<![CDATA[The Autism Handbook]]>This is the handbook you never got. Whether you were diagnosed last week or decades ago, or you're still in that process of figuring it out, if you've ever felt like everyone else got instructions and you didn't, you're in the right place.

Every episode we're going to dig into something concrete and practical. Things like how to actually understand and cope with your emotions, communication strategies that work for a brain like yours, tools for planning and organizing your day, and how to navigate change without it completely derailing you. The kind of stuff that makes daily life feel a little more manageable and a little less like you're just figuring it out as you go.

My goal is simple. I want you to leave every episode with something you can actually use. Not just something to think about. Something to do.

I created this podcast because I kept seeing the same thing over and over in my practice. People coming to me who were smart, self-aware, and had already done so much work on themselves. They knew their patterns. They understood their struggles. What they were missing was someone handing them the actual tools. And I thought, I can make that accessible to more people than just the ones sitting across from me in a session.

At the end of the day the goal of the podcast is making sure you know you're not the only one who didn't get the handbook. And that it's not too late to get one.

]]>www.drsalenajustice.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Sun, 02 Aug 2026 14:26:28 GMTSun, 12 Jul 2026 18:43:30 GMT60Dr. Salena Justice<p>This is the handbook you never got. Whether you were diagnosed last week or decades ago, or you're still in that process of figuring it out, if you've ever felt like everyone else got instructions and you didn't, you're in the right place.</p><p></p><p>Every episode we're going to dig into something concrete and practical. Things like how to actually understand and cope with your emotions, communication strategies that work for a brain like yours, tools for planning and organizing your day, and how to navigate change without it completely derailing you. The kind of stuff that makes daily life feel a little more manageable and a little less like you're just figuring it out as you go.</p><p></p><p>My goal is simple. I want you to leave every episode with something you can actually use. Not just something to think about. Something to do.</p><p></p><p>I created this podcast because I kept seeing the same thing over and over in my practice. People coming to me who were smart, self-aware, and had already done so much work on themselves. They knew their patterns. They understood their struggles. What they were missing was someone handing them the actual tools. And I thought, I can make that accessible to more people than just the ones sitting across from me in a session.</p><p>At the end of the day the goal of the podcast is making sure you know you're not the only one who didn't get the handbook. And that it's not too late to get one.</p>episodicDr. Salena Justicedrsalenajustice@gmail.comno<![CDATA[How to ACTUALLY Manage Your Energy]]>Have you ever had a day where you did nothing and still felt completely exhausted? There's actually a really good explanation for that.

In this episode I break down energy accounting, one of the frameworks I come back to constantly in my work with autistic adults. Once you understand it, you start to see your energy in a completely different way. Credit to Dr. Megan Anna Neff whose work on this concept has been incredibly influential.

In this episode:

  • What energy accounting actually is and why the phone battery analogy works
  • What drains the battery, work, socializing, masking, sensory environments, unexpected changes, and emotional labor
  • What charges the battery and why it's more personal than people think
  • Why some things do both and how to get specific about which is which for you
  • The most important thing nobody talks about, why you need a little battery left to recharge
  • Your takeaway, how to start mapping your own energy this week

Resources mentioned:

]]>e1db2083-648d-4ee7-ad6c-e0d351aa2880Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:34:48 GMT<p>Have you ever had a day where you did nothing and still felt completely exhausted? There's actually a really good explanation for that.</p><p>In this episode I break down energy accounting, one of the frameworks I come back to constantly in my work with autistic adults. Once you understand it, you start to see your energy in a completely different way. Credit to Dr. Megan Anna Neff whose work on this concept has been incredibly influential.</p><p></p><p>In this episode:</p><ul><li>What energy accounting actually is and why the phone battery analogy works</li><li>What drains the battery, work, socializing, masking, sensory environments, unexpected changes, and emotional labor</li><li>What charges the battery and why it's more personal than people think</li><li>Why some things do both and how to get specific about which is which for you</li><li>The most important thing nobody talks about, why you need a little battery left to recharge</li><li>Your takeaway, how to start mapping your own energy this week</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Resources mentioned:</b></p><ul><li>Dr. Megan Anna Neff, <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://neurodivergentinsights.com/" target="_blank">autistic burnout and energy resources</a> </li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.instagram.com/dr.salenajustice" target="_blank">Follow on Instagram</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.drsalenajustice.com" target="_blank">Learn more about therapy and assessments</a></li></ul><p></p>no00:10:0613How to ACTUALLY Manage Your Energyfull<![CDATA[What Is Autism, Really?]]>When most people hear the word autism they picture something pretty specific. Usually a young boy. Usually someone with very obvious social difficulties. That's one presentation. But it's a really narrow slice of what autism actually looks like, and it's the reason so many adults go completely undetected for decades.

In this episode I go through the DSM criteria for autism one by one, but not in a textbook way. In a real life, this is what it actually looks like in the adults I work with every day kind of way.

In this episode:

  • The official DSM definition in plain language
  • Deficits in social emotional reciprocity, what this looks like beyond "not making eye contact"
  • Nonverbal communication differences and why compensatory strategies hide them
  • The truth about relationships, friendships, and the unspoken rules nobody explained
  • Stimming in adults, the subtle version most people don't recognize
  • Insistence on sameness, rigid routines, and black and white thinking
  • Special interests in women and why they often look socially acceptable
  • Sensory differences, hyper and hypo reactivity in everyday life
  • Why autism gets missed in adults, especially women and high masking folks

Resources mentioned:

]]>67bf5f85-56e0-4036-9fe4-b87246402a56Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT<p>When most people hear the word autism they picture something pretty specific. Usually a young boy. Usually someone with very obvious social difficulties. That's one presentation. But it's a really narrow slice of what autism actually looks like, and it's the reason so many adults go completely undetected for decades.</p><p>In this episode I go through the DSM criteria for autism one by one, but not in a textbook way. In a real life, this is what it actually looks like in the adults I work with every day kind of way.</p><p>In this episode:</p><ul><li>The official DSM definition in plain language</li><li>Deficits in social emotional reciprocity, what this looks like beyond "not making eye contact"</li><li>Nonverbal communication differences and why compensatory strategies hide them</li><li>The truth about relationships, friendships, and the unspoken rules nobody explained</li><li>Stimming in adults, the subtle version most people don't recognize</li><li>Insistence on sameness, rigid routines, and black and white thinking</li><li>Special interests in women and why they often look socially acceptable</li><li>Sensory differences, hyper and hypo reactivity in everyday life</li><li>Why autism gets missed in adults, especially women and high masking folks</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Resources mentioned:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.instagram.com/dr.salenajustice" target="_blank">Follow on Instagram</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.drsalenajustice.com" target="_blank">Learn more about therapy and assessments</a></li></ul>no00:12:5212What Is Autism, Really?full<![CDATA[This is the Handbook that You Never Got]]>Welcome to The Autism Handbook. In this first episode I introduce myself, share a little about how I got into this work, and explain exactly what you can expect from this show.

I'm Dr. Salena Justice, a licensed psychologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating high-masking autistic adults. I've spent my entire career working with people who are really good at seeming fine. Until they're not.

This podcast exists because I kept seeing the same gap over and over. Smart, self-aware adults who already understood their patterns but had no idea what to actually do about them. The Autism Handbook is my attempt to fill that gap, one concrete, practical episode at a time.

In this episode:

  • How I got into specializing in autistic adults
  • What shifted in my practice after COVID
  • Why I created this podcast and who it's for
  • What to expect from upcoming episodes

Resources mentioned:

]]>18e24f82-b6b2-4558-8b38-58ba2418b684Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:08:55 GMT<p>Welcome to The Autism Handbook. In this first episode I introduce myself, share a little about how I got into this work, and explain exactly what you can expect from this show.</p><p>I'm Dr. Salena Justice, a licensed psychologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating high-masking autistic adults. I've spent my entire career working with people who are really good at seeming fine. Until they're not.</p><p>This podcast exists because I kept seeing the same gap over and over. Smart, self-aware adults who already understood their patterns but had no idea what to actually do about them. The Autism Handbook is my attempt to fill that gap, one concrete, practical episode at a time.</p><p>In this episode:</p><ul><li>How I got into specializing in autistic adults</li><li>What shifted in my practice after COVID</li><li>Why I created this podcast and who it's for</li><li>What to expect from upcoming episodes</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Resources mentioned:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.instagram.com/dr.salenajustice" target="_blank">Follow on Instagram</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.drsalenajustice.com" target="_blank">Learn more about therapy and assessments</a></li></ul>no00:05:4711This is the Handbook that You Never Gottrailer