TBT | 3. Self-Advocacy and Parenting at The Autism Cafe, with Eileen Lamb

*THROWBACK EPISODE*

This conversation with Eileen Lamb was originally released on April 28, 2020. We're re-releasing it today to highlight some of Eileen’s recent accomplishments.

Eileen is currently the Director of Social Media at Autism Speaks. Her second book, Be The One, was released in March 2021. She also gave birth to her third child in 2022, a little girl named Billie. 

Discover what’s possible when an Autistic Self-Advocate courageously shares her stories online.

Eileen Lamb is an Autistic Self-Advocate whose two sons are also on the spectrum. Eileen hosts a blog called The Autism Cafe, where she posts articles and resources for parents. She published her first book in August 2019, called All Across the Spectrum. You can also find her photographs on Instagram @theautismcafe. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Eileen’s son’s diagnosis and his progress from receiving Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services
• Her experiences growing up feeling different 
• Receiving a diagnosis as an adult
• The surprising differences in attitudes towards autism between France and the US
• A traumatic incident that involved Child Protective Services and left Eileen feeling betrayed by her son’s ABA team
• The controversy of ABA therapy and the myths surrounding it
• How hard it’s been for Eileen to receive online attacks from other self-advocates and how she handles those criticisms today

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