Dean Beadle shares his lived experience of embracing his Autistic Identity and finding Autistic Joy (Episode 292)

This month is Autism Awareness month. The 2025 campaign focuses on embracing and uplifting the positive aspects of Autistic identity, empowering individuals to appreciate and take pride in their experiences fully.
This weeks Podcast Dean Beadle shares how he has embraced his Autistic identity.

One of my biggest role models is Dean Beadle, an autistic speaker and trainer. Dean is a proud promoter of the autistic voice, encouraging and empowering other autistic people to share their experiences and insights too. I am a huge fan of Dean’s work and have toured with him in the past. He is so inspiring and I’m sure you will all enjoy listening to Dean’s personal experience and insight as much as I did!

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

✅   Reframe autism as a different set of social skills rather than a deficit

✅   Allow for fluctuating energy levels and varying abilities day to day

✅   Give students permission to communicate their needs to new teachers

✅   Create environments that adapt to the individual rather than forcing change

✅   Use positive framing when discussing diagnosis with children

✅   Acknowledge both strengths and challenges without focusing on “fixing”

✅   Allow students to work at their own pace during high and low energy periods

✅   Recognise and respect the need for recovery time

✅   Support self-advocacy rather than forcing masking behaviors

✅   Focus on changing environments rather than changing the individual

Learn about Finding Autistic Joy Today!

Want to Hear More from Dean Beadle?

Dean Discusses Depressive Meltdowns

✅ What Signs to Look out For to Indicate Depressive Meltdowns

✅ What can we do about Depressive Meltdowns?

✅ Excerpt from Q&A with Dean Beadle – Lived Experience of Depressive Meltdown

✅ Fabulous resources I have found helpful when trying to understand what Depressive Meltdowns are and What to do to

Other Role Models with Lived Experience

Episode 120: Strategies & Insights to Inform your Teaching Practice with Temple Grandin and Sue Larkey

Episode 115: What you can Learn from Lived Experiences of Autism and ADHD

Enjoyed Finding Autistic Joy? Discover Books by Authors with Lived Experience