How Danielle Reframed Autism Through a Black Feminist Lens After Her Late Diagnosis
In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Danielle Procope Bell, Ph.D., who shares how feeling different in childhood led to a deeper understanding of herself as Autistic.
In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Danielle Procope Bell, PhD, an Autistic Black feminist scholar and Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Danielle shares how she knew from early childhood that she was different, finding other children chaotic, preferring books and structure, and feeling an invisible glass wall between herself and others.
Like many late-identified adults, Danielle’s recognition journey deepened after her son’s Autism diagnosis, when family patterns suddenly came into focus and helped her understand herself in a new way.
This is a conversation about identity, lineage, belonging, and what becomes possible when you finally see yourself clearly.
🎧 Listen to this episode:
🪑 Attendees
Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate
Guest: Danielle Procope Bell, PhD. — Scholar, professor, and Black feminist thinker
You: The Listener!
🗒️ Meeting Agenda
Opening remarks from the Chair
Member introduction: Early difference, late recognition
Discussion: Hyperlexia, gifted programs, and childhood belonging
Family neurodivergence and being accepted at home
Son’s diagnosis and family pattern recognition
Race, gender, and what gets missed in Autism conversations
Autigendering and Black feminist theory
Key learnings
Club announcements
🧾 Minutes from the Meeting
1️⃣ Opening Remarks
Angela introduces Danielle Procope Bell, PhD, whose work sits at the intersection of Autism, Black feminism, gender, and identity.
2️⃣ Member Introduction: Danielle’s Story
Danielle recognised from kindergarten that she related differently to the world. While other children felt unpredictable and chaotic, she preferred reading, routine, and solitary play.
Her traits were interpreted as shyness and giftedness rather than Autism. She was moved into a gifted program, but the transition also brought racial and class isolation.
Later, after her son was diagnosed as Autistic, Danielle began to recognise familiar patterns in herself, her father, and wider family members — leading to her own formal diagnosis.
3️⃣ Discussion Highlights
Kindergarten awareness: Knowing early that other children felt chaotic
Hyperlexia signs: Reading from age three and a deep love of books
Son’s diagnosis: Recognition through seeing herself reflected in him
Representation gap: Autism narratives dominated by white male stereotypes
Traits misread: Black Autistic traits interpreted as aggression or defiance
ODD pipeline: Black children funnelled into behavioural labels instead of support
Medical privilege: Access to quality adult assessment shaped outcomes
Black feminism as home: Intellectual spaces that affirmed difference before diagnosis
4️⃣ Key Learnings
Many Autistic people know they are different long before they know why.
Diagnosis journeys are shaped by race, gender, and class.
Traits are often interpreted differently depending on who displays them.
Representation changes who gets recognised and supported.
Identity can be built through community as much as through medicine.
📌 Notice Board
The Department of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Black, White, and in Colour: Essays on American Literature and Culture by Hortense J. Spillers
The users of the erotic - centring your internal experience by Audry Lorde
📣 Club Announcements
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🎙️ Executive Producers
Amy Burns, Anamaria B Call, Andrew Banner, Anna Goodson, Ashley Apelzin, Audrea Volker, Ben Coulson, Brian Churcek, Cappy Hamper, Carley Biblin, Charlene Deva, Chloe Cross, Clay Duhigg, Clayton Oliver, Danny Dunn, Daria Brown, David Garrido, Emily Burgess, Eric Crane, Erik Stenerud, Fiona Baker, Grace Norman, Helen Shaddock, Jaimie Collins, Jason Killian, Jen Unruh, Jennifer Carpenter, Julia Tretter, Kathie Watson-Gray, Kenneth Knowles, Kira Cotter, Kristine Lang, Kyle Raney, Llew P Williams, Laura Alvarado, Laura De Vito, Laura Provonsha, Lily George, Nelly Darmi, Nigel Rogers, Rachel Miller, Tim Scott, Tyler Kunz, Victoria Steed, Yanina Wood.
🎧 Producers
AJ Knight, Bobby Simon, Da Kovac, Eleanor Collins, Emily Griffiths, Hannah Hughes, Jennifer Kemp, Jonas Fløde, Kate F, Katie N Benitez, Kendra Murphy, Lisa Dennys, Logan Wall, Louise Lomas, Melissa Nance, Nicola Owen, Rebecka Johansson, Sam Morris, Sarah Hannah Morris.