Could I Really Be Autistic? Your First Steps to Self Discovery-Sarah Hendrickx
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What inspired Sarah Hendrickx to write the new book "Could I Really Be Autistic?"
Welcome to the Neurodiverse Love Podcast. I'm Mona Kay and I was married for 30 years and in that relationship for 32. We didn't find out that we were a neurodiverse couple until our 29th year of marriage. I've been divorced since 2018 and together we have an amazing adult daughter who is thriving and doing fantastic. My hope is that as you navigate your relationship, But the information shared in this podcast will help you better understand the strengths, differences, and challenges you may have in your mixed neurotype relationship. If you would like to learn more about the resources I have available, I hope you will also check out my website at neurodiverse love dot com. And I also hope you will subscribe to the podcast and let me know what you like about each episode.
Thank you so much for listening to the Neurodiverse Love Podcast. Welcome back to the NeuroDiverse Love Podcast. I am always excited to talk to my guests today. Her name is Sarah Hendricks, and she's been on my podcast before, and she was a presenter at the 2025 Neurodiverse Love Conference. And she has written so many books. So many of you may recognize her name. You may have seen her at a conference. So, Sarah, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for having me again, Mona. Yeah, it's my pleasure. So for those folks that aren't familiar with you, can you share a little bit about yourself and maybe some of the work you've done? I know you're retired. But if you could share a little bit so folks can know who you are.
Okay, well I am uh autistic and ADHD myself, as are most of my family. I began my work in autism working for a little voluntary project, uh, mentoring young people on uh with Asperger syndrome autism. Uh I then set up my own company, was delivering training, conference presentations, and and began writing books. Because I discovered we discovered that my partner was also autistic and there was nothing really out there at the time. And God, we're talking over twenty years ago now, or around twenty years ago. Um, there was very, very little about couples, um, either with one or both partners being neurodiverse in any way. And what there was out there didn't feel like it represented our relationship. It felt kind of negative.
It felt that that the the autistic partner was to blame. It was it wasn't so nice. So so we wrote a book together um called Asperger Syndrome, a love story, um a long, long time ago, um, prior to my diagnosis of autism, to be honest. Um, so I kind of thought I was vaguely neurotypical at the time. And then I just sort of continued writing books, uh, got a master's degree in autism. Uh, I did a lot of assessing of people non-clinically because I'm not a clinical psychologist. Um, and that's basically what I've been doing with myself for the last 20 years, spreading the word, writing books, and telling people whether they're autistic or not.
I love it. I love it. I love it. And yeah, I love the book that you wrote with your partner. And I I've loved every single book. I have every single book of yours and I just think they're all fantastic. So, you know, before Yeah, before we started recording, I told Sarah she's got quite a legacy to this field. And if you haven't read her books, I would highly recommend pretty much all of them. So I'm retired now and I need the royalties. There you go. And of course, you've written another book and we're going to talk a little bit about that book. And then you have another one coming out in a year. So the one that you just recently released is called Could I Really Be Autistic? Your First Steps to Self-Discovery.
And you wrote that with your daughter, correct?
I did, yes. My Jess is my daughter. She i I say she's my mini me, but she's not. She's taller than me, which is really tall 'cause I'm really tall. Um Jess is is also autistic and ADHD. Uh and she took over the running of of the the training business and assessment business that I set up a a few years ago. So she's uh She's uh following following in her mother's footsteps.
I love it. I love it.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What inspired Sarah Hendrickx to write the new book "Could I Really Be Autistic?"
0:00–11:30
2
Why did Sarah and her daughter decide a new autism self‑discovery guide was needed?
11:30–21:13
3
How does the book bridge the gap between online tests and formal diagnostic assessments?
21:13–32:52
4
What are the common misconceptions about adult autism and ADHD addressed in the book?
32:52–43:58
5
How can someone determine if they should pursue a formal assessment after the self‑check?
43:58–47:08
6
What co‑occurring health conditions are strongly linked to autism and ADHD?
47:08–53:18
7
How did the pandemic change the way people discover and get diagnosed with neurodiversity?
53:18–56:32
8
What resources and tools does the book provide for couples and individuals seeking support?
56:32–57:33
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Neurodiverse Love with Mona Kay, MSW, Ph.D.
Lessons Learned & Lived Experiences: Mona’s Final Solo Episode
Improving Regulation & Communication-Jill Corvelli, Daniel Dashnaw, Barbara Grant & Jessie Mahoney
How is Neurodivergence Impacting Your Relationship?-Karen Doherty
Imposter Syndrome, RSD, PDA & More-Panel Presentation from 2025 Neurodiverse Love Conference
Creating Consensual Reality in Your Neurodiverse Relationship-Margaret Cocharan
What Would Love Do?-Jessie Mahoney