Autism Knows No Borders

Discover what’s possible when you take the leap. 

We’re continuing to highlight our recent SkillCorps® trip to India! 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 employment initiatives in their communities. 

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from some of our SkillCorps® team members about their personal experiences and takeaways. I led this professionally diverse team of 21 global visionaries who were complete strangers before they met for orientation in New York. During our trip, they formed friendships that will last a lifetime. 

The following testimonies are from Abi Chambers, Cheryl Albright, Danielle Terrell, Hailee Perez, Melissa Badertscher, Morgan Ferguson, Natalie Woods, Belen BuenRostro, Kelsey Larsh, TJ Larum, Jennee Niemeijer-Heaton, and Angie Gilmore. 

In today’s episode, you’ll hear excerpts about: 

• Moments from the trip that surprised, inspired and moved our SkillCorps® volunteers
• 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 

We’re currently taking SkillCorps® applications for travel in 2024! 

Join us today at skillcorps.globalautismproject.org and use the coupon code “AUTISMPODCAST” to waive the application fee. 

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Discover what's possible when employment is made accessible. 

We’ve made it to episode 150! To celebrate this huge milestone, we are dedicating the next two episodes to our SkillCorps® volunteer program. 

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. 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. 

Last July, I led our SkillCorps® team to visit our partners at SOREM in Chandigarh, India. SOREM has been a partner with the Global Autism Project since 2010. For this trip, we focused on employment initiatives for autistic adults. 

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from our CEO, Molly Pinney, our partner at SOREM, Sangeeta Jain, and several community members who attended two outreach events we hosted in Delhi. There, we met with Autistic Self-Advocates and their family members, as well as various NGO representatives who are doing incredible work in order to make employment accessible for Autistic adults in India. 

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

As you probably know if you follow our work closely, we’re sending two teams out in the field this October to collaborate with our partners in Kenya and Rwanda, and we’re currently taking applications for travel in 2024! 

Join us today at skillcorps.globalautismproject.org and use the coupon code “AUTISMPODCAST” to waive the application fee. 

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Discover what’s possible when someone fosters motivation by encouraging autonomy. 

Today’s guest is Katerina Cizkova. Katerina is a psychologist and a previous Clinical Director at ABA Centrum, an autism center in Prague, Czech Republic. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The types of services available for individuals with autism in the Czech Republic
• The potential harm of implementing interventions that are not evidence-based
• Some of the ethical considerations to review when designing programs
• How Katerina became involved in the field of ABA
• Why ABA is sometimes misunderstood by parents and professionals
• How she views the changes to the BACB’s international credentialing
• ABA Centrum's transition to online services and how they keep parents engaged from a distance 

Here is a link to view the documentary Katerina mentions about autism in the Czech Republic: Children of the Full Moon.

For more information about Katerina Cizkova and ABA Centrum, please visit their website: ABA Centrum. 

This conversation with Katerina Cizkova was originally released on June 11, 2020.

Since this recording, Katerina co-founded a therapy center for children with neurodevelopmental disorders in her community. Two years later, she decided to work in a different sphere, but she still collaborates with the therapists occasionally on a supervision level. 

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Discover what’s possible when the shadow of stereotypes is illuminated by humor and art. 

Timothy Boykin is an autism self-advocate, author, singer, and influencer. With almost 40K followers on TikTok, Tim uses his platform to promote autism acceptance and bring attention to racial inequality. 

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

• What it was like for Tim to learn about his diagnosis
• How he dealt with bullies throughout school
• Why he wants to shine a positive light on autism
• Strategies Tim’s mother taught him to stay safe during encounters with police officers
• Experiences in which Tim felt he was discriminated against because of his race

This conversation with Timothy Boykin was originally released on June 25, 2020.

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Discover what’s possible when students lead the beat. 

Stephen Flinn has been teaching music for over three decades. As a master trainer of the Rhythmic Arts Project curriculum, Stephen facilitates percussion-ensemble classes to students of all diagnoses.

He has been featured in many international publications, including the Modern Drummer and DownBeat magazines, and published his first book, Contemporary Urban Percussion, in 2016. Stephen has also appeared on over 40 commercial releases of creative music and has toured extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The benefits of learning a musical instrument, such as increased focus, listening, communication, confidence, motor strength, stress management, and cognitive development
• Generalizing skills outside music class
• Stephen’s alternative notation system on piano
• How to use drums to communicate with non-speakers
• What Stephen has learned from working with autistic students 
• Why he decided to spend 6 months as a monk in Thailand and how that experience influenced his teaching
• The biggest mistake many musicians make

To learn more about Stephen Flinn, please visit specialneedsmusic.com. 

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Discover what’s possible when you create what you’re looking for.

Sangeeta Jain is the mother of a 21-year-old young man with autism, Suvrat. Her older daughter Shreya was featured in episode 6 of this podcast, where she talked about growing up with a sibling on the spectrum. Sangeeta is also the principal at SOREM, a school for children with disabilities in Chandigarh, India. 

The Global Autism Project partnered with SOREM in 2010. We have since sent close to 30 SkillCorps volunteer teams to provide hands-on sustainable training to their teachers and staff. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The level of understanding of autism in India and the lack of standardization in the services available there
• What Sangeeta envisions for Suvrat's future
• The relationship between her two children
• How SOREM has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
• What Sangeeta has learned about leadership over the years
• A special anecdote from when a particular SkillCorps volunteer team visited India

For more information about SOREM, please visit their website http://soremspecialchildren.org and follow them on Instagram @soremcare36. 

This conversation with Sangeeta Jain was originally released on November 5, 2020.

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Discover what’s possible when identity is fluid. 

This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events! This roundtable was facilitated by community moderator Andrew Bennett, and its topic of discussion was Autistic Identity.

The participants were Autistic Self-Advocates Thomas Iland, Sara Bradford, and Michael Gilberg, and community members Rosetta Walker, Vanya Umenjoh, and Korey Taylor.

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

• What is identity and what gives us ours
• Person-first vs. identity-first language
• Autistic with a capital “A”
• Why autistics value identity
• What is “normal”
• Respecting someone else’s identity
• Masking
• The difference between fitting in and belonging
• How to encourage society to be more inclusive
• The importance of empowering young autistics to become self-advocates

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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Discover what’s possible when certification is just the beginning. 

The CEO of Global Autism Project, Molly Ola Pinney, is joined by the Co-Founder of the International Behavior Analysis Organization, Dr. Michael Mueller. The IBAO certifies practitioners to ensure ethical practices, protect consumers, and maintain appropriate educational standards in the field of ABA around the world. 

A board certified behavior analyst, Mike has authored 11 books, including Behavior Analytic Consultation to Schools, and the Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS), a seven-volume series to guide in the assessment of teaching everyday life skills to learners of all ages. He has also published dozens of research articles and served on the editorial board of several prestigious journals, including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the School Psychology Review, and the Journal of Evidence Based Practices for Schools, to name a few.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• What prompted the start of the IBAO
• Former barriers to certification, including cost and accessibility
• How the IBAO makes certification more attainable for practitioners who don’t hold a Master’s degree
• Ethical considerations to addressing cultural differences
• The distinction between certification and licensure
• Collaboration between Global Autism Project and the IBAO
• Tips for ABA practitioners

To learn more about Dr. Michael Mueller and the IBAO, please visit theibao.com. 

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Discover what’s possible when your life is not defined by a single identity. 

Tiffany Hammond is an autism self-advocate, a mother to two boys on the spectrum, and the voice behind the blog Fidgets and Fries. As a Black and autistic woman, Tiffany aims to educate others about autism and intersectional advocacy. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How Tiffany became aware of her differences
• The guilt she felt after her first son was diagnosed
• How Tiffany finally accepted her own autism
• The journey of her advocacy work
• How she feels about being an Instagram influencer
• Why Tiffany felt conflicted about her sudden social media growth after the death of George Floyd
• The division within the autism community
• The overlap between intersectionality and neurodiversity

To learn more about Tiffany Hammond, please visit: 

Instagram: @fidgets.and.fries 

Twitter: fidgetsandfries 

Website: fidgetsandfries.com 

Patreon: patreon.com/tiffanyhammond 

This conversation with Tiffany Hammond was originally released on January 14, 2021. 

Tiffany's book A Day With No Words was released this last May and has since reached The New York Times #1 Best Seller for Children’s Picture Books. This colorful and engaging picture book for young readers shares what life can look like for families who communicate in a nonverbal way, utilizing tools (like tablets) to embrace their unique method of "speaking."

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Discover what’s possible when belonging allows us to be who we are. 

An Autistic Self-Advocate and BCaBA from Texas, Andrew Bennett has been a dedicated member of our community since 2019, and currently serves as a moderator in our online Global Autism Community. He contributed to our Responsive Skills Training as a committee member, and has traveled on two SkillCorps® volunteer trips, first to the Czech Republic and more recently to Kenya. 

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 to ensure that all autistic individuals around the world have access to quality education, services, and employment. 

Responsive Skills Training, or RST, is a curriculum co-created with the Autistic community to transform the way in which services are provided across the world. If you’d like to learn more about RST, please listen to episode 139 with co-creator Ann Beirne and our CEO Molly Pinney.  

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Andrew’s special interests, which include cooking and writing poetry
• Why Andrew decided to join the RST committee 
• His definitions of “inclusion” and “affirming,” and how they apply to neurodiversity-affirming practice in ABA 
• How to help an autistic person unmask
• Situations in which Andrew has felt “dis-affirmed” 
• Andrew’s experience as an autistic SkillCorps® volunteer 
• Tips for other self-advocates thinking of going on a SkillCorps® trip 

To learn more about our SkillCorps® program, check out episodes 100 and 132, featuring SkillCorps® volunteers that have been to our partner sites in Saudi Arabia and India. Listen to them talk about their transformative experiences and see what SkillCorps® can offer you! 

Begin your journey today at globalautismproject.org/skillcorps. As a listener of our show, take advantage of the coupon code AUTISMPODCAST (no space and all caps) to waive the application fee. 

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