Autism Knows No Borders

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. Ryan’s recent film, The History of Applied Behavior Analysis, is available for free exclusively at thebehavioracademy.com.

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. 

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

This conversation with Ryan O'Donnell was originally released on June 18, 2020.

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Sensory Challenges, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when you’re prepared for the environment. 

Are you or anyone you know either over-sensitive or under-sensitive to specific sights, sounds, smells, or textures? While this can sometimes be an asset, it can also cause distress or discomfort. 

If you’re familiar with difficulties in processing everyday sensory information, stick around, because today’s episode is a roundtable discussion where we talk about Sensory Challenges, featuring Autistic Self-Advocates Hattie-Angelys Fox, Amy Smith and Adrian Sanchez, as well as fellow members of our online Global Autism Community, Cheryl Albright, Tj Larum and Danielle Terrell. 

Among other things, we discuss: 

• Human sensory systems and needs
• Hyper- and hypo-sensitivities
• Levels of burnout and how to recover from it
• Regulatory strategies for various environments and situations
• Teaching children how to cope and ask for help
• Examining someone’s overall health to support their sensory issues
• The importance of collaborating with specialists when writing treatment plans
• Speech processing and interpreting
• Supports across the lifetime 

Sensory Differences - A Guide for All Audiences

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Requesting Accommodations at School and in the Workplace, with Thomas Iland and David Sharif | TBT

Discover what’s possible when you acknowledge your needs. 

Have you ever needed to ask for help but didn’t know how? Were you afraid of seeming weak or being rejected? 

Whether you’re an autistic student or employee, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Thomas Iland and David Sharif, where they encourage autistic people to speak up about their needs, emphasizing there is no shame in asking for help. 

Tom Iland is an Autistic Self-Advocate, Toastmasters International Accredited Speaker, Certified Human Potential Coach, Professional Diversity & Inclusion Consultant, and TEDx speaker. He’s the author of two books, Come To Life! Your Guide to Self-Discovery and My Glass Is Full: Stories of Putting Mental Health First. Tom also holds a Guinness World Record as "The Oldest Person With Autism To Finish a Full Ironman Triathlon," which highlights his commitment to transcending limits. 

Also an Autistic Self-Advocate, David Sharif was a dedicated and beloved member of our community who unfortunately passed away in April 2021 due to an epileptic seizure. David was a Magna Cum Laude graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Peace and Justice Studies. He worked as a job coach supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in building fulfilling, independent lives. 

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• How to request accommodations, both at school and in the work environment
• How a tutor or job coach can offer extra support
• Examples of reasonable accommodations, such as day-to-day guidance and feedback, establishing long- and short-term goals, assigning tasks by priority, and being notified in advance about meetings and topics
• The benefits of traveling and learning about different cultures

This conversation with Tom and David was first released on September 10, 2020. 

For more information about Thomas Iland, listen to:

My Journey of Becoming a Public Speaker, with Thomas Iland

For more information about David Sharif, listen to:

Honoring the Memory of David Sharif, with the Global Autism Community

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Individualized Education, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when the student has a seat at the table. 

You might have heard the saying, “Nothing about us without us.” This expression has its origins in Central European political traditions and became popular in disability activism during the 1990s. According to the United Nations, it relies on the principle of full participation, and it has been used by disabled people’s organizations throughout the years as part of the global movement to equalize opportunities for, by, and with persons with disabilities. 

In today’s episode, you’ll hear about how “Nothing about us without us” can be applied in special education settings. This Global Autism Community roundtable discussion was led by Michael Gilberg, an autistic special-education and disability-rights attorney based in New York and Connecticut. Other participants were Autistic Self-Advocates Sara Bradford, Corben Havener, Mary Johnston, Jonathan Gardner, and Sara van Koningsveld, as well as fellow community members, Nancy Gardner, Colleen Dorsey, Tj Larum and Danielle Terrell. 

Among other things, we discuss: 

• What is special education
• Social-emotional learning
• The difference between an Individualized Education Program and a 504
• How attorneys and advocates can support parents
• The importance of including students at school meetings about them

Are you a self-advocate willing to share your story and educate others? Or a professional seeking to hear directly from autistic voices and improve your practice? Or are you a family member hoping to support and empower your loved one? Whatever your connection to autism is, we’d love to hear your takeaways from this episode in our online Global Autism Community, where hundreds of people from all over the world come together to support each other and know that they’re not alone. 

Join us today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism. 

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Sibling Advocacy and a Reservoir of Resources in India, with Shreya Jain | TBT

Discover what’s possible when you approach conversations with an open heart. 

Have you ever had to advocate for yourself or an autistic loved one in public? Did you find those conversations difficult to handle? 

Whether you’re autistic, a family member, or someone who wants to learn about how to advocate for others, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Shreya Jain, where she describes how she supports her autistic younger brother, Suvrat, who is also her inspiration. 

Shreya Jain is the CEO and founder of Reservoir, India’s largest digital community of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Still in her 20s, Shreya has already built a safe space to connect families with resources and professionals. The team at Reservoir is driven by a passion to make India a truly inclusive country for people who are differently-abled. 

Shreya’s mother, Sangeeta Jain, has been working closely with the Global Autism Project for several years. In 2010, we partnered with SOREM, a school in Chandigarh, and have since sent over 20 SkillCorps® volunteer teams to provide hands-on training to their staff. To learn more about our SkillCorps® volunteer program, you can listen to episode 151 from last September with Team India. 

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• How autism is understood in India
• Shreya’s relationship with her autistic brother Suvrat 
• What it was like for Shreya’s family to have her brother  be repeatedly rejected by multiple schools
• Shreya’s first lessons of advocacy and why it’s important to educate children about autism at an early age
• Why Shreya left the pharmaceutical industry for a path of entrepreneurship

This episode with Shreya Jain was first released on May 7, 2020. 

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Naturally Effective Behavior | Part 2 with Hattie-Angelys Fox

Discover what’s possible when you find your values. 

Have you ever struggled to meet a goal? Was it maybe because you weren’t exactly clear on what it was that you wanted in the first place? 

If so, you’ll want to listen to this episode, which is part 2 of my conversation with Hattie-Angelys Fox. She talks about how she teaches her clients and families to adopt behaviors that align with their goals and values. 

Recently diagnosed as autistic, Hattie-Angelys Fox is a certified teacher, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the mother of 2 neurodivergent children. Through her consulting services at Naturally Effective Behavior, Angelys offers a variety of support for individuals and families, including ABA, behavioral support, education & advocacy, educational enrichment, parent training and professional development. 

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• How working with an autistic student as a teacher’s assistant influenced Angelys’ career path early on
• Different ways she works with families
• Angelys’ approach to caregiver training
• Advice for other neurodivergent parents

If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take a moment to rate the show and leave a review. You’ll be helping us to continue spreading autism awareness and acceptance around the world. 

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Why I Homeschool My Children | Part 1 with Hattie-Angelys Fox

Discover what’s possible when you can make mistakes safely. 

Have you ever wondered what the benefits of homeschooling are? Have you ever thought that children who are homeschooled are missing out on socialization with their peers? 

If you’ve ever been curious about homeschooling, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Hattie-Angelys Fox where she talks about why homeschooling was the right choice for her family.

Recently diagnosed as autistic, Hattie-Angelys Fox is a certified teacher, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the mother of 2 neurodivergent children. Through her consulting services at Naturally Effective Behavior, Angelys offers a variety of support for individuals and families, including ABA, behavioral support, education & advocacy, educational enrichment, parent training and professional development. 

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• What it was like for Angelys to receive her autism diagnosis as an adult
• Struggles with her peers growing up
• A toxic relationship from high school
• Finding true partnership in her husband
• Why Angelys decided to homeschool her children

Do you know anyone else who might benefit from this episode? Maybe a parent who is considering if homeschooling is right for their child? I encourage you to share this episode if you’d like to help them out. By doing so, you’ll be helping us to improve access to autism services around the world.

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Global Autism Accreditation, with our CEO Molly Ola Pinney

Discover what’s possible when children have a safe place to learn. 

In many places around the world where autism services and awareness are limited, center owners have to compete with other businesses who claim to provide certain therapies while, in reality, they’re not qualified. Oftentimes, legitimate autism centers must also deal with increasing turnover rates because they can’t properly compensate their certified clinicians for the high demands of their job. 

Meanwhile, parents feel overwhelmed and confused as they try to distinguish quality services from those that can be ineffective at best, and harmful at worst — sometimes, unfortunately, making the wrong choice.

After witnessing first-hand this hugely consequential problem over the last two decades, The Global Autism Project has come up with a solution. 

Whether you’re a center owner, a professional looking for a job, or a family member of an autistic loved one, you’ll want to listen to this episode, where our CEO Molly Ola Pinney makes our most exciting announcement to date, the launch of Global Autism Accreditation! She also explains how this opportunity for centers to become accredited through the only internationally-focused accreditor will revolutionize autism services on a global scale. 

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• How over 20 years of working internationally has prepared us for this moment
• What defines a Global Autism Center of Distinction
• Why accreditation matters
• The path to accreditation and who should apply

Do you own or manage an autism center committed to providing high-quality services? By meeting specific standards of excellence, your center can be identified as a regional leader in autism services while building local capacity in your community.

Apply for Global Autism Accreditation today and become a Center of Distinction! Details can be found at globalautismproject.org/accredtitaiton.

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The Double Empathy Problem | Part 2 with Brian Middleton

Discover what’s possible when empathy is a two-way street. 

Have you ever struggled to empathize with someone who experiences the world very differently from you? Maybe because you don’t share an interest, or even a first language with them? 

If so, you’ll want to listen to this episode, which is part 2 of my conversation with Brian Middleton. He talks about how a lack of mutual understanding between autistic and non-autistic people can lead to breakdowns in communication. 

Brian Middleton is an Autistic Self-Advocate, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the creator of the Bearded Behaviorist, an initiative dedicated to the dissemination of behavior science and the inclusion of trauma-informed care standards in applied behavior analysis and other human services. 

This conversation was part of a special event for our community or SkillCorps volunteers. Other participants include Danielle Terrell, Tara Hannan-Bruecken, Shannon Haynes, Marianne Spiotta, Hailee Perez, and Christina Cairoli. 

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• The Double Empathy Problem
• The unfair expectation for autistic people to adapt to non-autistic communication
• How Brian created an adventure room for his students to take a break and feel safe
• Where the terms “neurodiversity” and “neurotypical” originated
• Neurodiversity-affirming as an attitudinal approach
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

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