An Autism Diagnosis Rewrites the Story

An Autism Diagnosis Rewrites the Story

From Meet My Autistic Brain by The Autistic Woman™

March 2, 2026 · 24 min

About this episode

Claire McGowan discusses her late autism diagnosis and its impact on her life and work.

In this conversation, author, screenwriter and teacher Claire McGowan shares what it’s been like to receive an autism diagnosis at 43 — and how that discovery is reshaping her understanding of her life, identity, and creative work. In this episode, we discuss: Claire’s late autism diagnosis and the path that led to itThe mix of grief, anger, relief, and curiosity that followedGrowing up in Northern Ireland in the 80s and why autism wasn’t on the radarSensory overwhelm — from public transport ...

People in this episode

Host: The Autistic Woman™

Guest: Claire McGowan

Topics covered

  • autism diagnosis
  • identity
  • creative work
  • grief
  • sensory overwhelm

Keywords

  • autism
  • diagnosis
  • identity
  • Northern Ireland
  • sensory overwhelm
  • grief
  • creative work

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Northern Ireland

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