Natasha Gilbert


Natasha Gilbert is a freelance writer who has spent a decade covering the environment, biology, agriculture and education for outlets including The Guardian, National Public Radio and Scientific American. She is a former staff reporter for Nature. She has an M.Sc. in philosophy of science from the London School of Economics and a B.Sc. in environmental biology from the University of Reading in the U.K. She is a native Londoner living in Washington, D.C.

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When Autistic Kids Grow Up.

When autistic kids grow up

An autistic researcher’s paper called attention to a huge disparity in autism funding research between children and adults. It nearly derailed her life.

By Brady Huggett
18 June 2026 | 2 min listen
Photo collage of Tempest McDonald.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 2: “You need to go to college”

With just a high school equivalency degree and struggling as a single mother, Tempest McDonald is forced to shift her priorities.

By Brady Huggett
18 June 2026 | 28 min listen
Photo collage of Tempest McDonald.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 1: Those people

What leads an autism researcher to publish an intentionally inflammatory paper accusing the NIH of discrimination?

By Brady Huggett
18 June 2026 | 24 min listen