How Jenna Left Public Schools After Discovering She Was Autistic
In this episode, Angela speaks with Jenna Goldstein about recognising her own autism after her three-year-old daughter was identified, and what happened when that recognition collided with her work.
In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Jenna Goldstein, a late-diagnosed Autistic school psychologist who left the public education system after recognising its incompatibility with neurodiversity-affirming practice.
Jenna first recognised her own autism after her three-year-old daughter was identified. As she turned to Autistic voices for understanding, what began as advocacy for her child became a deeper self-recognition. Within months, she self-identified — and years later sought a formal diagnosis from an Autistic evaluator to connect more dots and model an Autistic identity for her children.
This is a conversation about human rights, blueprint-building, leaving systems that harm, and crafting lives that actually work for autistic nervous systems.
🎧 Listen to this episode:
🪑 Attendees
Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate
Guest: Jenna Goldstein — late-diagnosed Autistic school psychologist; founder of ND3
You: The Listener!
🗒️ Meeting Agenda
Opening remarks from the Chair
Member introduction: Daughter’s diagnosis and late self-recognition
Discussion: School psychology training and harmful autism narratives
Unspoken agendas: Budgets, bias, and gatekeeping in public schools
“Developmental delay” and the myth of the model child
Leaving public schools and building ND3
Neurodiversity-affirming family support
Designing sustainable neurodivergent homes
🧾 Minutes from the Meeting
1️⃣ Opening Remarks
Angela introduces Jenna as a late-diagnosed Autistic school psychologist who recognised her own neurodivergence through parenting, and who ultimately left the public school system after concluding it was structurally incompatible with neurodiversity-affirming values.
2️⃣ Member Introduction: Jenna’s Story
Jenna first encountered autism when her three-year-old daughter was identified. Dissatisfied with deficit-based descriptions, she sought understanding directly from Autistic adults. As she read first-hand accounts, she recognised herself.
She self-identified within six months and later pursued a formal diagnosis with autism, not out of doubt, but to deepen understanding and model Autistic identity for her children.
3️⃣ Discussion Highlights
Autistic recognition: Learning from Autistic voices instead of textbooks
Medical model critique: Rejecting “defective human” narratives
Unspoken pressures: Budget constraints influencing eligibility decisions
Gatekeeping language: “Developmental delay” as catch-all category
System limits: Realising change from within has ceilings
Private practice shift: Leaving public schools for ND3
Human rights lens: Equal dignity for neurodivergent children
Family sustainability: Peaks, valleys, flexibility, and regulation planning
Blueprint building: Co-creating neurodivergent life models
4️⃣ Key Learnings
Listening to autistic voices changes everything
Training does not guarantee understanding
Systems can be well-intentioned and still harmful
Budget pressures quietly shape access to support
Neutral framing reduces shame and blame
Autistic pride is pride in humanity, not productivity
Not all systems can be changed from within
Sustainable lives require intentional design
You are allowed to leave what harms you
📌 Notice Board
📣 Club Announcements
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We’re always looking for late-diagnosed or self-identified neurodivergent adults who are ready to share their story on The Late Diagnosis Club.
Tell us a little about yourself and your diagnosis journey here:
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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.