Growing up autistic in a system that didn’t understand, and how that shaped career choices, confidence and the courage to self-advocate.

In this episode, Duena speaks with Craig Cockburn — autistic advocate, technologist, author and creator of “high-performance autistic” frameworks — about what happens when you grow up undiagnosed in an education system that misunderstands everything about your brain.

Craig shares his lived journey from early school struggles, sensory overwhelm, misinterpretation by teachers, and repeated failure in rigid learning environments — all the way through to discovering his autistic identity in adulthood.

Together, Craig and Duena explore:

• Autistic childhoods in undiagnosed generations
• How schools misinterpret autistic learning styles
• The damage of being labelled “disruptive,” “lazy,” or “not applying yourself”
• Why autistic people excel in some subjects but crash in others
• Sensory overload, anxiety & shutdown in school environments
• How misdiagnosis affects confidence, self-esteem & identity
• Autistic strengths: logic, pattern-recognition & deep-focus learning
• Why ND people succeed in tech but struggle in corporate politics
• Job interviews, hiring bias & workplace mismatch
• How self-knowledge transforms career choices
• What parents, teachers & leaders MUST understand

This episode is deeply validating for late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD adults who realise only decades later that nothing was actually “wrong” with them — the system simply had no idea what it was looking at.

Craig’s story is powerful, intelligent, and wide-reaching — a must-listen for autistic adults, parents, educators, and leaders trying to understand ND learning and working patterns.

Guest:
Craig Cockburn — autistic technologist, consultant, author and ND advocate.

Host:
Duena Blomstrom — autistic/ADHD author, Human Debt theorist and workplace culture researcher.

⭐ TOPICS COVERED

autism, late diagnosis, education trauma, misdiagnosis, sensory overwhelm, autistic learning styles, high-performance autistic, ND strengths, identity formation, burnout, hiring bias, ND-friendly careers, Human Debt, workplace culture, psychological safety, disclosure, autistic adulthood.

⭐ CHAPTERS

00:00 — Intro & who is Craig Cockburn 02:10 — Childhood signs & early school struggles 05:28 — Misdiagnosis, misunderstanding & behavioural labels 08:52 — Sensory overwhelm in classrooms 12:20 — Subject-specific strengths & uneven performance 15:44 — Anxiety, shutdown & survival-mode learning 19:15 — Discovering autism in adulthood 22:30 — Career choices, tech roles & autistic strengths 26:45 — Hiring bias & interview challenges 30:12 — Corporate environments vs ND brains 34:25 — Self-knowledge, self-advocacy & identity 38:40 — Advice for parents, educators & leaders 41:15 — Final reflections
⭐RESOURCES

Listen to all episodes: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Take the NeuroSpicy Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

Learn more about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

Learn more about Craig: search “Craig Cockburn Autism” on LinkedIn

EPISODE_METADATA_START NeuroSpicy @ Work — Episode with Craig Cockburn on autistic childhoods, education trauma, late diagnosis, sensory overwhelm, misinterpretation by teachers, ND learning styles, identity, uneven performance, high-performance autistic, workplace mismatch, hiring bias, interviews, burnout, Human Debt, ND strengths and career paths. Guest: Craig Cockburn — autistic technologist, consultant, author and ND advocate. Host: Duena Blomstrom — autistic/ADHD author, Human Debt theorist and psychological safety researcher. Audience: autistic adults, ADHD adults, parents, teachers, HR/DEI leaders, workplace designers, educators and allies. EPISODE_METADATA_END