ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The day after being diagnosed autistic (ASD Level 1), Joseph sits down with Kailey McMurtry of The NightShifters to talk through it openly as it happens.Joseph has known since childhood that he experienced the world differently. He talks about learning early on to withdraw, and later to mask. The Army forced him to learn to work with people, and he got there by watching who was well liked and copying how they carried themselves. He also explains how that path led him to counseling and becoming an LCSW.Topics in this episode:What ASD Level 1 means, and why “different” is a more accurate word than “something wrong”Masking: how it starts, how automatic it becomes, and why he plans to do less of itLooking back at his life after the diagnosis, and the hard question of what might have gone differentlySensory overload: noise, crowds, and why a reassuring touch helpsSarcasm, figures of speech, and why “have fun at work” doesn’t compute for himDirect questions, direct answers, and why honest feedback matters more to him than reassuranceRoutines, social scripts, and what happens when they break, from checkout lines to concerts to a stranger getting into their UberNavigating a relationship when one partner’s brain processes the world differentlyWhy going public matters to him, including the risk that some people will question his clinical judgmentJoseph’s position is that his job is not to learn to fit in better. It is to learn what normal is for him, and to keep contributing as himself. If you or someone you love is on the spectrum, this conversation is for you.This episode describes one person’s experience. It is not medical or clinical advice.🎙️ Average Joseph Podcast: conversations from Monroe County, Kentucky🌙 Kailey’s show: The Nightshifters#Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptance #Masking #Neurodiversity #MentalHealth #Veterans #AverageJosephPodcast
