Discover what’s possible when people connected to autism inspire change and build community
Episodes
Thursday Jul 28, 2022
Thursday Jul 28, 2022
Discover what's possible when you're on the inside looking out.
Sara Bradford is an Autistic Self-Advocate, children’s book author, and the CEO of SJ Childs LLC, an autism-consulting business that supports families. She also hosts her own podcast, The SJ Childs Show. Her husband and their three children are also on the spectrum.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Sara’s recent discovery of her autism and how it affects her everyday life
- Masking and learning to unmask
- Having a deeper connection with her husband and children post diagnosis
- How autism might present differently for men and women
- Important considerations when teaching non-autistic children about autism
- Ideas to promote inclusion and acceptance
- What Sara’s learned about autism advocacy from doing her podcast
- The 1 in 44 Tour Virtual Summit
- Advice for other newly diagnosed autistic women
The 1 in 44 Tour is a virtual summit hosted by Sara Bradford and Maria Daniels. This event will be a great way to hear different perspectives on important topics from a variety of speakers. We’ll be hosting our next community roundtable discussion live at the summit on August 12th at 12:45 pm EST.
If you would like to participate in the community roundtable and go live with us at the summit, please join our online community at community.globalautismproject.org and RSVP to the event.
To learn more about Sara and her work, please visit sjchilds.org.
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Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Discover what’s possible when stigma is shattered by courage.
Evas Kyomugisha is the founder and owner of Silver Bells, an autism center in Kigali, Rwanda. Silver Bells offers comprehensive services for families, including Applied Behavior Analysis, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Music Therapy.
The Global Autism Project partnered with Silver Bells in April 2019. We have since sent two SkillCorps volunteer teams to provide hands-on training to their staff.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- The stigma around autism in Rwanda
- The lack of services in her community
- Having to turn away families who cannot afford to pay for services
- Rwanda’s progress in social reform since the genocide in 1994
- What Evas has learned from working with autistic children
- How she leads her multidisciplinary team
- How the COVID-19 crisis has affected services at her center
For more information about Evas Kyomugisha and her work, please visit: Silver Bells.
This conversation with Evas Kyomugisha was originally released on October 15, 2020.
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Thursday Jul 14, 2022
Thursday Jul 14, 2022
Discover what’s possible when you choose acceptance.
This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events.
The topic of this roundtable discussion was Inclusion and Acceptance. It was hosted by community moderator David Sharif, just a few days before his sudden passing last April. I was unable to attend this event, so I had asked David to fill in for me. He did an amazing job facilitating this discussion, and I’m glad he had the opportunity to step up in this way.
Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Jeff Snyder, Mary Johnston, Corben Havener, Olivia Hops, Scott Edgar, and Michelle Vinokurov, as well as community members Danielle Terrell, Ben Sharif, Karen Shapiro, and Liz Castillo.
In today’s conversation, they discuss:
- Coping with different situations
- Teammates or other people that helped the participants feel accepted
- Bullying perseverance
- School assemblies and fire drills
- Teaching non-autistic children about inclusion from a young age
Round-table 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.
Related episodes:
104. Honoring the Memory of David Sharif, with the Global Autism Community
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Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Discover what’s possible when curiosity sparks creation.
Today Cassie Harden Scott is back on the show. You may remember her from episode 23 with Rusty Hornig-Rohan and episode 42 with the rest of the Global Autism Project staff.
As our Director of Outreach, Cassie works closely with our international partners to help spread autism awareness and acceptance in their communities. She also designs all of our organization’s branding to make sure our messaging is consistent across our programs.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Why logos are important
- Different iterations of the Global Autism Project’s branding over the years
- The puzzle piece controversy
- Cassie’s creative process designing our new logo and the meaning behind it
- Two upcoming series of this podcast led by Molly and Cassie
To learn more about Cassie and her work, please visit globalautismproject.org.
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Thursday Jun 30, 2022
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
Discover what’s possible when all notes are heard.
Today we’re featuring two members of the ASD Band, lead vocalist Rawan Tuffaha and drummer Spenser Murray, joined by their manager, Andrew Simon.
Comprised of musicians on the autism spectrum, the ASD Band was formed by Canadian charity Jake’s House to raise awareness and highlight strengths related to autism. If you’d like to learn more about Jake’s House, please listen to episode 44 featuring its co-founder, David Bodanis: Support Across the Lifespan at Jake's House in Canada.
The ASD Band has performed with Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, and their covers of Shawn Mendes, Sonny & Cher, and Marvin Gaye are available on streaming platforms. In the intro, you'll hear a short sample of the band performing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- The serendipitous creation of the ASD Band
- Rawan and Spenser's musical influences
- How autism helps their musical abilities
- Misconceptions about autism
- Tips for people on the spectrum who may be interested in joining a band
For more information about the ASD Band, please visit:
Spenser’s YouTube: PlayerPunk6
Rawan’s YouTube: Rawan Singer 77
This conversation with ASD Band was originally released on March 4, 2021.
The band's story has been made into a feature-length documentary called OKAY! (The ASD Band Film).
The film premiered at the Hot Docs International Festival last April, where it came in 2nd place for Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, and was also accepted and presented at Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand.
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Thursday Jun 23, 2022
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
Discover what’s possible when you're given a hand to hold.
Today we are joined by the CEO of the Global Autism Project, Molly Ola Pinney, and Sensory Integration Therapist, Anna Tuzova. Anna is a Ukrainian refugee currently living in Poland.
If you've been following our work closely, you'll know that a few weeks ago Molly visited Poland with a small team to learn how to best support Ukrainian families with autistic loved ones. Since then, we’ve been in direct communication with hundreds of families who need help. Families who have spent weeks in bomb shelters with their children, have had harrowing experiences trying to escape to safety, and are now just wanting to get their children back on track.
The stats are staggering. Over 105,000 families with autistic loved ones are fleeing Ukraine. The immediate needs of this community include housing and specialized services for their children. Unfortunately, the capacity of nearby countries to support these needs is extremely limited, and as such, families are left with little to no resources or hope.
Sadly, this war is not over. In a lot of ways, the struggles of these families have just begun, as they work to rebuild their lives in a new place.
There is a small window of time in which we can easily connect with those who fled Ukraine. Each day that these families are left in limbo, the children experience severe regression and the parents continue to feel lost, helpless, and powerless.
Families are constantly requesting educational services and continuation of care for their autistic loved ones. These would allow parents to start work and provide a routine and basic sense of normalcy for the entire family.
Our organization is on a mission to solve this urgent need now. We have several projects already in the works that will allow us to begin services and recreation opportunities for hundreds of Ukrainian families right away.
You can donate directly to our podcast community fundraising page at: give.globalautismproject.org/podcast
In today’s conversation, Molly, Anna, and I discuss:
- Anna’s life before the war
- Leaving Ukraine and settling in Poland
- Anna’s hopes for the future
- How the Global Autism Project is taking action
- Opportunities for those who want to get involved
- Advice for Ukrainian families with autistic loved ones
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Thursday Jun 16, 2022
Thursday Jun 16, 2022
Discover what’s possible when learning doesn’t hurt.
Ann Beirne is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over two decades of experience working with children and families in a variety of settings. She is the co-author of Understanding Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis: Practical Applications, now in its second edition. The book invites the perspectives of those within and outside the field of behavior analysis to offer commentary on topics including collective bargaining, moral philosophy, neurodiversity, compassionate care, and ethics in research.
Brian Middleton is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst as well as an Autistic Self-Advocate. He is 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.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- The history of the Judge Rotenberg Center
- The use of contingent electric skin shock
- Physical and psychological side effects caused by receiving contingent electric shock
- Behavioral principles of reinforcement and punishment
- The Stanford Prison Experiment
- A timeline of legal events leading up to the recent conference at ABAI Boston
- Advice for people who are eager to take action
The Global Autism Project unequivocally condemns the use of painful aversive procedures under any circumstances, including the use of contingent electric skin shock. In accordance with the United Nations, we believe that the use of CESS is torturous and inhumane, and we advocate for the discontinuation of this concerning and unethical practice.
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Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Discover what’s possible when wellness starts at bedtime.
Emily Varon is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst from California who focuses on sleep-related behavior. With more than 20 years in the field, Emily offers families and clinicians a broader, long-view perspective of sleep, producing more sustainable results over time.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- The correlation between autism and poor sleep
- Common sleep-related behaviors
- Myths about sleep struggles
- How a sleep-deprived child can affect the family as a whole
- How sleep contributes to learning and memory consolidation
- Why we shouldn’t set alarm clocks to wake up
- The importance of a consistent bedtime routine
- Tips to help balance screen dependency
- Day-time napping
- Recovering from sleep-debt
To learn more about Emily and her work, please visit readysetsleep.com.
What tips are you taking away from this episode? Let us know over in our online Global Autism Community.
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Thursday Jun 02, 2022
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
Discover what’s possible when innovation brings connection.
Richard Schreiber is the father of a 16-year-old autistic girl, Katarina, and the Founder of the NYC Autism Community Group in Manhattan, which was created to help parents with children on the spectrum navigate their day-to-day challenges. With a background in tech, Richard’s passion is to bring innovation and career opportunities to autistic individuals so they can better themselves and live the lives they deserve.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Richard receiving his daughter’s diagnosis
- Services she received growing up, including ABA and medical intervention
- A memorable moment when Katarina proved others around her wrong
- How Richard and his wife are preparing their daughter for adulthood
- What he’s learned about himself from being a father
- How society can move towards more acceptance and inclusion
- Support and resources offered at the NYC Autism Community Group
- The NYC Autism Tech, Careers & Innovation Expo, which, due to unforeseen circumstances, has been postponed until September this year
To learn more about Richard and his work, please visit nycautismcommunity.org.
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Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
Discover what’s possible when walls are broken down with vulnerability.
Russell Lehmann is a motivational speaker, poet, author, and autism self-advocate. In 2018, Russell was awarded Reno-Tahoe’s “Most Outstanding Young Professional Under 40.” He has already published two books. The first is called Inside Out: Stories and Poems from an Autistic Mind, and the second is On the Outside Looking In. Russell leans on writing as an outlet for his pain. Stay tuned until the end of the conversation to hear him recite one of his poems.
Growing up as a social recluse with no one to trust, Russell decided to use the stories of his struggles to connect with an audience and initiate vulnerable dialogue. Public speaking gave him a purpose to be a voice for the unheard.
Russell travels the world spreading hope, awareness, and compassion, while also striving to erase the stigma and stereotypes associated with having a disability. Individuals diagnosed with autism are at a higher risk of developing co-morbid mental health disorders. Russell aims to shift society’s perspective on invisible disabilities.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- Ableism
- Identity labels
- What he's learned about himself through public speaking
- How he feels misunderstood
- How his obsessive-compulsive disorder impacted his life as a child
- How he copes with his symptoms today
To learn more about Russell Lehmann and his work, please visit: The Autistic Poet.
This conversation with Russell Lehmann was originally released on May 14, 2020.
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