
'I Was Told the Problem Was Me’: Raising My Autistic Daughter
From Happy Mum Happy Baby by Giovanna Fletcher
April 21, 2026 · 1h 11m · Season 17 · Episode 17
About this episode
Catherine Simpson shares her journey of raising her autistic daughter Nina and the challenges faced in obtaining a diagnosis.
Catherine Simpson thought she was failing as a mother throughout the first 10 years of her daughter Nina's life. After a decade of misdiagnosis, blame, and searching for answers, she finally discovered the truth: Nina is autistic. In this episode of Happy Mum Happy Baby, Catherine sits down with Giovanna for a conversation about the journey to getting Nina—now 31—her diagnosis. This episode is all about letting go of perfection, and learning to navigate a world not built for autistic children. Catherine’s memoir, Hold Fast: Motherhood, My Autistic Daughter and Me , is available now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Giovanna
Guest: Catherine Simpson
Topics covered
- autism
- motherhood
- diagnosis
- parenting
- mental health
Keywords
- perfection
- navigating autism
- memoir
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Hold Fast: Motherhood, My Autistic Daughter and Me
Books & works: Happy Mum Happy Baby, Hold Fast: Motherhood, My Autistic Daughter and Me
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