Unlocking Autism: Behind the Diagnosis Podcast
Real Stories. Different Journeys. A Deeper Understanding of Autism.
Behind every autism diagnosis is a story.
A story about the signs that were noticed — or missed.
A story about searching for answers.
A story about finally having a name for experiences that may have been difficult to understand for years.
And a story about what happens next.
Unlocking Autism: Behind the Diagnosis is a podcast featuring real conversations with autistic adults and parents of autistic children about the journey to diagnosis, the meaning they made of it, and life on the other side.
Hosted by psychologist and autism specialist, Dr. Karen Sheridan, the podcast goes beyond diagnostic criteria to explore what autism actually looks and feels like in everyday life.
Behind Every Diagnosis Is a Story
There is no single path to an autism diagnosis.
Some families recognize differences early in childhood.
Some adults spend decades knowing they experience the world differently without understanding why.
Some people are diagnosed after years of being misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or told that their struggles simply do not fit.
Others begin recognizing autism in themselves while learning about their child's diagnosis.
The details may be different, but there is often a question at the center of these stories:
Could autism explain this?
Unlocking Autism creates a space to talk about everything that happens around that question — and everything that can happen after it is finally answered.
Share Your Story
Interested in Being a Guest?
You do not have to be an autism expert to have something important to say about autism.
You just have to have a story.
Unlocking Autism: Behind the Diagnosis welcomes autistic adults and parents or caregivers of autistic children who are interested in talking about their experiences.
Maybe you were diagnosed in adulthood after spending years searching for answers.
Maybe your autism was overlooked because you did not fit people's expectations of what autism was supposed to look like.
Maybe your child's diagnosis changed the way you understood your family — or even yourself.
Maybe diagnosis brought relief.
Maybe it brought complicated emotions.
Maybe you are still figuring out what it means.
Those are the conversations this podcast was created to have.
You Might Be a Great Guest If...
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You are an autistic adult willing to share your journey to diagnosis.
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You received an autism diagnosis later in life.
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Your autism was previously overlooked, misunderstood, or attributed to something else.
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You have navigated masking, burnout, relationships, work, parenting, or identity as an autistic adult.
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You are the parent or caregiver of an autistic child and would like to share your family's experience.
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Your child's diagnosis led you to recognize autism in yourself.
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You have a perspective or experience that could help someone else feel less alone in their own search for answers.
There is no requirement to have a dramatic story or a perfectly resolved journey.
Real experiences are enough.
Email accessautismtesting@gmail.com if you want to share your story on the podcast.
Unlocking the Story
Each episode follows the guest's individual journey while exploring six parts of the story.
🔑 The First Key Clue
What first made you wonder?
We go back to the experiences, differences, behaviors, questions, or moments that eventually became important clues.
🔑 The Search for the Key
How did you get from wondering to finding answers?
Guests talk about research, referrals, conversations, missed signs, previous diagnoses, evaluations, and the process of trying to understand what was happening.
🔑 The Key to Diagnosis
What was it like to finally receive the diagnosis?
We talk about the evaluation experience, hearing the words for the first time, and the thoughts and emotions that followed.
🔑 The Key Journey
What happened after diagnosis?
Because receiving an autism diagnosis does not automatically tell someone what to do next.
Guests discuss learning about autism, understanding themselves or their child differently, finding support, navigating relationships, requesting accommodations, advocating for needs, and adjusting expectations.
🔑 The Key Moment
Was there a realization that changed the way you understood autism — or yourself?
Guests share one of the moments that stands out in their journey.
🔑 The Key to Hope
What would you want someone else beginning this journey to know?
Every episode ends by looking forward and giving guests an opportunity to share something they wish they had known earlier.
The Conversations Behind Autism
Autism is much bigger than a list of diagnostic criteria.
The podcast explores the experiences that often sit behind those criteria, including:
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Late-diagnosed autism
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Autism in women and girls
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Masking and camouflaging
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Sensory differences
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Autistic burnout and energy management
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Relationships and communication
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Parenting an autistic child
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School experiences
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Employment and workplace challenges
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Executive functioning
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Autism and ADHD
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Anxiety and emotional regulation
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Self-advocacy and disclosure
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Accommodations and support
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Identity after diagnosis
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Finding community and belonging
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Reinterpreting childhood through the lens of autism
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Understanding support needs
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Figuring out what comes after diagnosis
The goal is not to present one version of autism.
It is to make room for the many ways autism can be experienced.
Listen to Unlocking Autism
Latest Episodes
Every episode brings you inside someone's individual autism journey — from the first clues to diagnosis and beyond.
Watch Episode 1: Becoming a Mother, Finding Herself
Click to listen on Apple Podcasts
Meet Your Host
Dr. Karen Sheridan
Dr. Karen Sheridan is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) who has spent more than 20 years working with autistic individuals and their families.
Her work has given her the opportunity to meet people at many different points in the autism journey — from families beginning to recognize developmental differences in very young children to adults finally finding an explanation for experiences they have carried for decades.
One question comes up again and again after diagnosis:
“Now that I have a diagnosis, what do I do with that information?”
Unlocking Autism grew from the belief that receiving a diagnosis is important, but understanding what that diagnosis means in someone's actual life is just as important.
Through the podcast, Dr. Sheridan steps outside the traditional evaluation format to have longer conversations about the stories, experiences, questions, and insights behind the diagnosis.
A Diagnosis May Answer One Question.
But It Can Open the Door to Many More.
What does autism mean for me?
Why were certain things always so difficult?
Why didn't anyone recognize it sooner?
What support do I actually need?
How do I explain this to other people?
What parts of myself have I been hiding?
What happens now?
Unlocking Autism: Behind the Diagnosis is about those conversations.
Whether you are autistic, parenting an autistic child, questioning whether autism may be part of your own story, or simply trying to understand autism more deeply, you are invited to listen.
Stay Connected
Follow Unlocking Autism: Behind the Diagnosis for new episodes, guest stories, autism education, and conversations about life before and after diagnosis.
Follow us at
@accessautismtesting&consultation on Facebook
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Unlocking Autism: Behind the Diagnosis is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Podcast content does not constitute psychological treatment, diagnosis, or individualized professional advice. Guests share their own experiences and perspectives, which should not be interpreted as representative of every autistic person or family.
About Access Autism Testing & Consultation
Unlocking Autism: Behind the Diagnosis is produced by Access Autism Testing & Consultation, a psychology practice specializing in comprehensive autism evaluations and individualized post-diagnostic support for children, adolescents, and adults.