Autism Knows No Borders

Community Outreach and Self-Advocacy, with Cassie Harden Scott and Russell Hornig-Rohan | TBT

*THROWBACK EPISODE*

This episode with Cassie Harden Scott and Russell Hornig-Rohan was originally released on August 20, 2020.

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Healthcare Preparation and Advocacy, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when you find the right provider.

Have you ever struggled to navigate the healthcare system? Autistic individuals often have their own set of challenges when dealing with accessing medical services.

If you’d like to learn about your rights as a patient, and how you can advocate for your individual needs, stick around for today’s episode. The following roundtable about Healthcare Preparation and Advocacy was facilitated by Global Autism Community moderator Danielle Terrell, and it features Autistic Self-Advocates Amy Smith and Sara van Koningsveld.

Among other things, they discuss:

• The complexity of health insurance plans 
• The evolving landscape of telehealth
• How technology can help you organize and track your healthcare information
• Tools to help manage sensory challenges in overwhelming environments
• The importance of having a support person with you in medical settings
• Why all healthcare providers should get continuing education about disability awareness
• Tips to effectively communicate with your healthcare provider

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Music Therapy and Autism in Australia, with Pamela Fisher | TBT

*THROWBACK EPISODE*

This episode with Pamela Fisher was originally released on August 13, 2020.

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Late Diagnosis, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when you embrace your true identity. 

Are you a late-diagnosed autistic person, or do you know someone who is? If this resonates with you, you’ll want to listen to today’s conversation, where we touch on how acceptance of one’s autism can change over time. 

The following Global Autism Community roundtable was facilitated by community moderator Hattie-Angelys Fox, and it features Autistic Self-Advocates Brian MIddleton, Corben Havener, Mary Johnston, Bob Schmus, Amira Collantes, and Adrian Sanchez, as well as community moderator Danielle Terrell.

Among other things, we discuss:

• Finding out about an autism diagnosis at different stages in life
• How autism presents differently in males and females
• Whether language matters when identifying as autistic
• Common challenges that autistics experience in childhood  –like socialization, anxiety, and depression– and how to deal with them
• Whether masking is ever good
• Disclosing your autism with friends and family
• The Pathology Paradigm

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Leadership Lessons Learned, with our CEO Molly Ola Pinney | TBT

Discover what’s possible when you engage your inner leader. 

Do you want to learn how to communicate and collaborate effectively, identify the root causes of roadblocks in your life, and embrace your role as a leader? 

Everyone has the potential to be a leader in their own lives. If you’re interested in personal and professional growth, stick around for this episode with the CEO and Founder of the Global Autism Project, Molly Ola Pinney where she talks about all things leadership. 

The Global Autism Project accredits autism centers worldwide and provides sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership training to service providers seeking guidance. Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and professionals to travel to Global Autism Project’s international partner sites and collaborate with local stakeholders on outreach initiatives in their communities. 

This conversation with Molly was originally released on November 25th, 2020. We are re-releasing it today as a shout out to our SkillCorps® trip leaders who have just returned from a volunteer trip to Peru. A huge thank you to Adriana Garcia and Kelly Cotter for stepping up in an incredible way to guide our volunteers’ collaboration with our partners at MADI and the autistic community in Lima. 

In today’s conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• Why leadership training has always been at the foreground of support provided by the Global Autism Project
• What values are important to Molly as a leader and how her leadership skills have evolved over the years 
• Molly’s fears in the early days of the organization and how she’s learned to overcome them
• What 2020 taught her 
• Why decisive action is only one aspect of strong leadership 

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Organizational & Environmental Management, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when your environment fits your needs. 

Do you struggle with organizing your physical space? Or have you found systems that work well for your needs? Organization can be a sensitive topic, especially if you feel any shame for not being as organized as you’d want to be. 

If you’re looking for tips on how to design a space that works for you, stick around, because today’s episode is a Global Autism Community roundtable discussion about Organizational and Environmental Management, featuring Autistic Self-Advocates Hattie-Angelys Fox, Amira Collantes, Adrian Sanchez, and Eren Denburg, as well as community member Cheryl Albright.

Among other things, we discuss:

• Decluttering small vs large spaces
• Organizational styles to support executive-functioning skills
• How to find tools and systems that work for your brain
• Sharing spaces with others who have organizational styles different from yours
• Micro- vs macro-organization
• How to let go of things that no longer serve you

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Functional Communication Training in Saudi Arabia, with Yaser Aljaaidi | TBT

Discover what’s possible when every child is given a voice. 

In many countries around the world, autistic students are effectively excluded from the education system, as schools often lack adequate resources to accommodate their needs. 

The work that our Global Autism Project Partners are doing around the world is fundamental to overcoming these challenges. By presuming competence, we can avoid setting unnecessary limits and instead build on each child’s capabilities. 

Today’s guest is Yaser Aljaaidi, the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of Namaee Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and also the first Registered Behavior Technician to become certified in his country. The Global Autism Project partnered with Namaee from 2018 to 2023, and we sent several SkillCorps® volunteer teams to provide sustainable hands-on training. 

Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and professionals to travel to Global Autism Project’s international partner sites and collaborate with local stakeholders on outreach initiatives in their communities. 

This conversation with Yaser was originally released on September 3rd, 2020. We are re-releasing it today to highlight the great work being done by Yaser and his team at Namaee, and to also announce that we currently have a SkillCorps team in Peru collaborating with our partners at MADI. Follow us on IG @globalautismproject to see the team in action! 

In today’s conversation, among other things, we discuss: 

• How autism is understood in Saudi Arabia and what services are available for families, from diagnosis to adulthood
• How Yaser began working with the autistic population
• Why he created the Give Me A Voice program targeting communication skills
• The challenges Yaser had faced and what he’s learned about leadership
• Advice for other practitioners who are thinking of starting their own centers
• Namaee’s partnership with the Global Autism Project and why Yaser admires our SkillCorps® volunteers

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SkillCorps® Journey, with Team Peru

Discover what’s possible when you show up better for the world. 

In today’s episode, we’re highlighting our recent SkillCorps® trip to Peru. Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and professionals to travel to Global Autism Project’s international partner sites and collaborate with local stakeholders on outreach initiatives in their communities. 

This carefully curated 10-day journey includes developing culturally-relevant and sustainable training with our partner staff, listening to local Autistic Self-Advocates and family members to learn about their lived experiences, sharing meals with community members to brainstorm ideas and solutions, and executing a high-impact project to build on existing work being done in the country. 

On the ground, this SkillCorps® team worked diligently on a range of tasks for our first ever Latin America Autism Summit, from preparing group presentations to fine-tuning logistical details. We collaborated with our partners at Centro Enigma, from Ecuador, and our local host sponsors at Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru, in order to put together an unforgettable event that forged long-term connections that will last a lifetime. The Latin America Autism Summit is the biggest project a SkillCorps® team has taken on so far. 

We also visited several businesses employing autistic adults in the community, hosted a self-advocate dinner to listen to their needs, and built relationships with our new partners at MADI while laying the groundwork for future collaboration. 

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear some of our SkillCorps® Peru team members’ personal experiences and takeaways. Special shout out to SkillCorps® Alum and leader Adriana Garcia, who helped guide this professionally diverse team of 23 global visionaries on their transformational journey. 

Coming up, you’ll hear about: 

• Memorable moments from the trip
• Global collaboration
• Sustainability
• The Global Autism Project’s model of Do With Not For
• Personal and professional growth

Related episode:

The Latin America Autism Summit in Lima, Peru

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The Latin America Autism Summit in Lima, Peru

Discover what’s possible when you make lifelong connections. 

For almost 20 years, the Global Autism Project has been providing sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership training to autism centers around the world seeking guidance. We’ve also hosted global and regional summits over the last several years, but we were forced to pause these projects during the pandemic. 

Last July, we were thrilled to get back into the field and host our first ever Latin America Autism Summit in Lima, Peru. We collaborated with our partners from Centro Enigma, in Ecuador, and our local host sponsors at Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru in order to put together an unforgettable event that inspired connections that will last a lifetime. 

On the ground, our SkillCorps® team worked diligently on a range of tasks for this 3-day summit, from preparing group presentations to fine-tuning logistical details. Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and professionals to travel to our international partner sites and engage with local stakeholders on outreach initiatives specific to their communities. The Latin America Autism Summit is the biggest project a SkillCorps® team has taken on so far. 

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from our CEO, Molly Pinney; our partner at Centro Enigma, Mafer Chang; the founder of Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru, Dr. Liliana Mayo; a Peruvian self-advocate, Amira Collantes; and a QABA representative from Honduras, Nestor Mercadal. 

Next week, you’ll hear from some of our SkillCorps® team members about their personal experiences and takeaways. 

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Behavioral Science 101, with Ryan O'Donnell | TBT

Discover what’s possible when behavioral science is creatively broadcasted.

Have you ever heard of Applied Behavior Analysis? Have you ever wondered how it came to be used in autism services?

If you’re curious about the true story behind the origins of Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA for short, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Ryan O’Donnell, where he shares his passion for disseminating behavioral science.

Ryan O’Donnell is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, videographer, and entrepreneur. Through quick and easy-to-digest YouTube videos, he makes behavioral science publicly accessible so that people of all ages can experience their version of success. 

In the summer of 2019, Ryan collaborated with the Global Autism Project to document our training approach and highlight our partners at Kaizora Center for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, in Kenya. You can watch these videos on his YouTube channel, The Daily BA. 

This episode with Ryan was first released in June of 2020. We’re re-releasing it today to celebrate the recent release of Ryan’s film The History of Applied Behavior Analysis, which is available for free exclusively at thebehavioracademy.com.

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• A condensed history of behavioral science, from early controversial practices of behavior modification to modern ABA used in autism services
• Relatable examples of practical ABA in every day 
• Ryan’s experiences working with the adult population
• Different services that are available for families

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