Late Diagnosis Club: How Becca Reclaimed Her Voice as an Autistic Adult

In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Becca Engle, an Autistic educator, author, and advocate whose early disability was recognised, but whose autism was not fully named until adulthood.

Becca was identified as disabled at age three and was once non-speaking. She was repeatedly told she would never be independent, never succeed academically, and never become a teacher. Instead, she grew up navigating education systems that focused on compliance over understanding — systems that demanded silence, masking, and endurance rather than support.

Together, Angela and Becca explore early childhood diagnosis without clarity, the harm of behaviour-based interventions, masking in higher education, autistic anger as a catalyst for advocacy, and what it means to design learning environments that support regulation rather than control.

🪑 Attendees

Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate

Guest: Becca Engle — Autistic educator, author, and disability advocate

You: The Listener!

🗒️ Meeting Agenda

• Opening remarks from the Chair
• Member introduction: Early childhood diagnosis and being “almost autistic”
• Discussion: Masking, compliance, and exclusion in education systems
• Regulation, classroom design, and alternatives to seclusion
• Key learnings
• Club announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting

1️⃣ Opening Remarks

Angela introduces Becca as someone whose autism was visible early but never fully acknowledged. Despite being labelled with multiple developmental diagnoses, Becca’s needs were misunderstood, and expectations for her future were set painfully low.

What followed was not support, but pressure to conform.

2️⃣ Member Introduction: Becca’s Story

Becca was diagnosed at age three with conditions that stopped short of autism and was repeatedly told she would never speak, learn independently, or attend school. Early intervention included speech therapy, occupational therapy, and exposure to behaviour-based systems that relied on control and seclusion.

Years later, in college, Becca was told she was “too autistic” to teach. She graduated anyway — and later pursued further credentials outside traditional pathways.

Becca formally received an autism diagnosis in adulthood, bringing clarity, legitimacy, and permission to name what had always been true.

3️⃣ Discussion Highlights

• Early diagnosis without clarity: Being labelled disabled but not autistic shaped expectations and access to support
• Compliance over care: Behaviour systems prioritised obedience rather than regulation or understanding
• Masking in higher education: Silence was rewarded; authenticity was punished
• Anger as fuel: Advocacy emerged not from inspiration, but from injustice
• Regulation-focused classrooms: Becca describes her three-zone regulation model as an alternative to calm corners, seclusion, and PBIS
• Stimming and creativity: Writing, knitting, and movement as regulation — not distraction

4️⃣ Key Learnings

• Early identification without understanding can still cause harm
• Compliance systems teach masking, not self-regulation
• Silencing autistic communication is often framed as professionalism
• Anger can be an appropriate and productive response to injustice
• When environments change, people don’t have to disappear to succeed

📌 Notice Board

Becca’s Social Media:

• Instagram: @StitchesStanzas

• Facebook: Becca Engle / Stitches & Stanzas

Becca’s Books:

• Step Into My Shoes: https://a.co/d/hJRVXSG

• Through Our Lens series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G3XQZ8KV

📣 Club Announcements

🎧 The Late Diagnosis Club is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

💬 Join our online meetups and community at latediagnosis.club.

📌 Check the LDC Notice Board for Member Contributions

💜 There is a small charge — but no one is turned away for lack of funds.

🌈 Celebrate autistic voices with early access, ad-free listening, and our full archive at AutisticCulturePlus.com

🌐 Visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram: @autisticculturepodcast

🎙️ Executive Producers: Amy Burns, Anamaria B Call, Andrew Banner, Anna Goodson, Ashley Apelzin, Audrea Volker, Ben Coulson, Brian Churcek, Cappy Hamper, Carley Biblin, Charlene Deva, Chloe Cross, Clay Duhigg, Clayton Oliver, Danny Dunn, Daria Brown, David Garrido, Emily Burgess, Eric Crane, Erik Stenerud, Fiona Baker, Grace Norman, Helen Shaddock, Jaimie Collins, Jason Killian, Jen Unruh, Jennifer Carpenter, Julia Tretter, Kathie Watson-Gray, Kenneth Knowles, Kira Cotter, Kristine Lang, Kyle Raney, Llew P Williams, Laura Alvarado, Laura De Vito, Laura Provonsha, Lily George, Nelly Darmi, Nigel Rogers, Rachel Miller, Tim Scott, Tyler Kunz, Victoria Steed, Yanina Wood.

🎧 Producers: AJ Knight, Bobby Simon, Da Kovac, Eleanor Collins, Emily Griffiths, Hannah Hughes, Jennifer Kemp, Jonas Fløde, Kate F, Katie N Benitez, Kendra Murphy, Lisa Dennys, Logan Wall, Louise Lomas, Melissa Nance, Nicola Owen, Rebecka Johansson, Sam Morris, Sarah Hannah Morris.

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