In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes George Watts, a neurodivergent researcher, parent, and PhD candidate whose path into autism research began before realising they were autistic themselves.
George first studied autism from the outside, absorbing dominant behavioural frameworks and evidence-based models that promised to “help” Autistic people. It wasn’t until they encountered Autistic voices, community, and their own reflection in the literature that their understanding — and their life — fundamentally shifted.
Together, Angela and George explore late identification, burnout, childbirth, internalised deficit models, the harm of behaviourism, and what becomes possible when Autistic people stop being studied in isolation and start building community together. This episode centres Autistic quality of life — not as an abstract metric, but as a lived, relational experience grounded in belonging, autonomy, and joy.
🪑 Attendees
Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate
Guest: George Watts — Autistic researcher, PhD candidate, and parent
You: The Listener!
🗒️ Meeting Agenda
🧾 Minutes from the Meeting
1️⃣ Opening Remarks
Angela introduces George as a researcher whose academic path into autism began long before they understood their own neurodivergence. Early training framed autism as a problem to be fixed — with behavioural intervention positioned as the solution. This episode traces what happens when that framework begins to crack.
2️⃣ Member Introduction: George’s Story
George returned to university as a mature student, studying autism after years of precarious work, burnout, and unrecognised neurodivergence. As they immersed themselves in autism literature, moments of resonance accumulated — until self-recognition became unavoidable.
Childbirth, sensory overload, and years of misattributed mental health struggles came into focus through a new lens. What had once been framed as personal failure or psychological fragility was re-understood as the cost of navigating a world not built for Autistic nervous systems.
3️⃣ Discussion Highlights
4️⃣ Key Learnings
📌 Notice Board
Autism Studies (FutureLearn course)
Research paper: A Certain Magic
Grove Neurodivergent Mentoring and Educating
Autistic Quality of Life Measure (ASQoL)
📣 Club Announcements
🎧 The Late Diagnosis Club is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
💬 Join our online meetups and community at latediagnosis.club.
📌 Check the LDC Notice Board for Member Contributions
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