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Feb 3, 2025 • 49min
Navigating family relationships
In episode 7, Holly Sprake-Hill is joined by three neurodivergent guests - Andy Smith, Zeena Bishop and Sarah Davis - to talk about their experiences around family relationships.
Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of
autistic people at https://www.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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central,
and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Jan 20, 2025 • 30min
Growing up with neurodivergent siblings
In episode 6, Holly Sprake-Hill meets two autistic young people, Leona Laverty and Fraser Parry, to talk about growing up with neurodivergent siblings.
Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of
autistic people at https://www.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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central,
and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Jan 6, 2025 • 34min
Parenting neurodivergent siblings
In episode 5, Holly Sprake-Hill meets Dawn Hockey and Louise Elliman, who share their experiences around parenting neurodivergent siblings.
Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of
autistic people at https://www.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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central,
and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Dec 20, 2024 • 35min
Autism, sex and intimacy
In episode 4, Holly Sprake-Hill meets neurodivergent sex
therapist Tiga-Rose Nercessian. They discuss differences autistic people may experience around sex and relationships and how to keep yourself safe.
Additional resources for this episode:
Tiga-Rose Nercessian offers a free course for neurodivergent
people: https://www.intimata.com/neurodivergent-me-course
There are also helpful articles on her website, on topics such as
neurodivergent dating, masking, gender and sexual orientation.
Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of
autistic people at https://www.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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central,
and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Dec 6, 2024 • 32min
Autism and Sex Education
In episode 3, Holly Sprake-Hill is joined by Sarah Noble and Harvey Range to talk about the Sex Education Matters project for autistic young people and why effective sex education is so important.
Additional resources for this episode:
Relationships and intimacy my way: an autistic perspective
https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/understanding-autism/preparing-for-adulthood/relationships-and-intimacy
Sex Education Matters website
https://www.sexedmatters.co.uk/
Ambitious Youth Network
https://ambitious-youth-network.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/
Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of
autistic people at https://www.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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central,
and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Nov 22, 2024 • 38min
Navigating love and relationships as an autistic adult
In episode 2, Holly Sprake-Hill, Ashley Welton and Tom Moran chat about their experiences around dating and romantic relationships and share tips and advice for autistic young people and their parents.
Additional resources for this episode:
An Autistic Guide to Healthy Relationships: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/neurodiversity-development/impact-and-engagement/healthy-relationships-for-autistic-people/
Autism, Relationships and Marriage: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/autism-relationships
Purple Ella: ‘Autistic Masking & Romantic Relationships’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOMDSQ5Dc28
BBC ‘The Social’: Autism and relationships
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p080bkmx
Books:
- The Autism Spectrum Guide to Sexuality and Relationships: Understand Yourself and Make Choices that are Right for You by Dr Emma Goodall, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016
- Taking Off the Mask: Practical Exercises to Help Understand and Minimise the Effects of Autistic Camouflaging by Hannah Belcher, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2022
- Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person by Cathy Wassel, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2022
Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of autistic people at https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/
A note to listeners: In this series, we'll be discussing themes including sex that you may consider inappropriate for minors.
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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central, and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Nov 8, 2024 • 36min
Neurodivergent couples and romantic relationships
In the first episode of season 2, Holly Sprake-Hill talks to autistic author, public speaker and diagnostician Sarah Hendrickx about romantic relationships and life with her autistic partner.
Find out more about our programme for parents and carers of autistic people at https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/
Sarah Hendrickx’s latest book on Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum, which is mentioned in the episode, is available here:
https://uk.jkp.com/products/women-and-girls-on-the-autism-spectrum-second-edition
A note to listeners: In this series, we'll be discussing themes including sex that you may consider inappropriate for minors.
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 Autism Central Podcast is produced by Autism Central, and is the copyright of NHS England. All rights reserved. More content can be found on our YouTube channel here.