Being diagnosed with ASD at 27; Parlour songs; Child protection conferences

We heard earlier in the pandemic that in-person meetings for vulnerable children had become mostly impossible. But now child protection professionals feel that face-to-face conferences are unlikely to ever resume. So what does that mean for the children in question? And what is missed as a result?

Journalist Marianne Eloise was recently diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, aged 27. She says it finally gives her an explanation of why she has found it difficult to simply exist; from experiencing extreme sensory overload in situations others find normal, to never being able to make small talk. Marianne joins Jane to talk about her personal breakthrough and why she believes it’s harder for women and girls to be diagnosed as autistic.

The mezzo-soprano Patricia Hammond is celebrating the parlour song. Composed by women, these domestic songs of the Victorian era have largely been marginalised or forgotten. In her new book and CD, She Wrote the Songs, she tells us about the women behind the songs and their importance to musical history.

Listener Prue wrote to us about a recent discovery that’s made her question her past. For her seventieth birthday, Prue, a family history buff, got a DNA kit from her nieces. There were no surprises with the results about her geographical origins. Then she realised could also find people with matched DNA, and she was shocked to find out her late dad was not her biological father. Since then Prue’s been trying to find out who her father was- with the help of people she’s met online. Jo Morris met with Prue at her home.