Discover what’s possible when people connected to autism inspire change and build community
Episodes
Thursday Nov 06, 2025
Thursday Nov 06, 2025
Discover what’s possible when you shift from blame to resilience.
Although many myths about the causes of autism have been thoroughly debunked, misinformation continues to take a toll on mothers. Whether you know from personal experience or through an autism mom in your life, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Lisa Candera.
Lisa Candera is a single mom, attorney, ADHD-er, autism-mom coach, and the host of The Autism Mom Podcast. She helps parents of autistic children regulate themselves first, so they can show up for their kids with compassion, clarity, and strength.
This episode is part one of our conversation, and we discuss:
- Lisa’s journey of understanding and accepting her son’s autism and OCD diagnoses
- What she envisions for her son’s future
- The importance of shared experiences and support groups
- Misinformation about autism, including recent unfounded claims that it can be caused by Tylenol
- The debunked “refrigerator mom” theory
- Working through blame and guilt after learning that your child is autistic
- How parents can protect themselves from misinformation fatigue
- Cultural expectations of motherhood
- Unspoken pressures placed on autism moms
To learn more about Lisa Candera and her work, please visit: The Autism Mom Coach
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Monday Nov 03, 2025
Monday Nov 03, 2025
How can autistic individuals cultivate a meaningful life?
Gwen Palafaox, a licensed psychologist, talks about how autistic individuals can find a sense of belonging and cultivate a meaningful life across employment and relationships.
With a focus on helping teens and young adults find their most fulfilled and joyful lives, Gwen has been supporting disabled and neurodivergent individuals for over two decades. She also hosts the podcast Dr. Gwen Empowered.
Welcome to Autism Tips & Tools, where we highlight the best practical guidance from previous episodes of Autism Knows No Borders. Whether you’re a self-advocate, a family member, or a service provider, there’s something here for you!
This conversation with Gwen Palafox was originally released on June 22, 2023.
Would you like to hear Gwen talk about how neurotypicals can interact with autistic people from a trauma-informed perspective? Follow the link in the show notes for the full conversation.
Empowering Autistic Adolescents, with Dr. Gwen Palafox
Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.
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Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Discover what’s possible when you really put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Are you the parent of an autistic child? Or are you in a relationship with an autistic partner?
If you’d like to learn about how to better understand and support them, stick around for part two of my conversation with licensed professional counselor Meghan Ashley, where she talks about taking the autistic perspective.
Among other things, we discuss:
- The consequences of disclosing her and her two sons’ autism to their extended family
- Common struggles parents face when trying to understand their autistic children
- How to create an autism-friendly home environment
- The complexity of unmasking in different situations
- Tips for non-autistics when interacting with autistic individuals
To learn more about Meghan Ashley and her work, you can follow her on Instagram @mperfectconsulting.
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Monday Oct 27, 2025
Monday Oct 27, 2025
What are some action steps towards true inclusion?
Sangeeta Jain, an autism mother from India and one of our partners at the Global Autism Project, shares her thoughts on this topic.
Welcome to Autism Tips & Tools, where we highlight the best practical guidance from previous episodes of Autism Knows No Borders. Whether you’re a self-advocate, a family member, or a service provider, there’s something here for you!
The following clip is from a roundtable discussion with our Global Autism Community, which also featured Autistic Self-Advocate Anthony Ianni and autism sibling Vanessa Lista. This conversation was originally released on September 30, 2021.
Would you like to hear more about how to navigate social situations? Click the link below for the full conversation and be sure to subscribe to hear more from people connected to autism inspiring change and building community.
Navigating Social Situations, with Anthony Ianni, Sangeeta Jain, and Vanessa Lista
Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.
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Thursday Oct 23, 2025
Thursday Oct 23, 2025
Discover what’s possible when dialogue opens the door.
Unfortunately, cultural stigma around autism still exists. Whether you know from personal experience, or through someone who has been impacted by it, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Meghan Ashley. Meghan is a licensed professional counselor who has her own private practice, MPerfect Consulting, where she provides support to women, people of color, autistic individuals, and clients with intersectional identities.
This episode is part one of our conversation, and we discuss:
- The validity of self-diagnosis when you don’t have access to a formal diagnosis
- How Meghan uses what she describes as “neurodivergent life equations” to make her everyday life easier
- Parenting autistic children
- How to break the stigma around autism within the Black community
- Teaching her Black autistic sons about police interactions
- How to avoid misinformation when searching for autism resources online
To learn more about Meghan Ashley and her work, you can follow her on Instagram @mperfectconsulting.
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Monday Oct 20, 2025
Monday Oct 20, 2025
What are some changes educators need to make when teaching autistic kids how to read?
Reading specialist Lois Letchford talks about her teaching philosophy: MAPS, which stands for Mindset, Active learning, Play, and Student success.
Welcome to Autism Tips & Tools, where we highlight the best practical guidance from previous episodes of Autism Knows No Borders. Whether you’re a self-advocate, a family member, or a service provider, there’s something here for you!
This conversation with Lois Letchford was originally released on November 11, 2021.
Would you like to hear Lois talk more about how to think outside of the box when teaching autistic children how to read? Click the link below for the full conversation and be sure to subscribe to hear more from people connected to autism inspiring change and building community.
How to Teach Autistic Children to Read, with Lois Letchford
Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.
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Thursday Oct 16, 2025
Thursday Oct 16, 2025
Discover what’s possible when you give room to grow.
Can Applied Behavior Analysis ever be done safely?
Dr. Shelby Dorsey –a BCBA, late-diagnosed autistic ADHDer and mother of two neurodivergent children– believes so. If you’d like to learn about a safe and personalized approach to autism services, stick around for part two of my conversation with Shelby.
Among other things, we discuss:
- The harm that can arise from traditional ABA practices
- What it means to be happy, relaxed and engaged when learning
- How being autistic herself helps Shelby relate to her clients
- Setting goals for her clients only when they’re an issue for themselves, not just for society
- How to create safe and effective ABA interventions
- The importance of welcoming new and diverse ideas
- Resources for clinicians seeking to improve their practice
To learn more about Dr. Shelby Dorsey and her work, you can follow her on Instagram @drshelbydorsey.
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Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Did you go through a process to accept your autism diagnosis? What was it like to understand that autism is a part of who you are?
Autistic Self-Advocate Mary Johnston shares a very moving poem she wrote, titled “A Letter to My Autism” that describes her experience.
In Autism Tips & Tools, we highlight the best practical guidance from previous episodes of Autism Knows No Borders. Whether you’re a self-advocate, a family member, or a service provider, there’s something here for you!
This conversation with Mary Johnston was originally released on August 25, 2022.
Would you like to hear Mary talk about derealization and how she processes her feelings? Click the link below for the full conversation and be sure to subscribe to hear more from people connected to autism inspiring change and building community.
Derealization and Processing Feelings, with Mary Johnston
Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.
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Thursday Oct 09, 2025
Thursday Oct 09, 2025
Discover what’s possible when you speak your truth.
How do autism and ADHD interact in everyday life?
Whether you know from personal experience, or you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live with both diagnoses, you’ll want to listen to this episode with BCBA Dr. Shelby Dorsey, a late-diagnosed autistic ADHDer and mother of two neurodivergent children.
This episode is part one of our conversation with Shelby Dorsey, and we discuss:
- What it was like for Shelby to receive her diagnoses later in life
- How she felt misunderstood growing up
- Understanding autistic strengths and challenges
- How society responds differently to people with autism vs ADHD
- Thriving in social interactions and personal relationships as an autistic individual
- Why Shelby values authenticity over social pleasantries
- How her family operates in a flexible, non-traditional way to accommodate their neurodivergent needs
To learn more about Dr. Shelby Dorsey and her work, you can follow her on Instagram @drshelbydorsey.
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Monday Oct 06, 2025
Monday Oct 06, 2025
Are you or anyone you know a woman entrepreneur, or a Black-American business owner? Have you or they ever felt like you’ve had to prove yourself in your field?
Crystal Thompson and Brandy Collins talk about their experiences as female, Black-American business owners in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Welcome to Autism Tips & Tools, where we highlight the best practical guidance from previous episodes of Autism Knows No Borders. Whether you’re a self-advocate, a family member, or a service provider, there’s something here for you!
This conversation with Crystal Thompson and Brandy Collins was originally released on May 25, 2023.
Crystal and Brandy are members of our SkillCorps® Alumni community. If you’d like to learn more about our SkillCorps® program, please visit globalautismproject.org/skillcorps. We’re currently accepting applications for travel in 2026!
Would you like to hear Brandy and Crystal discuss the stigma around autism within the Black-American community? Click the link below for the full conversation and be sure to subscribe to hear more from people connected to autism inspiring change and building community.
Growth, Diversity, and Cultural Humility, with Brandy Collins and Crystal Thompson
Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.
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