From Helping a Student to Helping Herself: An OT's road to Late Diagnosis at 40

Written By Kory Andreas

What happens when you're a occupational therapist in special education surrounded by neurodivergence every day...and then realize you're looking in a mirror? For Maggie Latona, it took a phone call with a parent about a student's autism diagnosis to finally see herself clearly. The stories the mom shared? Maggie did those things too.

We talk about:

  • Working in special education for years without recognizing yourself

  • The phone call that changed everything: "She doesn't understand emotions" vs. "What if she's noticing everything?"

  • When your therapist suggested autism a year earlier - and you weren't ready

  • Being "the responsible one, the smart one" and how that identity became a mask

  • Diagnosed at 40: "No one would look back and think I was struggling"

  • The imposter syndrome of high masking autism: family, job, friends..."Do I really get to claim this?"

  • Confronting colleagues who say "No, you're not autistic" when you're high-masking at work

  • Advocating for students differently now: "Let me give you an inside track of what they're dealing with"

  • Reframing goals: "We're not here to change someone's brain"

  • Why eye contact doesn't matter and perseveration isn't OCD

  • Stimming all day long: finger piano, counting on toes, family "playing instruments"

  • Eating lunch alone in your office with your sister with no small talk

  • Spring break shutdown: when three days with a baby + friend sleepover = crash

  • "Death by a thousand cuts" - learning what too much looks like

  • Resin art as regulation: process, creation, and basing worth on accomplishment

  • Creating safe spaces at home: soft corner, bath, art studio

  • People-pleasing vs. avoiding situations that don't feel good

  • The goal: becoming the person who educates educators on what autism looks like in girls

Guest: Maggie Latona is a special education occupational therapist, late-diagnosed autistic adult at 40, resin artist, and advocate for neuroaffirming approaches in schools. She's the person who will pull you aside after an IEP meeting to say, "I don't think that diagnosis is right. Let me tell you why."

Mentioned in this episode:

  • Hypervigilance misunderstood as "not understanding emotions"

  • OCD diagnosis vs. autistic perseveration

  • The "responsible one" identity as masking

  • Stimming: finger piano, toe counting, audio tracks

  • Resin art and jewelry making as special interest

  • Spring break shutdown and recovery

  • Neuro-affirming IEP goals

  • Super recognizer traits

Resources:

Kory Andreas
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