For 35 years, she was labeled sensitive, dramatic, weird, too much. But she wasn’t any of those things—she was autistic. And no one saw it.

In this raw and powerful episode, we pull back the curtain on how autism is profoundly underdiagnosed in women—and why. We explore how masking, misdiagnosis, and outdated diagnostic tools have led to generations of girls being missed, misunderstood, and misnamed. You’ll hear Deena’s story—what everyone got wrong, what finally clicked, and what it’s like to be diagnosed late in life.

This episode isn’t just for people who know they’re autistic. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt like an alien in the world. For the girls who were called difficult. For the women who never felt like they fit. For the parents wondering about their child. For the friend who’s finally starting to see the patterns.

This one will shift how you see autism—and how you see yourself.

Produced by Dear Media

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Modern parenting is a doozy. There’s never been more pressure to be perfect with social media readily at our fingertips - mixed with total isolation and no help. Where the f*ck is that village everyone talks about? Consider After Bedtime your village. Led by Kristin and Deena - founders of the largest online parenting community, Big Little Feelings - After Bedtime is the place you can go at the end of a long hard day to find your “enough”-ness. We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll maybe pee our pants a little as we unpack things we’re ALL experiencing but too ashamed to talk about: imperfect marriages, miscarriages, managing toddler mania, apologizing to our kids and everything in between. You’ll leave with actionable, realistic tips to make this whole parenting thing smoother - small changes, big impact. In an age where parents need more *real* connection than ever, let’s talk honestly about the hard - and remind ourselves we are not alone, we are not failing. In fact, we’re f*cking crushing.

Back for Season 2 next Wednesday, 5/28!

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Hi Big Little Besties! We were recently guests on the podcast Pop Culture Moms, and wanted to share it with you! Our friends Andie and Sabrina have been best friends for 20 years — and pop culture aficionados for even longer. On “Pop Culture Moms,” they’re taking their obsession with TV and movies to the next level by talking to folks like us, fellow “scholars” of pop culture, about what they can learn from the fictional moms we love most. Together, Andie and Sabrina explore the comedy – and tragedy – of what parenthood is like in real life. In this episode, Kirstin and Deena talk about why some of the best moms on TV right now are cartoons, and what the mothers in Bluey and Daniel Tiger are doing right. You can listen to more Pop Culture Moms at link.chtbl.com/popculturemomss1/afterbedtime

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.