This week, Mark is joined once again by the brilliant Kieran Rose, AKA The Autistic Advocate – writer, educator, and parent of three neurodivergent children. Together, they take a deep (and sometimes uncomfortable) dive into one of the most contentious topics in neurodiversity parenting: labels.
What do we mean when we describe someone as “severely autistic”? Why is it so hard to explain what being autistic actually means? And how useful (or harmful) are terms like high-functioning, low-functioning, profound autism, or even Asperger’s?
In a wide-ranging and compass...
This week, Mark is joined once again by the brilliant Kieran Rose, AKA The Autistic Advocate – writer, educator, and parent of three neurodivergent children. Together, they take a deep (and sometimes uncomfortable) dive into one of the most contentious topics in neurodiversity parenting: labels.
What do we mean when we describe someone as “severely autistic”? Why is it so hard to explain what being autistic actually means? And how useful (or harmful) are terms like high-functioning, low-functioning, profound autism, or even Asperger’s?
In a wide-ranging and compassionate chat, Mark and Kieran explore how complex, deeply personal and often contradictory this topic is - both for parents and for autistic people themselves. What starts as a provocative question ends up as a fascinating conversation about diagnosis, co-occurring conditions, identity, education, eugenics, power, and prejudice.
Not one to miss. Make a cuppa, maybe two - this one’s long. But worth it.
📍 CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (Estimated):
00:00 - Intro: Meet Kieran Rose
04:30 - Life in a Fully Neurodivergent Household
08:00 - Topic of the Week: How Autistic Is Your Child?
12:00 - Labels, Bias, and the Stigma Around Autism
18:00 - High vs Low Functioning: Where It Comes From
23:00 - What Even Is Autism?
28:30 - The Flawed Legacy of Asperger’s
35:00 - Identity vs Diagnosis
42:00 - DSM-5 Levels of Autism: Why They Don’t Work
49:00 - Profound Autism and The New York Times Article
55:00 - A Counterpoint: The Voices We Don’t Hear
1:00:00 - Co-occurring Conditions and the Real Source of Needs
1:07:00 - Clinical Labels vs Lived Experience
1:14:00 - Mark’s Imposter Syndrome as an Autism Parent
1:18:00 - What’s the Alternative?
1:23:00 - Final Thoughts: Humanising, Not Diagnosing
1:27:00 - Neurodiversity Champions
1:33:00 - Tiny Epic Wins
1:39:00 - “What the Flip?” Moments
1:43:00 - Wrap-up & Where to Find Us
🔗 LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE:
Kieran Rose website - https://theautisticadvocate.com/
Eugenics - https://www.newscientist.com/definition/eugenics/
Asperger Syndrome - https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism/the-history-of-autism/asperger-syndrome
Hans Asperger - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Asperger
Lorna Wing - https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news/lorna-wing-an-autism-hero
DSM-5 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5
PDF Download of DSM-5 - https://ia800707.us.archive.org/15/items/info_munsha_DSM5/DSM-5.pdf
New York Times article: The Autism Spectrum Is Too Broad - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/opinion/autism-diagnosis-category-stigma.html
Greta Thunberg - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49918719
What is monotropism? - https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/what-is-monotropism
Ehlers Danlos Syndromes - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ehlers-danlos-syndromes/
Communication First - https://communicationfirst.org/
Autism Central - https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/
Kieran Rose Animated Guide to Monotropism - https://youtu.be/qUFDAevkd3E?si=diwlbe4AHRcxfjQF
Kieran Rose Animated Guide to The Double Empathy Problem - https://youtu.be/qpXwYD9bGyU?si=7bnGR2UsrCgLa_hL
KIERAN'S HOMEWORK
Kieran Rose Blog: Autism, it’s Labels and the Language of Pathologising Rhetoric - https://theautisticadvocate.com/autism-its-labels-and-the-language-of-pathologising-rhetoric/
Sunday Times article: Extra time in exams ‘unhealthy’ for children with ADHD and autism - https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/extra-time-exams-unhealthy-children-adhd-autism-k820s56zh
TES magazine article: Sami Timimi: Why ‘invented’ SEND labels are disabling pupils - https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/general/sami-timimi-interview-problems-with-send-diagnosis-adhd-autism
Yahoo News: Badenoch says motability cars not for people with ADHD - https://uk.news.yahoo.com/badenoch-motability-cars-not-people-135341300.html?guccounter=1
📣 CONTACT US
🌐 Website: www.neuroshambles.com
📧 Email: hello@neuroshambles.com
📸 Instagram: @neuroshambles
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🧵 Threads: @neuroshambles
🎙️ CREDITS
🎶 Theme music by Skilsel on Pixabay: pixabay.com
