Autism

Autism in adults looks different from the textbook descriptions most people have encountered. These evidence-based articles explore what autism actually means in adulthood: how it shapes experience, why late diagnosis matters, what autistic wellbeing genuinely requires, and how to navigate systems — from GP appointments to workplace adjustments — that were not designed with autistic people in mind.

Know yourself, plan ahead: how self-knowledge can replace reaction with intention

Most advice for autistic adults focuses on what to do when things go wrong. This blog takes a different position. The more useful question is not how to cope after the fact — it is how to use what you already know about yourself to build the conditions for regulation before you need them.

Matthew Hallam

May 125 min read

Autistic Wellbeing: The goal has been wrong, not you

Most approaches to supporting autistic adults share an underlying assumption that is rarely made explicit: that the goal is to close the gap between how an autistic person functions and how a non-autistic person would. The research on autistic wellbeing is increasingly clear that this is the wrong goal — and that a different approach produces better outcomes.

Matthew Hallam

May 75 min read

Going to the GP when you are autistic: why it's hard, and what actually helps

GP appointments are short, pattern-driven, and built around verbal shorthand that does not always fit the way autistic people experience or describe their inner world. This guide explains how the system works and what concrete changes to how you communicate can lead to better understanding from your clinician.

Matthew Hallam

May 43 min read

Late autism diagnosis: What an autism diagnosis in adulthood actually means

An autism diagnosis in adulthood is not a beginning. It is a translation. Everything that came before it was already true — and the research is now explaining why getting that translation right, even late, matters more than most people expect.

Matthew Hallam

Apr 223 min read