Discover what’s possible when people connected to autism inspire change and build community
Episodes
Thursday Dec 21, 2023
Thursday Dec 21, 2023
Discover what’s possible when we learn together.
This week’s episode is part 2 of our 2023 Highlights! Today we’ll continue to review some of our favorite moments from this year’s episodes, specifically from 145 to 158.
As we were reflecting on these past episodes from 2023, we were overcome with immense gratitude for our community. A huge thank you to our guests for sharing their stories, to you, our listeners, for your continued support, and to our team for all the work behind the scenes.
Special thanks to Anh Ngoc and Danielle Terrell for helping to manage guest communications and social media, and to all of our community moderators this year: Andrew Bennett, Cassidy Hooper, Stephan Guidon, Korey Taylor, and Christina Kasperson for monitoring posts and keeping our online space safe and respectful.
From all of us at the Global Autism Project, we wish you a happy and safe holiday season, and hope you can spend some quality time with your loved ones.
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Saturday Dec 16, 2023
Saturday Dec 16, 2023
Discover what’s possible when we learn together.
We’ve reached the end of 2023! To celebrate, we'll be reviewing some of our favorite moments from this year’s episodes – there are so many that this will have to be a two-parter! Part 1 will highlight episodes 129 through 144, and next week 145 through 158.
Since we started working on this podcast almost four years ago (which is unbelievable to say out loud!), we’ve brought on a wide range of guests, including prominent self-advocates, such as Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Stephen Shore, Dr. Kerry Magro, Rachel Barcellona, and Anthony Ianni; parents like Tiffany Hammond and Bobby Rubio; some of our Global Autism Project partners, such as Sangeeta Jain from India and Evas Kyomugisha from Rwanda; and other professionals in the field, such as Michelle Garcia Winner from Social Thinking and Harald Neerland from Autism Europe.
If you’ve been listening to our podcast for a while, this 2023 recap will bring you back to the heartfelt stories we’ve been hearing from our guests. And if you’re joining us for the first time, welcome! This episode will give you a good idea of what Autism Knows No Borders is all about.
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Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Discover what’s possible when you welcome different perspectives.
Dr. Megan Miller is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst based in Florida. She is the founder of the Do Better Movement, a professional development initiative for behavior analysts aimed at creating humane, culturally-informed, and compassionate interventions. Megan also co-wrote the book The Seven Steps to Earning Instructional Control with Robert Schramm, which was published in 2014.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- How Megan became involved in the field
- What she’s learned from working internationally
- Why Megan decided to start the Do Better Movement
- Three examples of areas she believes behavior analysts should focus on to improve their clinical skill sets
This conversation with Dr. Megan DeLeon was originally released on November 12, 2020.
For more information about Dr. Megan Miller and her work, please visit the following links:
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
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
This conversation with Eileen Lamb was originally released on April 28, 2020.
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.
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Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Discover what’s possible when you attend to gratitude.
This episode is being released a day early in observance of Thanksgiving in the US.
Each year our team reflects on what they’re grateful for, both personally and professionally. This year we have many reasons to count our blessings, including one special milestone to celebrate: the Global Autism Project’s 20-year anniversary!
In this episode our CEO, Molly Ola Pinney, and our Head of University and Training Programs, Ann Beirne, discuss:
- The Global Autism Project’s origin
- How we evolved to be what we are today
- How autism awareness has increased around the world over the last 20 years
- How the field of ABA has embraced the neurodiversity movement
- Our motto “Do With Not For” as the foundation to our work
- Cultivating ownership vs buy-in with a team
- What Molly and Ann are grateful for during this special occasion
You’ll also hear a few special excerpts of our staff members sharing their personal gratitudes. We hope that this episode will inspire you to reflect on what you’re grateful for this holiday season.
From all of us at the Global Autism Project, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you can spend some time with your loved ones this weekend.
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Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Discover what’s possible when you ask for help.
This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events! The topic of this roundtable was Accommodations and Accessibility at School and Work.
The participants were Autistic Self-Advocate Andrew Bennett, mothers Karen Shapiro and Neena Wagh, and community members Tj Larum and Brenda Canas, and the discussion was facilitated by community moderator Danielle Terrell.
We want to acknowledge Danielle for her commitment to our mission at the Global Autism Project. Soon after discovering our podcast, Danielle joined our online Global Autism Community, participated in our Virtual Leadership Academy course, became a member of our Affiliate program, traveled with us on a SkillCorps® trip to India, and most recently stepped into a role as community moderator. Danielle is also now managing our podcast Instagram and guest communications.
Thank you, Danielle, for all that you do. Your hard work and dedication are helping this podcast and our community grow!
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- The importance of knowing your rights when it comes to accommodations
- How to determine what reasonable accommodations are
- How accommodations can vary across different cultures
- Advocacy skills and why they should be taught
- Empowering parents and students
- The freedom to disclose or not
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Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Discover what’s possible when education is measured beyond grades.
Michael Gilberg is an autistic special education and disability rights attorney based in New York and Connecticut. Growing up with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome, he offers his clients a level of insight and empathy that is unique to his personal experience.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Michael’s lack of educational services as a child
- What he’s learned about friendship
- Misconceptions about autism
- Feeling stuck between autistic and neurotypical
- The challenge of defining what “normal” means
- The right to an appropriate education
This conversation with Michael Gilberg was originally released on February 25, 2021.
For more information about Michael Gilberg and his work, please visit michaelgilbergesq.com.
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Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Discover what’s possible when the glass child heals.
Ali Carbone is a Brooklyn-based writer, and the oldest sibling to three autistic brothers. In her most recent book, What Are You Looking At?, she writes about her journey of finding herself and rewiring her own brain.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- Ali’s caretaker role from a young age
- Her relationship with her parents
- How being the non-autistic sibling affected her psyche
- The catalyst to understanding her lost identity
- Ali’s breakthroughs in therapy
- Her brothers’ transition into a group home
- Tips for other siblings
To learn more about Ali Carbone you can read her memoir or follow her on IG @aliicarbone.
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Thursday Oct 26, 2023
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
Discover what’s possible when stories shape behavior.
Sivan Hong is the author and illustrator of the best-selling children’s book series Super Fun Day Books, which celebrates the triumphs of neurodiverse children as they face challenges with determination and courage. Her titles include Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween, George J. and the Miserable Monday, Emily D. and the Fearful First Day, and Avery G. and the Scary End of School. Sivan is also the mother of two neurodiverse children, and she herself has ADHD.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- Sivan’s discovery of her neurodivergence at age 47
- How audiobooks opened her up to the world of reading
- Neurodivergent traits that help her writing
- The difference between social stories and traditional children’s books
- Why social stories are effective in teaching neurodiverse children to navigate challenging situations
- The benefits of social stories for every student in the classroom, including neurotypicals
- An excerpt from one of Sivan’s books about Halloween
- Why she focuses on strengths with her family
- Tips for other parents
To learn more about Sivan Hong, please visit her website at sivanhong.com.
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Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Discover what’s possible when you step outside of your comfort zone and embrace the unknown.
Andrew Bennett, Brittney Paye, and Jessie Sheahan have all traveled with the Global Autism Project over the years on SkillCorps® volunteer trips to our various partner sites, including ABA Centrum in the Czech Republic and SOREM in India.
As our CEO Molly mentioned in episode 2, SkillCorps® is an opportunity for professionals and self-advocates to provide meaningful training to our partners around the world.
We send out teams of up to 15 people twice a year for 10 days at a time. The team members are complete strangers when they meet for orientation in NY, and by the end of their two-week trip, oftentimes they’ve become best friends. I still keep in touch with many of my teammates that I’ve traveled with.
So far, over 1,000 volunteers are part of our Skillcorps® Alumni community, and many are repeat travelers. Time and again, SkillCorps® alumni have expressed to us that their two-week trips have transformed their lives and relationships.
Each SkillCorps® team has a trip leader and sometimes a leader-in-training. Andrew, Brittney, and Jessie have all attended Leadership Academy, which is an intensive multi-day workshop that we offer for future trip leaders to discover their leadership style.
All three guests have different backgrounds related to autism. Andrew is an autism self-advocate and BCaBA, working with children on the spectrum. Brittney is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who implements Applied Behavior Analysis to train dogs. Jessie is a licensed school psychologist and has used ABA strategies in her daily work.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- What Andrew, Brittney, and Jessie have learned about themselves and how they continue to apply these insights to their personal and professional growth
- An inspiring story Andrew shares about his outreach initiatives on a SkillCorps® trip to the Czech Republic
- How Brittney’s leadership skills have empowered her to take a stand in different aspects of her life
- Jessie’s takeaways from collaborating with a diverse team of professionals
- The clinical training model that is implemented on our SkillCorps® trips
- Why it’s important to always prioritize sustainability
- How using the Socratic approach fosters critical thinking skills in the learner
- Cultural humility and how it’s practiced on SkillCorps® trips
- Helpful tips for future SkillCorps® volunteers
This conversation with Andrew Bennett, Brittney Paye, and Jessie Sheahan was originally released on April 28, 2020.
You can find more information about our SkillCorps® program at globalautismproject.org.
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