
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
More episodes of Meet My Autistic Brain
- The Path from Coping to Flourishing · June 8, 2026 · 40 min
- A Model for Thriving as an Autistic Adult · May 25, 2026 · 42 min
- Hear again: Sound Sensitivity · May 18, 2026 · 16 min
- Welcome to AuDHD: How to Survive and Thrive as an Adult with Autism and ADHD · May 11, 2026 · 37 min
- Special Episode: The Autistic Woman · May 4, 2026 · 28 min
- Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults · April 27, 2026 · 47 min
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