Discover what’s possible when people connected to autism inspire change and build community
Episodes
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Discover what’s possible when someone holds your hand.
Have you ever tried to look for autism services and found the process long, stressful, or confusing? If you’re the parent of a child with autism, you’ve probably found that the path to available resources is often far from clear.
However, professionals like today’s guest, Kathryn Petersen, are committed to making this journey easier.
Kathryn is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the Founder of 2 Steps Forward Consulting, a company offering early-intervention coaching to help parents navigate the system.
In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:
- Why Kathryn decided to start her consulting company
- What the autism-diagnosis process typically looks like for parents (from recognizing early signs in their children to receiving services)
- Common struggles parents face within the system
- How parents can collaborate in setting and prioritizing goals
- What to look for in a service provider
Do you know anyone else who might benefit from this episode? For instance, a parent in the early stages of receiving an autism diagnosis for their child?
We encourage you to share this episode with at least one other person. By doing so, you’ll help them feel supported, and help us improve access to services worldwide.
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Thursday Feb 22, 2024
Thursday Feb 22, 2024
Discover what’s possible when accessibility goes beyond a checklist.
Have you ever come across a website that was difficult to navigate? Were you frustrated that you couldn’t accomplish what you wanted to do, whether it was pay a bill, schedule a doctor’s visit, or attend a zoom call?
Well, you’re definitely not alone. It’s not uncommon for neurodivergent people to feel left out of digital spaces. The good news is accessibility guidelines already exist to ensure websites can be easily navigated.
If you want to know about how these standards are upheld, listen to this conversation I had with Maxwell Huffman and Jen Goubeaud, where we delve deep into the work that they do at Aspiritech, a quality-assurance company with over 90% of autistic employees.
Maxwell is Autistic himself and oversees operations across all of Aspiritech’s program lines, including software quality assurance, accessibility, and data services. And Jen, who has ADHD, is the program manager for the company’s accessibility program line.
In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:
- Accessibility criteria that websites needs to meet
- Using screen readers for the visually impaired
- How a neurodiverse team can help to assess user experience
- Moments that make Maxwell and Jen feel proud to be working at Aspiritech
- Tips for employers wanting to increase neurodiversity in the workplace
Do you know anyone else who might find value in this episode? Maybe your boss or coworkers would also like to learn how to make your workplace more neurodivergent-friendly.
If you’d like to help improve employment conditions for autistic individuals, please take just a few seconds to share this episode with one person who you think will appreciate it.
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Thursday Feb 15, 2024
Thursday Feb 15, 2024
Discover what’s possible when your work environment helps you flourish.
Have you ever been at work and felt like your colleagues just didn’t understand you, or maybe didn’t even try? Or have you ever worked up the courage to request accommodations, only to then have your needs minimized?
If you want to hear about a company with a work environment just the opposite of that, stay tuned for today’s conversation with Maxwell Huffman and Jen Goubeaud, where we discuss how Aspiritech creates opportunities for their neurodivergent employees to thrive.
Maxwell is Autistic himself and oversees operations across all of Aspiritech’s program lines, including software quality assurance, accessibility, and data services. And Jen, who has ADHD, is the program manager for the company’s accessibility program line.
In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:
- How Brenda and Moshe Weitzberg founded Aspiritech to help their son find suitable employment, scaling it up from a kitchen-table start-up to a company with over 100 employees, 90% of which are Autistic
- Common accommodations, such as written instructions and hybrid work options
- Aspiritech’s hiring and training process
- How to match skill sets to a job
If you’re enjoying this episode and you don’t want to miss part 2, where we’ll talk about digital accessibility for neurodivergent individuals, be sure to hit the subscribe button! It will help you stay up-to-date, and it will also help us continue to bring you great guests, like Jen and Maxwell.
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Thursday Feb 08, 2024
Thursday Feb 08, 2024
Discover what’s possible when communication operates beyond words.
Have you ever heard anyone say that speech therapy is only for children who need to learn how to talk? Or that dyslexia only affects the ability to read and write? Or that an AAC device might hinder language development?
In today’s throwback episode, we revisit these common misconceptions and many, many more.
A certified teacher, speech pathologist, coder and author, and the digital creator behind Bearly Articulating, Jeannette has many years of experience providing services to people with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:
- Who can benefit from speech therapy
- How autism and dyslexia overlap
- Why collaboration between professionals from different fields is essential for progress
- Ways in which an AAC device can improve communication
- How differently-minded individuals can – and should – contribute to the tech industry
- Helpful tips for parents trying to increase their child’s communication skills
This episode with Jeannette Washington was originally released on July 23, 2020.
Would you like to submit your own questions for our upcoming guests? Follow us on Instagram @autismpodcast and watch out for posts asking for contributions! We want you to get the most out of our podcast, so your input is always appreciated.
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Thursday Feb 01, 2024
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
Discover what’s possible when autism representation in the media is accurate.
Have you ever been disappointed by the representation of autism in movies, TV shows, or other media? Or, on the other hand, have you ever resonated with some of the characters with autistic traits that you’ve seen on screen?
Whether you’ve had one of these experiences or both, stick around, because today’s episode is a roundtable discussion where we address the question, “How can the entertainment industry improve their representation of autism?”
I’m sure you’ll find this conversation as engaging as I did. Among other things, we talked about:
- How movies like Rainman and other early representations of autism led to inaccurate stereotypes
- The ethics of Autistic characters being played by Autistic vs. non-Autistic actors
- Implicit vs. explicit Autistic characters in shows like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Atypical and The Big Bang Theory
- The need to increase representation of non-speaking Autistics
Participants in this roundtable include Autistic Self-Advocates Andrew Bennett, Michelle Vinokurov, Corben Havener, Mary Johnston, and Christina Kaspersen, and fellow members of our online Global Autism Community Ali Carbone, Cheryl Albright, Tj Larum and Danielle Terrell.
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Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Discover what’s possible when you live label free.
Livia Sara is an Autistic Self-Advocate, eating disorder survivor, author, and the host of the podcast Liv Label Free. Livia is currently working on her fifth book, and her publications include a memoir, Rainbow Girl, and a cookbook titled Nourishing Neurodiversity. She is also a 1:1 coach for autistic people recovering from an eating disorder.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- Livia’s autistic strengths
- How having an eating disorder led to the journey of discovering her autism
- Why Livia thinks her eating disorder was a way of masking
- How to disentangle autistic traits from eating-disorder behaviors
- Examples of eating disorders that can be linked to autism
- Tips for autistic people suffering an eating disorder
To learn more about Livia Sara please visit livlabelfree.com.
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Thursday Jan 18, 2024
Thursday Jan 18, 2024
Discover what’s possible when passion drives purpose.
In today’s episode, we’re continuing to highlight our recent SkillCorps® trip to Rwanda. Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and professionals to travel to our 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.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear our SkillCorps® Rwanda team members’ personal experiences and takeaways. Special shout out to SkillCorps® Alum and leader Kelly Cotter, who helped me guide this professionally diverse team of 10 global visionaries on this transformational journey. Even though the team members were complete strangers before they met in New York for orientation, by the end of our trip they had formed friendships that will last a lifetime.
Apart from collaborating with our partners at Silver Bells, our SkillCorps® team also took in Rwandan culture through a range of activities, such as shopping at a night market, learning a local dance, and visiting an important historical museum. Each day left us surprised, inspired, and moved.
The team had a virtual reunion two weeks after returning from our trip. We reviewed what we had learned and reminisced about some of our experiences.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Memorable moments from the trip
- Global collaboration
- Sustainability
- The Global Autism Project’s model of Do With Not For
- Personal and professional growth
- Leadership
- Each team member’s post-trip commitment to their own community
- Tips for future SkillCorps® travelers
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Discover what’s possible when awareness spreads.
These next two episodes will highlight takeaways from our SkillCorps® volunteer trip to Rwanda last October!
For the last 20 years, the Global Autism Project has been providing sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership training to autism centers around the world seeking guidance. Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and professionals to travel to our international partner sites and collaborate with local stakeholders on outreach initiatives specific to 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.
Last October, I led our SkillCorps® team to visit our partners at Silver Bells in Kigali, Rwanda. Silver Bells offers comprehensive services for families, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and vocational training.
In today’s episode, you’ll hear the Founder of Silver Bells, two of the clinical department heads, and several community members who attended the three outreach events we hosted in Kigali.
Next week, you’ll hear some of our SkillCorps® volunteers talk about their personal experiences and takeaways.
As you probably know if you follow our work closely, we’re also sending teams out in the field this March, and we’re currently taking applications for travel in October 2024!
Join us today at skillcorps.globalautismproject.org and use the coupon code “AUTISMPODCAST” to waive the application fee.
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Friday Jan 05, 2024
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Discover what’s possible when a goal is set into action.
This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events!
The topic of this roundtable discussion was Setting Goals. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Thomas Iland, Mary Johnston, Scott Edgar, Andrew Arboe, Jeff Snyder, David Sharif, and Sarah Bradford, as well as community members, Karen Shapiro, Ben Sharif, and Kia Burton.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Proud moments from 2021
- Personal and professional goals for this year
- Staying motivated
- Tips and strategies to meet milestones
This roundtable discussion with our Global Autism Community was originally released on February 17, 2022.
Roundtable discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful.
If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org.
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Friday Dec 29, 2023
Friday Dec 29, 2023
Discover what’s possible when you trust your interests.
Happy New Year!
I want to kick off 2022 with a fun episode about special interests. This week’s release is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events, featuring autism self-advocates Thomas Iland, Mary Johnston, Ryan Litchfield, Jeff Snyder and David Sharif, as well as community moderator Kia Burton.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Fanfiction
- Animals
- Painting
- Traveling
- Advocacy
- Batman
- Star Wars
This roundtable discussion with our Global Autism Community was originally released on January 20, 2022.
What are some of your special interests? We’d love to hear from you over in our online Global Autism Community!
Roundtable discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful.
If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org.
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