This Week in Autistic Culture #9 | Menopause, Misconceptions and Making Culture
Listen to this weeks offering of podcasts, news and culture from the Autistic Culture Podcast Network.
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 unpack the ongoing conversation around autism and overdiagnosis following recent comments from Uta Frith, asking why outdated ideas about autism can remain so powerful even when they conflict with the lived experiences of Autistic people.
That leads to a much bigger conversation about who gets to define autism, why greater recognition can be treated as a threat, and the role representation can play in changing how Autistic people are understood.
We also introduce Autistic Menopause, a brand-new ACPN podcast from Sam Galloway, before looking ahead to another packed week across the network, with conversations about musical theatre, fibromyalgia, situational mutism, resilience, safe foods, creativity and much more.
Plus, we head to the Community Notice Board for books, events and opportunities from across the wider Autistic community.
🎧 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 16th August
Info Dump – Episode 3: Musical Theatre
This week on Info Dump, Tess joins Hannah Brockway to share her lifelong passion for musical theatre, from discovering it as a child to performing on stage and becoming part of a close-knit theatre community.
Together they discuss favourite productions, the creativity behind costumes and performance, the friendships formed through theatre, and the hard work that goes into bringing a show to life. Tess also reflects on navigating rehearsals and performances as a neurodivergent performer, and why musical theatre continues to be such an important part of her life.
Monday 17th 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 18th August
Autistic Menopause - Episode 1: My Autistic Menopause Story | How Autism Saved My Life
NEW SHOW - In this first episode of Autistic Menopause, Sam Galloway (she/her) shares the profoundly personal story of how perimenopause slowly dismantled the coping strategies she had relied upon her entire life.
From unexplained anxiety, insomnia, rage and cognitive changes to late diagnoses of Autism and ADHD, Sam traces the path that eventually led her to understand what was really happening. She reflects on hormonal sensitivity throughout her life, the challenges of parenting while neurodivergent, and how recognising her Autism ultimately helped her make sense of an experience that nearly broke her.
Creative Becoming – Episode 6: Authenticity and Honesty
In the final episode of the series, Helen and Elizabeth explore the bittersweet subject of endings. Whether it’s the final episode of a favourite TV show, the end of a relationship, or deciding whether to continue a project that no longer brings you joy, letting go can be difficult.
Together they discuss why endings can feel so challenging, how periods of transition can create opportunities for growth, and the importance of embracing change as part of the creative process. Through personal reflections and creative examples, they explore how one chapter ending can become the beginning of another.
Wednesday 19th August
Rethinking Autism Therapy - Episode 2: What is DIRFloortime® and why do so many families and practitioners find it transformative?
In this episode of Rethinking Autism Therapy, Daria Brown is joined by autistic musician Cheyenne Erickson to explore what it was like growing up with situational mutism, anxiety, and an undiagnosed autistic neurotype, and how a relationship-based, developmental approach helped her feel understood and supported.
Together, she and Daria discuss how DIRFloortime’s emphasis on relationships, individual differences, play, and emotional connection contrasts with more directive or compliance-based approaches. Through stories from childhood, teaching, parenting, and clinical practice, they illustrate how following a child’s lead, presuming competence, and supporting regulation can foster authentic communication and growth.
Two Mics No Masking - Episode 6: The Myth of Adaptability: When “Resilience” Is Just Chronic Overriding
On Two Mics, No Masking, Katie Scott and Jenna Goldstein question the way resilience is often celebrated, asking whether what’s praised as adaptability is sometimes simply chronic self-abandonment.
Together they explore the hidden cost of constantly overriding your own needs, how burnout can become normalised, and why enduring difficult circumstances isn’t the same as thriving. Through personal reflection and honest conversation, Katie and Jenna discuss what it means to move away from survival mode and towards a life built on regulation, self-awareness, and genuine wellbeing.
Thursday 20th August
Autism Help– Episode 4: Fibromyalgia and Autism
In this series finale episode of Autism Help, Heather McKay is joined by PhD researcher Helen Johnston to explore the relationship between autism and fibromyalgia. This condition affects many Autistic people but remains under-recognised.
Together, they discuss what fibromyalgia is, how it develops, the challenges of diagnosis, and the latest research into the condition. The conversation offers valuable insight into an area of health that deserves greater awareness within the autistic community.
The Neurodivergent Experience - Episode 124
Jordan James and Simon Scott return for a conversation about the Neurodivergent Experience!
Friday 21st August
Hot Topic Friday
A new discussion from The Neurodivergent Experience team, tackling a fresh topic from the world of neurodivergence.
📚 From the Archive - Saturday 22nd August
Autistic Culture Podcast Rewind – Dino-Nuggets are Autistic
Rewind with an Autistic Culture Podcast classic, as we explore Eminem’s potential place in Autistic culture
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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
Interoception and Autism - Pete Wharmby - Wednesday, August 19th - 8 to 8.40pm - Free
Dive into how sensing your body differently can shape the autistic experience in this short, chilled out meetup. This short, free talk will explore how the internal sense - Interoception - can be experienced differently by autistic people. This can lead to complicated relationships with food, drink, tiredness and more.https://www.allthingspractice.com/diverge - Traditional business advice wasn’t built for neurodivergent brains. Join 23+ ND entrepreneurs at the Diverge Summit (Aug 24–Sept 4) to learn how to build on your own terms—no masking or hustle-culture BS required. Free tickets
Being Me 10-Week Online Group Experience for Autistic 12 to 16-year-olds - GROVE - Starts Monday, October 5th - 5.30 to 6.30pm - From £250
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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.