This podcast episode features host Clare interviewing Shannon Beaver (licensed therapist and practice owner) and her 21-year-old son Evan (Yale student studying electrical engineering) about their personal journey with Autism. The conversation explores historical context around Autism diagnosis, current cultural misconceptions, and their family's experience navigating Autism from early childhood through college.

Topics discussed:

• The changes in methodology explaining the apparent "rise" in Autism cases
• The social history of the Autism throughout the 20th century : the pervasive blaming of "refridgerator mothers", the nazi science of Hans Asberger, and the cultutal phenomenon of "indigo children"
• The story of the changling as a mythological understanding of Autism
• The difference between the medical and social models of disability
• Evan and Shannon's personal story of early signs, delayed diagnosis, and school challenges
• Barriers with traditional ABA therapy approaches and lack of consent in treatment
• The concept of Autistic masking and its impacts on mental health
• Transition challenges from high school to college for Autistic students
• The importance of neurodivergent-affirming diagnostic practices
• Repair and growth in parent-child relationships after harmful interventions

Resources mentioned: Mount North therapy practice, Actually Autistic online communities, In A Different Key: The Story of Autism, Dr. Devon Price's book "Unmasking Autism," autism pride subreddits, Student Accessibility Services at Yale, the history of the Asberger's label,

• (00:00:02) - Unburdening Autism: The Stigma
• (00:01:44) - RFK's fake Autism Causes
• (00:05:58) - The Story of the Changeling
• (00:11:01) - The Indigo Children: The cultural lore of ADHD and Autism
• (00:15:09) - "Unmasking Autism" by Dr.Devin Price
• (00:25:22) - Introducing Shannon and Evan
• (00:26:13) - What's the Biggest Misunderstanding About Autism?
• (00:31:47) - Autism in the social environment
• (00:33:15) - some signs of Autism in early childhood
• (00:53:28) - Evan's Autistic Transition
• (00:59:49) - Masking anxiety
• (01:00:59) - Autism and Masking
• (01:02:40) - Social Masking
• (01:05:46) - Autistic Students Transition From High School to College
• (01:08:50) - Diagnosis for Autism in Pennsylvania
• (01:14:40) - How the Internet Has Impacted Evan's Autistic Experience
• (01:29:01) - What are you working on now?
• (01:35:55) - The Autism Diagnosis process at Mount North
• (01:39:32) - How to Support a Child with Autism