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Living On The Autism Spectrum: Women Talk About Their Diagnoses As Adults

Chion Wolf
/
WNPR
Sarah Hernandez - Board of Education member in Enfield, Connecticut.

When we hear the words “autism diagnosis” it’s common to imagine a young child or adolescent.

But what about those who receive their diagnoses at a later stage of life -- in the midst of successful careers or long, happy marriages?

This hour, we meet two women who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as adults.

Sarah Hernandez is a member of Enfield's Board of Education. Laura James is a journalist and author of the new book Odd Girl Out.

Coming up, we hear their stories and consider what it means to be autistic in 2017. 

Plus: understanding the language we use around autism.

High-functioning autism, low-functioning autism -- where do these labels come from? And are they really necessary?

GUESTS:

  • Laura James - Journalist and author of Odd Girl Out: My Extraordinary Autistic Life
  • Sarah Hernandez - Board of Education member in Enfield, Connecticut
  • Amber Underhill - Parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.