Welcome to This Week in Autistic Culture
Welcome to another edition of This Week in Autistic Culture, our Sunday magazine podcast that brings together the stories, conversations and ideas shaping Autistic culture each week.
This week, Angela and Simon reflect on the death of Professor Jason Arday and the pressures that can come with being a highly visible Autistic person. They discuss public scrutiny, the way successful Autistic people can be placed on impossible pedestals, and what happens when institutions fail to protect people during periods of intense vulnerability.
They also turn to Robbie Williams following his recent comments about being Autistic, asking why autism is so often used to explain someone’s struggles or differences, but rarely recognised as part of the creativity, innovation and perspective behind their success.
Later, Angela takes us inside the 2026 Neurodiversity Index Report, including the striking gap between the number of employers who believe their workplaces are neuroinclusive and the neurodivergent employees who actually feel supported.
As always, we’ll also take you through everything happening across the Autistic Culture Podcast Network this week, with new episodes exploring writing, drinking and masking, Autistic menopause, autism therapy, PDA, Reddit and more.
Plus, we head to the Community Notice Board for books, events and opportunities from across the wider Autistic community.
Content note: This episode contains discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation and public harassment.
🎧 Start Here: Autistic Culture Radio
Looking for a different way to experience ACPN? Autistic Culture Radio is our curated Spotify listening experience, blending music with every programme released across the Autistic Culture Podcast Network.
Updated daily, each episode is paired with carefully chosen songs inspired by its themes, creating a continuous soundtrack to Autistic culture. Save the playlist to your Spotify library and dip in whenever you want to discover new conversations, music and voices from across the network.
📻 On Air This Week:
Sunday 23rd August
Info Dump – Episode 4: Writing
This week on Info Dump, Author and eating disorder recovery coach Livia Sara joins Hannah Brockway to explore her passion for writing and the role it has played throughout her life.
From discovering her voice to publishing books and helping others through storytelling, Livia reflects on the creative process and the power of sharing lived experience.
Monday 24th August
Mindful Mondays with Ashley Dupuy
Ashley returns with another mindful reflection and guided meditation to help neurodivergent listeners begin the week with intention and regulation.
Tuesday 25th August
Autistic Menopause - Episode 2: The Autistic Brain in Menopause
In this episode, Sam Galloway (she/her) explores the neurological impact of menopause on the autistic brain.
Through personal examples of memory loss, executive dysfunction, shutdowns, meltdowns, speech difficulties and skill regression, she examines how hormonal changes can amplify existing neurodivergent traits and create challenges that extend far beyond typical descriptions of brain fog.
Drinking to Mask and Unmask - Episode 6: We Thought Everyone Did This.
On Drinking to Mask and Unmask, Chelsey Flood is joined by her mum, Caroline Dale, for a conversation about family, misunderstanding, drinking, and late diagnosis. Together, they reflect on the assumptions families make, the experiences that go unnoticed, and how understanding neurodivergence can change the way we view the past.
Wednesday 26th August
Rethinking Autism Therapy - Episode 3: How DIRFloortime® Meets Autistic Needs with Dr Emile Gouws
In this third episode of the Rethinking Autism Therapy mini-series, Daria Brown is joined by autistic self-advocate, researcher, and ICDL Board President Dr Emile Gouws to explore how the DIR® model aligns with autistic lived experience and why relationships, respect, and understanding are essential for meaningful development.
Two Mics No Masking - Episode 7: Designing a Life That Works
In this episode of Two Mics, No Masking, Katie Scott and Jenna Goldstein are joined by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman, founder of the PDA Safe Circle, to explore what happens when we stop trying to fit ourselves into systems that were never designed for us.
Thursday 27th August
The Neurodivergent Experience - Episode 125
Jordan James and Simon Scott return for a conversation about the Neurodivergent Experience!
📚 From the Archive - Friday 27th August
Autistic Culture Podcast Rewind – Questlove is Autistic
Rewind with an Autistic Culture Podcast classic! Dive into the fascinating world of musician, producer, historian, and DJ Questlove (Amir Khalib Thompson)—who briefly revealed his childhood autism diagnosis in his 2013 memoir.
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📌 Community Noticeboard
The Community Noticeboard is your space to share what’s happening across autistic culture. Whether you’re launching a book, hosting an event, releasing a podcast, starting a creative project, celebrating a milestone, or simply have something you’d like the community to know about, we’d love to hear from you.
Send your announcements, links and updates to autisticculturepodcast@gmail.com, and we’ll feature as many as we can in a future edition of This Week in Autistic Culture.
This Week’s Topics
Books & research
Events
Back to School - Pete Wharmby - Wednesday, August 26th - 7 to 8.30 pm - £10
Living Well with Chronic Illness and Neurodivergence - Jennifer Kemp - Thursday, August 27th, 9 to 11 am - From AU$73.13
Understanding and Supporting Autistic Wellbeing Workshop for Allies - SWAN - Thursday, August 27th - 6.30 to 8.30 pm - From £10
Support for Neurodivergent Therapists and Counsellors: A Community Space with Matt Bolton - Online events - Friday, August 28th - 6 to 7.30 pm - By donation
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Have a Show Idea?
The Autistic Culture Podcast Network is always looking for new voices and new perspectives.
If you have an idea for a podcast grounded in Autistic lived experience, culture, identity, advocacy, creativity, or special interests, we’d love to hear from you.
I work a casual data entry job in the public sector in Australia. As soon as I got my AuDHD diagnoses (last year), I told my TL. The department has a good employee health team. By the start of this year I was given many accommodations. Unfortunately, part of my job requires work in the office, so I can't WFH. In the office, I can wear my noise-cancelling headphones, a hat, sunglasses, & fabric face-mask (for perfume smells). Most of the employees hot-desk, but I've been allocated my own specific desk (I opted for one away from the smells of the break-room). I've also requested that the only communication be written over the internal messaging system, as I can struggle with verbal. As soon as my doc & I suspected I had ME, I informed my TL (as they seem to be good with accommodations). Given my low physical & mental energy capacities, I was allowed to move from working 5 days a week (4 hours shifts) to 2 days a week. Also, being a casual, I can take a day off whenever I need to without providing a reason. A certain task that other members of my team have to do in a different part of the office, I'm allowed to do at my desk. And I walk around with a walking cane for my tremors & in case I faint. An added bonus of the walking cane, is that although my hidden disabilities are invisible, my tremors are less so....meaning that no-one questions my accommodations & needs. It's unfortunate that it's like that culturally. I also wear a Hidden Disability sunflower badge on my suit jacket & wristband, for more visibility.