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What happens when a life-altering diagnosis arrives at 48 — not in childhood, but in the middle of adulthood, after decades of unexplained struggle? In this episode, we sit down with Robert Caldwell, journalist, science fiction author, and self-advocate on Alabama's Interagency Autism Coordinating Council, to talk about what it means to finally understand yourself later in life.
Robert shares the story behind his moving "moon cactus" metaphor — comparing developmental disabilities to a mutation that can't survive alone, but becomes something beautiful when grafted onto the right support. We dig into how undiagnosed autism shaped (and sabotaged) his early career in journalism and web design, how his neurodivergent perspective fuels the strange, imaginative worlds of his science fiction, and the discrimination he faced — and only recognized in hindsight — as an invisible disability.
We also get into Robert's advocacy work, including his fight to protect voting access for disabled Alabamians, and his message to anyone recently diagnosed as an adult: this isn't the end of your story — it might be the key that finally makes sense of it.
Whether you're autistic, love someone who is, or work with neurodivergent individuals, this conversation offers a powerful reframe on late diagnosis, resilience, and the "superability" that can come with seeing the world differently.
Topics covered: Late autism diagnosis • Workplace discrimination • Creative writing as neurodivergent expression • Disability advocacy • Voting rights • The moon cactus metaphor
