About the Guest

Julie Green is the author of Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood, and Radical Acceptance. Through her writing, Julie offers a deeply personal and thoughtful perspective on autism, parenting, and self-discovery. Drawing from her family’s lived experience and her own late autism diagnosis, Julie challenges outdated narratives about neurodiversity while encouraging greater compassion, understanding, and acceptance.

Introduction to the Conversation

What happens when parenting your child leads you to better understand yourself?

In this heartfelt episode of The Child Psych Podcast, Tania Johnson sits down with Julie Green to explore the intersection of autism, parenting, identity, and healing. Julie shares how her son’s autism diagnosis eventually led to her own diagnosis in adulthood, opening the door to a deeper understanding of her childhood, her relationships, and the ways she had unknowingly spent years masking who she truly was.

Together, they discuss the emotional realities of raising a neurodivergent child, the importance of self-compassion, and why moving from pressure and perfection toward connection can transform both parent and child.

What We Discuss in This Episode

This conversation explores autism through a compassionate, strengths-based lens while acknowledging the very real challenges many neurodivergent families experience. Julie shares how autism can present differently in girls and women, why many autistic individuals go undiagnosed until adulthood, and the emotional cost of masking.

The discussion also examines parenting, emotional regulation, sensory differences, self-acceptance, and the importance of helping children understand their own neurodiversity without shame. Rather than focusing on “fixing” children, Julie encourages parents to prioritize connection, co-regulation, and radical acceptance—creating an environment where both children and parents can thrive.

What You’ll Learn

Why autism often presents differently in girls and women and why many receive a diagnosis later in life.

How masking can affect mental health, emotional regulation, and long-term well-being.

The importance of helping children understand their neurodivergence with compassion rather than shame.

How shifting from achievement and intervention toward connection can strengthen parent-child relationships.

Practical ways parents can cultivate self-compassion while supporting their child’s unique strengths.

Who This Episode Is For

This episode is for parents raising autistic or neurodivergent children, caregivers navigating a new diagnosis, educators, therapists, and professionals supporting child development and mental health. It’s also a meaningful conversation for adults who have wondered whether their own lifelong experiences might finally make sense through a new understanding of neurodiversity. Above all, this episode offers hope, validation, and a powerful reminder that acceptance begins with both our children—and ourselves.