Autistic Culture | Where Autism Meets Identity!

In this episode of Autistic Culture 101, Dr. Angela Kingdon explores Pillar 6: Game-Changing Innovation—the autistic drive to question assumptions, reimagine systems, and create from sensory truth and moral clarity.Autistic innovation isn’t about chasing trends or applause. It’s about paradigm shifts. From Isaac Newton’s invention of calculus to Richard Branson’s rebellious business model to Angela’s father building his own Hot Rod kit cars—this episode shows how autistic game changers build entirely new systems when old ones fail.🎧 What You’ll LearnWhy autistic thinkers often notice problems no one else seesHow emotional intensity, deep focus, and sensory perception drive innovationThe difference between trend-following disruption and authentic paradigm-buildingHow masking stifles game-changing potential—and how to lean into your visionStories of iconic game changers like Isaac Newton, Steve Jobs, Hannah Gadsby, and Martha Stewart📚 Resources Mentioned🎤 Angela’s TEDx Talk at TEDx Tamworth — on Newton as an autistic game changer📘 Make ‘Em Beg to Work for You – Angela’s Hiring Book📖 Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert📺 Lessons in Chemistry (TV series featuring autistic-coded innovation)Related Episodes:Industrial Light & Magic (Ep4)Lessons in Chemistry is Autistic (Ep56)Freddie Mercury (Ep73)🌟 Connect With Us📱 Follow us on Instagram🎧 Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify🛍️Our Autism-affirming merch shop🌐 Learn more at www.autisticculturepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part of our 12-Week Writing Series for autistic creatives and late-diagnosed adults.In this episode of Writing Unmasked, Dr. Angela Kingdon explores how writing supports unmasking and identity integration after late autism discovery. From poetic processing to oral storytelling traditions, Angela dives into how expressive language can unlock joy, agency, and self-trust for neurodivergent writers.Plus, she announces this week’s new writing prompt — a call to craft fables rooted in autistic truths — and reveals the winners of our sixth writing contest!🎧 What You’ll LearnHow writing can help process the identity shock of late diagnosisThe emotional cost of masking and the creative joy of unmaskingWhat makes a fable powerful—and how autistic storytelling reclaims the oral traditionUpdates on Angela’s upcoming book, Am I Actually Autistic?, and the Neurodivergent Voices Live event in June 2026Reflections from our latest haiku-based writing contestA live reading of the winning entries🏆 Week 6 Winners🥇 First Place:Lindsee Garlock-Thornton– “Sparkly Brain”– “Knowledge Thirst Trap”– “Sensational Senses”– “Visual Disturbance Rumination”– “Call Me Sal”– “Welp, Found My People”📸 Follow Lindsee on Instagram: @haikuwouldntyou🥈 Runner-Up:Allyson Hogan– “Comfort Episode”– “Spin Reemerging”– “Play the Song Again”👏 Congratulations to our featured writers, and thank you to everyone who submitted! Want to see their full entries? 👉 Read their stories here.Neurodivergent Narratives Presents: ‘Moral of the Story’ ContestPrompt: If you were to write a fable in the style of Aesop’s fables about friendship, what would the moral be?🖊️ Open to: Everyone🗓️ Deadline: Wednesday, June 25 at 12 PM ET / 5 PM UK💷 Prize: £10 per winner📘 Publication: Winners featured on Substack and in the Neurodivergent Narratives anthology🔗 Submit your entry here →✅ Submission RulesMax 500 wordsNo plagiarism, hate speech, or explicit contentSubmit as many entries as you likeNo subscription required📢 Share with hashtag #MoralOfTheStoryResources:🎙️ Matt shares the Wind and the Sun parable at 10:43 on the Neurodiversity Podcast📖 BBC on Aesop’s Fables📘 Full List of Aesop’s Morals📗 Angela’s Book: Am I Actually Autistic? (Substack)📕 Buy the Print EditionRelated Episodes:Writing Memoir with Alethea Shapiro (Episode 138) - Writing Prompt #30Neurodivergent Creative Cycles with Sol Smith (Episode 140) - Writing Prompt #31🌟 Connect With Us📱 Follow us on Instagram🎧 Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify🛍️Our Autism-affirming merch shop🌐 Learn more at www.autisticculturepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Autistic Culture 101, Dr. Angela Kingdon is joined by Jodi Brichta-Coyne, author, life coach, and systems-thinker, to explore Pillar 5: Pattern Matching—the cultural superpower at the heart of autistic insight, organization, and perception.Autistic pattern matching isn’t robotic—it’s deep, human, creative, and emotionally charged. From recognizing micro-patterns in conversation to creating vast knowledge maps across disciplines, autistic people don’t generalize—we observe. We track anomalies. We notice what others miss. And in a world built on noise and guesswork, this precision is transformative.🎧 What You’ll LearnWhy autistic people are data-hungry, detail-oriented, and insight-drivenHow monotropic focus and repetition build meaning and emotional groundingWhy pattern matching isn’t about cold logic—it’s about finding order, comfort, and connectionExamples of real-world pattern thinking: board games, Kinsey’s research, Wikipedia editing, Magic the Gathering, and moreHow to embrace your “pattern brain” in a world that often mislabels it as “too much”👤 Featured Guest: Jodi Brichta-CoyneJodi is a Certified Life Coach, Strategic Interventionist, and author of Are You Still There God? It’s Me, Jodi—a witty, honest look at midlife, motherhood, and systems-thinking.📘 Buy Jodi’s BookResources Mentioned:🧠 “The Predictive Coding Account of Psychosis and Autism” – Frontiers in Psychiatry📖 “The Prehistory of Autism” – Rounded Globe📘 “Understanding Autism” – IntechOpen Chapter🎓 Monotropism Slides – Dr. Damian Milton🌐 Monotropism.org – Wellbeing & FocusRelated Episodes:Sex/Alfred Kinsey (Ep 35)Board Games (Ep 95)🌟 Connect With Us📱 Follow us on Instagram🎧 Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify🛍️Our Autism-affirming merch shop🌐 Learn more at www.autisticculturepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part of our 12-Week Writing Series for autistic creatives and late-diagnosed adults.In this episode of Writing Unmasked, Dr. Angela Kingdon sits down with Sol Smith—author of The Autistic’s Guide to Self-Discovery and founder of the NeuroSpicy Community—to explore what creativity really looks like for autistic writers. Together, they dismantle the myth of the “perfect process” and make space for cyclical, sensory, and self-directed ways of writing.Sol shares his journey through authorship, ADHD, autistic inertia, and perfectionism, offering practical encouragement for neurodivergent creatives navigating their own pace. Plus, we announce the winners of our Week 5 writing contest!🎧 What You’ll LearnWhy perfectionism and creative ruts are not signs of failure—they’re part of the cycleHow Sol’s writing journey led to creating the world’s largest online neurodivergent communityWhat it looks like to write from your SPIN, not against your energyHow haiku and short-form poetry can unlock powerful emotional clarityPractical tips for neurodivergent writers who feel “behind” or out of sync with productivity culture🏆 Week 5 Winners🥇 First Place:“Kidnapped (Based on a True Story)”by Laura Pearson🥈 Runner-Up:“And Then I Realized…”by Genya Vasilov👏 Congratulations to our winning writers! 👉 Read their full stories here.👤 About Sol SmithSol is a certified autism specialist, author, and creator of The Autistic’s Guide to Self-Discovery. He leads the NeuroSpicy Community, a global support network for ADHDers and autistics, and is a sought-after speaker in corporate, academic, and online spaces.🌐 www.ProfessorSol.com📱 TikTok: @bettersol📸 Instagram: @theprofessorsol📘 Facebook: Sol Smith🎥 YouTube: Professor Sol💼 LinkedIn: Sol SmithNeurodivergent Narratives Presents: ‘Your Autistic Birthright’ ContestPrompt: Write a haiku inspired by your Autistic Birthright. Interpret the theme in any way that resonates with you—literally or metaphorically!🖊️ Haiku Format:Line 1: 5 syllablesLine 2: 7 syllablesLine 3: 5 syllables✨ Tips:Haiku often captures a vivid moment or personal truthNo need to follow traditional nature themes—identity, stimming, and emotion are welcome🗓️ Deadline: Wednesday, June 18 at 12 PM ET / 5 PM UK💷 Prize: £10 per winner📘 Publication: Winners will appear on Substack + in our anthology🔗 Submit your entry here →📢 Share with hashtag #HaikuYou📚 Resources:📖 The Autistic’s Guide to Self-Discovery – Sol Smith🌐 NeuroSpicy CommunityRelated Episodes:Local Color with Tim Clare (Episode 136) - Writing Prompt #29Writing Memoir with Alethea Shapiro (Episode 138) - Writing Prompt #30🌟 Connect With Us📱 Follow us on Instagram🎧 Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify🛍️Our Autism-affirming merch shop🌐 Learn more at www.autisticculturepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Autistic Culture 101, Dr. Angela Kingdon welcomes Dr. Scott Frasard, autistic author and advocate, as they dive into Pillar 4 of Autistic Culture: World-Building—the powerful autistic drive to construct immersive systems, structures, and stories, both real and imagined.In his essay “The World We Built: A Future Where Autistic People Are Respected, Not Repaired”, Dr. Frasard envisions a future (set in 2075) where diagnosis has given way to identity co-creation, and neurodivergence is celebrated—not pathologized. This episode explores how autistic people don’t just survive systems—we reimagine them.👉 Read the full essay here → here.🎧 What You’ll LearnWhy world-building is more than fantasy—it’s how autistic minds make meaningHow mental mapping, systems thinking, and SPINs shape autistic cultureWhy tools like timelines, frameworks, and rituals are forms of self-preservation, not inflexibilityHow world-building starts in childhood and evolves into leadership, creativity, and advocacyWhat it looks like to lean in to your vision instead of hiding it to blend in👤 Featured Guest: Scott FrasardDr. Scott Frasard is an outspoken critic of behaviourist interventions in autism treatment and a fierce advocate for strengths-based, identity-first approaches. He’s a published author and long-time learning strategist.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn📖 The World We Built – Buy the book on AmazonRelated Episodes:George Lucas (Ep 56)Ren Fests (Ep 77)Disney (Ep 26)🌟 Connect With Us📱 Follow us on Instagram🎧 Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify🛍️Our Autism-affirming merch shop🌐 Learn more at www.autisticculturepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alethea Shapiro, a memoirist from England, shares her journey of writing about her experiences with autism. She discusses the challenges of crafting memoirs, emphasizing the need for emotional honesty and structure. Alethea highlights how Taylor Swift's music serves as a tool for self-discovery in the autistic community. The conversation touches on the importance of authentic storytelling and overcoming gatekeeping in publishing, while also celebrating the power of writing contests to amplify diverse voices.

Discover the transformative power of norm challenging within autistic culture. Delve into the importance of authenticity and truth-telling, inspired by Emily Dickinson's legacy. Explore how autistic perspectives enrich the arts and literature, breaking stereotypes about autism. Personal anecdotes highlight emotional honesty, while discussions on neuroqueering and gender fluidity challenge societal expectations. The conversation emphasizes the significance of embracing individuality and the power of deep connections over surface-level interactions.

Tim Clare, an acclaimed author and creative writing podcaster, joins to share insights on finding one's creative calling. He discusses overcoming writer's block, his unique writing methods, and how board games have profoundly influenced his storytelling. Tim opens up about writing as a personal journey and the joy of special interests, revealing how his experiences shaped his recent autism diagnosis. The conversation also celebrates contest winners, showcasing the emotional depth of their writing and the healing power of creative expression.

In a vibrant exploration of autistic culture, the podcast delves into rhythmic communication, showcasing unique forms like echolalia and infodumping. Listeners discover the beauty of scripting and how music can encapsulate authentic self-expression. Personal anecdotes about Taylor Swift highlight the intersection of fandom and autistic identity. Throughout, the significance of embracing one's individuality and the joy found in stimming are celebrated. The conversation is a rich tapestry of creativity, connection, and the power of diverse communication styles.

Dive into the vibrant world of writing as a recovery tool from burnout! Uncover the unique struggles Autistic writers face, where creativity becomes a pathway to reconnect with their identities. Hear inspiring personal stories about transforming morning rituals into writing practices. Celebrate the creativity of neurodivergent voices with contest winners, showcasing imaginative tales about time loops and social misfires. Plus, explore the importance of special interests in shaping joy and identity through heartfelt writing prompts.