
The Exultation & Grief of Late Diagnosis of Autism
When: Saturday, November 15th at 1:45pm EST
Where: LIVE on Zoom
Presented By: Dr. Kim Rust, PHD, Dr. Stacy Greeter, MD, April Kilduff, MA, LCPC, Erin Mendoza, MA, LMFT and Mordecai Browning, LMFT
Continuing Education: 1.25 NBCC CEs
This panel presentation includes five members (three Masters-level clinicians, one Doctoral level clinician, and one Psychiatrist), all of whom have lived experience with a late diagnosis of Autism. This panel will share their lived experience with late diagnosis. The exultation of late diagnosis, in terms of autistic joy and community connection, will be discussed. However, a less accessible area for support is the grief surrounding late diagnosis. Topics about the grief of late diagnosis will include what support panelists wish they had received from therapists or other providers following a late diagnosis of autism, feelings of grief that the diagnosis had not been received sooner, implications for their future, trauma/micro-traumas, masking challenges, self-acceptance of limitations due to disability, and questions about identity and imposter syndrome. In addition, current data from the qualitative literature on late diagnosis will be presented.
Learning Objectives
Attendees of this presentation will be able to describe the potentially mixed emotional experience that individuals have following a late diagnosis of autism, including both positive feelings and aspects of grief.
Individuals will be able to identify specific supports that individuals with a late diagnosis of autism may need in terms of mental health and practical support for life challenges.
Participants of this presentation will be able to summarize the current qualitative research on late diagnosis of autism.
Yes! We record live & email replay access to the recordings a few days after the course.
HOWEVER. LIVE attendance is required to qualify for the Continuing Education Certificate of Completion.
Attend the presentation live & try to not be more than 10 minutes late! Complete the survey which will be distributed in the last 20 minutes of the presentation. You will get your CE Certificate automatically after you complete the survey.

Dr. Kim Rust, PhD
On the Web: www.RustPhD.com
Venmo: @Kim-Rust-Counseling
Kim Rust earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University in 2021. Dr. Rust is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Florida since 2010. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a graduate degree in Social Work and an undergraduate degree in English Literature. She has had a private practice since 2010 in historical downtown DeLand in Florida. She provides both counseling and assessment services for all ages. Dr. Rust approaches both counseling and assessment as healing processes, helping to answer deep-seated questions that individuals have about themselves or their child. She has a passion for providing neurodiversity-affirming services and is always striving to learn and improve in her chosen career. She was late-diagnosed as autistic, which may at least partially explain the abundant neurodiversity among her friends and family.
When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her two amazing children, and her kitten, Freyja. She loves reading supernatural books on her porch, since the problems in those stories are nothing like the real world.

Dr. Stacy Greeter, MD
On the Web: https://www.youtube.com/@stacygreetermd
Dr. Stacy Greeter, MD is double board certified in both child/adolescent and adult psychiatry and owns a group psychiatric practice in Sarasota, FL. She speaks from both her lived experience as an autistic and ADHD individual and as a clinician. Dr. Greeter graduated Summa Cum Lade from Duke University and went on to University of North Carolina School of Medicine on a full scholarship. Dr. Greeter completed her residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and continued there to complete her subspecialty fellowship in child/adolescent psychiatry.
However, that is only where her learning began, as Dr. Greeter is an avid self-directed learner with an insatiable curiosity and infectious enthusiasm for her work. She believes in cross-pollination of knowledge between disciplines and runs a multi-disciplinary mental health professionals book club. Dr. Greeter teaches at Lake Erie College of Medicine and Florida State University and is on the board of directors for Autism Career Pathways. Dr. Greeter uses metaphors from fantasy universes such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings to make psychiatric concepts accessible and engaging through her educational Psychiatry Bootcamp series.

April Kilduff, MA, LCPC
On the Web: www.ChallengeAnxiety.com
Venmo: @April-Kilduff
April Kilduff, MA, LCPC, LPCC, LMHC, LPC (she/they) is a Therapist, Clinical Training Specialist & Consultant with her own private practice & also contracts with NOCD. Previously she worked in OCD/Anxiety IOP/PHPs in the Ascension & Rogers Behavioral Health Hospitals in Chicago. April also served as a Clinical Director at a group practice where she trained staff on treating OCD with Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP). As a therapist, she has enjoyed working with autistic adults struggling with OCD for the past 16 years & was identified as autistic herself in 2022. When not working, you can find her at home with her 2 cats, reading, taking photos & planning trips to see the world.

Erin Mendoza, MA, LMFT
On the Web: www.ErinMendozaTherapy.com
Venmo: @ErinMendoza
Erin Mendoza, MA, LMFT is a therapist in private practice in California. As a late diagnosed autistic person themselves, Erin works primarily with autistic clients, supporting them in understanding and learning to work with their neurotype. Erin especially enjoys working with recently diagnosed autistics (self or formal), people in autistic burnout, and people who are navigating being autistic and dealing with a chronic illness. Erin also offers neuro-affirming Autism and ADHD assessment. When not working, Erin enjoys singing, making friends with ravens, and spending time with their wife and many pets. More information about Erin can be found at: www.erinmendozatherapy.com

Mordecai Browning, LMFT
On the Web: www.mellebrowningtherapy.com
Venmo: @Mordecai-Browning
Mordy is an autistic ADHDer queer and trans therapist. He earned his Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Dominican University of California and currently has a private practice in CA (VT and IN via telehealth), providing psychotherapy to individuals and couples and consultation/training to professionals and volunteers. Mordy has experience training student leaders, clinicians, medical professionals, and others in crisis response, trauma, LGBTQIA+ and gender affirming care. He works from an anti-oppression, disability justice and attachment lens integrating many modalities such as EMDR, EFT, IFS-informed parts work and other somatic interventions for issues such as trauma, anxiety, phobias, life transitions, burnout, relationships, OCD, chronic illness, grief and identity exploration. He appreciates working with late identified autistic and ADHDer adults and LGBTQIA+ folx on their journeys of discovery and self acceptance.
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Autistic Clinical Insights is a scrappy group of autistic clinicians and allies with a desire to advance knowledge and clinical support for autistic people.
This virtual conference is hosted by NeuroAbundant, LLC an NBCC ACEP #7589.
© Copyrights by NeuroAbundant. All Rights Reserved.
Autistic Clinical Insights is a scrappy group of autistic clinicians and allies with a desire to advance knowledge and clinical support for autistic people.
This virtual conference is hosted by NeuroAbundant, LLC an NBCC ACEP #7589.
© Copyrights by NeuroAbundant. All Rights Reserved.