Welcome to This Week in Autistic Culture
This week, Angela and Simon explore existential dread — the overwhelming anxiety that can come from uncertainty, anticipation and the feeling that something might go wrong, even when there’s no evidence it will.
From waiting for bad news at work to worrying about the future, they discuss how Autistic people can experience uncertainty, why an approaching ending can sometimes feel more manageable than an open-ended commitment, and how rumination can turn an imagined problem into something that feels very real.
Drawing on their own experiences, Angela and Simon reflect on the challenges of navigating employment, burnout, changing routines and the complicated relationship between work and identity. They also explore the importance of nervous system regulation, knowing when to let something go, and why even exciting life changes can bring an unexpected sense of dread.
For this week’s excavation into the Autistic Culture Archive, Simon introduces Angela to one of the most influential horror films of the 1990s: Wes Craven’s Scream.
Using the Ten Pillars of Autistic Culture as a guide, they explore how a film famous for its masked killer, self-aware characters and obsession with horror movies might also reveal something fascinating about Autistic culture.
From passionate superfanning and pattern recognition to infodumping, world-building and challenging established conventions, they examine how Scream took everything audiences thought they knew about horror films and turned it upside down.
As always, we’ll take you through everything coming up across the Autistic Culture Podcast Network this week!
Help Bring The Sound of Autistic Culture to NeuroDiversion 2027!
We’ve got some exciting news to share!
We’ve submitted a session proposal for NeuroDiversion 2027, titled The Sound of Autistic Culture, and the community can now vote on it!
We’d love to bring the Autistic Culture Podcast Network to NeuroDiversion and share our passion for Autistic voices, creativity, and culture with an even wider audience.
But we need your help to make it happen!
Community voting is an important part of the selection process, and we’d be incredibly grateful if you could take a moment to support our proposal.
You don’t need to be attending NeuroDiversion to vote, and everyone can choose up to five sessions they’d like to see at the event.
🗳️ Vote for The Sound of Autistic Culture here:
Voting closes on Friday, 20 November 2026.
And if you’d like to help spread the word, please share our proposal with friends, family and anyone who believes in celebrating Autistic culture.
Thank you for helping us bring more Autistic conversations into the world! 💜
📻 On Air This Week:
Tuesday 10th November
Creative Becoming - Season 2 Episode 3: Football & Fandom
In this episode of Creative Becoming, Helen and Elizabeth kick off a new exploration of football, creativity and culture. Drawing on their experiences as Sheffield United and Newcastle United supporters, they reflect on the childhood memories, family traditions and local connections that shaped their relationships with the beautiful game.
Wednesday 11th November
Autism Help - Season 2, Episode 4: Autism and Being Triggered by the People You Live With
In this episode of Autism Help, Heather McKay explores the challenges of living with other people as an autistic or neurodivergent person, and how sensory sensitivities, competing needs and everyday household pressures can lead to overwhelm and burnout.
Thursday 12th November
Unfortunately, I Noticed - Episode 2: Recovery Is Not a Rebrand | Sol Smith
In this episode of Unfortunately, I Noticed, Gabrielle Nicole Pharms is joined by author, certified autism specialist and founder of Square Peg Coaching and Consulting, Sol Smith, to explore the complicated realities of autistic and ADHD burnout, self-discovery and recovery.
From the pressure to turn personal struggles into inspiring comeback stories to learning that our worth isn’t measured by productivity, Gabrielle and Sol discuss the challenges of unmasking, why healing rarely follows a straight line, and how a life that looks smaller from the outside might actually offer more room to thrive.
Friday 13th November
Under the Lights - Season 2, Episode 1: Legends of Basketball
Turrell is back for season 2 of Under the Lights, looking at some of the greatest sports legends in history. Episode one focuses on Basketball players who changed the game.
Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant
📚 From the Archive - Autistic Culture Podcast Rewind – Dinosaur is Autistic
In this episode of The Autistic Culture Podcast, hosts Dr Angela Kingdon and Matt Lowry, LPP, chat with Ashley Storrie—comedian, writer, autistic advocate, and the star of the new series Dinosaur (available now on Hulu in the U.S.). Ashley brings her full autistic self to the role of Nina, offering representation that’s not just authentic, but transformative.
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🎧 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 pairs carefully chosen songs inspired by its themes, 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.
Want bonus content, early access, and ad-free listening across the entire network?
Join Autistic Culture Plus to support autistic creators and help us commission even more shows from our community.