Autism is not one image, one stereotype, or one straight line from “mild” to “severe”. It is a different way of experiencing the world, and for many autistic people, the hardest part is not only the diagnosis, but years of being misunderstood, misread, or forced to appear “fine”. 

In this dedicated ConnectForHealth follow-up to our neurodiversity episode, Scott Armstrong, founder of mentl, and Alison Sharp of Cigna Healthcare, are joined by Dr Shereen Sharaan, Research Lead for Psychology at the University of Birmingham Dubai, and Sophie Smith, Founder and CEO of NABTA Health, to go deeper into autism at work, school and home.  

Dr Shereen brings research expertise, lived family experience through her brother Amro, and more than a decade of autism support work in the UAE. Sophie brings lived experience of AuDHD and speaks openly about late diagnosis, grief, sensory overload, masking, motherhood, hormones and what it means to build a life around a brain that works differently.  

This is a practical, human conversation about what gets missed when autistic people seem to be coping, why girls and women are often diagnosed late, how sensory overload can feel from the inside, and why inclusion should not depend on someone having to disclose a diagnosis before they are supported.   

Topics explored

•  What autism really means, and why it is better understood as a different way of being in the world. 
•  Why the dominant stereotype of autism misses many autistic people. 
•  Late diagnosis, grief and the feeling of being “misclassified” for years. 
•  Sensory overload, masking and the hidden cost of trying to look “normal”. 
•  Why autism is not a straight-line spectrum from mild to severe. 
•  Autism in women and girls, and how masking can hide real support needs. 
•  How hormones, perimenopause and burnout can affect neurodivergent women. 
•  Supporting autistic children, including children with high support needs. 
•  What workplaces can do differently without expensive programmes. 
•  Why support designed for autistic people can make life better for everyone. 

If you are autistic, think you may be, support an autistic child, work with autistic colleagues, or simply want to understand more, this episode is for you. Watch or listen now, and share it with someone who needs a clearer, kinder and more practical way to understand autism.

Chapter List

00:00 Welcome to ConnectForHealth and why this dedicated autism follow-up matters.
01:48 Meet Dr Shereen Sharaan and Sophie Smith.
04:24 What autism really means, and the stereotypes we need to challenge.
07:07 Autism, regression and Dr Shereen’s family story.
10:33 Sophie Smith on late diagnosis, grief and being misclassified.
13:54 Sensory overload: what “too many inputs” feels like.
16:57 Rethinking the spectrum: why autism is not a straight line.
27:17 Masking, eye contact and the cost of trying to look “normal”.
34:00 Autism in women and girls, hormones, PMDD and perimenopause.
48:27 Autistic burnout, workplace support and why inclusion helps everyone.