When I’m swept up in a special interest, I feel alive. The concepts of “work-life” balance and “burnout” just don’t always translate to Autistic people’s schedules in the ways neurotypicals might expect. I’ve gotten intense burnout from periods of my life where I worked relatively little but socialized a lot, for example.

The autist must find her place in the world, where she can turn her diagnosis into something positive and play to her strengths. In my work as a radio producer, I can use my sensitivity to sound and ability to pick up on details. I hear every poor edit and shift in volume. But wearing my noise-cancelling headphones on the crowded metro on my way to