In the April episode of Better Being Me’s podcast Talking Twaddle, host Joanne Hatchard talks to neurodivergent children’s author Beck Newell about their books, studies, parenting, gender, more books, emotions, mental health issues, threat of homelessness, catastrophizing and future thinking, and more books!
Joanne opens the conversation with Beck, pointing out their list of books that they have published in the past eighteen months. Beck thanks hyper-focus, and points out that finishing things hasn’t always been their strong point.
This leads to a conversation about studies - completing and not completing, the reasons we study what we study, what it looks like when you don’t realise you’re autistic, how studying compares to the “real world” of the workforce, and studying while being a parent.
The pair then move on to talking about parenting autistic kids when it isn’t recognised by professionals, and the impact this has. Beck shares stories about when they realised their third child is autistic, and about their grandchildren as well.
The topic of gender is covered, and Beck talks about their youngest child. Who was born Morgan, but now identifies as Pete. They talk about where there has been support with this transition, and who struggled with it the most. They also briefly touch on their own journey of identifying as non-binary.
Body positivity is discussed, highlighting Beck’s book EVERYbody is Incredible. And they also discuss My Friend the Tiger, which Beck dedicated to Joanne AFTER realising that her little stuffed lovey George is in fact a tiger. They talk about the complexity of friendships.
They cover the concept of whether when we’re seeing autism if it’s borrowed traits from those around us or if the autism is within ourselves. Beck talks about her daughter being convinced that the former was true for her, for a long time before she accepted her diagnosis.
Emotions are then touched on, and Beck talks about how deeply they feel emotions, and about being called a “drama queen” throughout their life. Catastrophizing and future thinking are also covered, in relation to Beck recently almost becoming homeless. And finding a middle ground between preparing for the worse and not worrying at all!
The interplay between mental health issues and autism closes out the discussion.
Find Beck’s books at the links below or email becknewellcreative@gmail.com