Episode 10: Self-Identification, Spoons, and the Myth That Girls Can’t Be Autistic

Matt and Erin go full “autistic agenda” this week — planning breaks, managing meat-body needs, and calling out the diagnostic nonsense that’s been gatekeeping autism for decades. From James Gunn’s echolalia table moments to the staggering scarcity of autistic clinicians, we dismantle how bias, racism, sexism, and outdated stereotypes warp who gets diagnosed (and how).We dig into: Why self-identification isn’t just valid — it’s essentialThe racist and sexist diagnostic “pipelines” that mislabel Black, brown, and female-presenting kidsHow bad assumptions (“girls can’t be autistic,” “autistics can’t have kids”) still show up in clinical settingsThe real differences between PDA, general demand avoidance, and ODDThe need to factor lived experience — not just external checklists — into diagnosisSpoons, crash recovery, and why autistic professionals can’t (and shouldn’t) mask as neurotypicals to do the jobAlso: sarcastic mule metaphors, Happy Meals as special interest currency, placenta previa as connective tissue trivia, and the stunning .00017% of professionals who are both autistic and legally qualified to diagnose.