Two Sides of the Spectrum

Timotheus Gordon Jr. blogs and posts on social media as The Black Autist. His posts center on autism acceptance, race, disability, and the latest news relevant for autistic people who are black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC). Join us in episode 28 where we talk about:   Racism and exclusion within the disability communityThe stories of BIPOC autistic people interacting with policeReal, replicable community-based alternatives to police intervention in crisis and the Community Emergency Services & Supports Act, expected to pass in IllinoisTimotheus’s advice to therapists working with BIPOC autistic people.This is an important conversation you don’t want to miss. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Kate McLaughlin, M.S., CCC-SLP (“The AAC Coach” on social media) is a Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with complex communication needs. She believes that autonomous communication, inclusion, and self-determination are fundamental human rights. Listen into this episode as we explore:The difference between autonomous and independent communication, and how understanding this distinction can open up new opportunities for our clientsWhat it means to be an “emergent communicator” and tons of specific ways we can support them4 concrete strategies we can use to teach robust AAC in a respectful and engaging way (Spoiler: not a single one of these strategies is prompting!)  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Rachel Dorsey is Autistic and an ASHA-Certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Join us in episode 26 as we totally overhaul everything you thought you knew about the social skills of autistic people. In this episode, we dive into:Rachel’s own experience as an autistic person with neurodiverse and neurodivergent friendshipsThe subtle and insidious ways that OTs and SLPs are teaching our autistic kids to hide their own thoughts and emotions, even when we think we aren’tThe surprisingly negative ways that traditional social and social/emotional interventions can play out throughout a child’s lifeHow we can use a neurodiversity-affirming approach instead to support our clients’ strengths and their sense of positive self-identity and belonging  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Elsbeth Dodman is an autistic artist, creative writer, and public speaker. Tune into episode 25 where we talk about:Elsbeth’s own experience with autistic shutdowns, and the concrete strategies that helped her work through themElsbeth’s brilliant reframe of what “Whole Body Listening” means and why autistic people are actually quite good at itWhat it looks like when we turn the mirror onto neurotypicals and examine concepts like rigidity and empathyHow Elsbeth built a life on her strengths, and how we can support our clients to do the same  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Kristy Forbes. Kristy is an autistic support specialist for neurodivergent people and their families and professionals. She is the founding director of both inTune Pathways and The Neurodivergent Co. Kristy is autistic with ADHD and a Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile. She is also the mother to 4 autistic kids. Listen into episode 24 where we explore:Kristy’s experience as a PDA autistic person, professional, and parentHow we can use a family-centered approach to both support our autistic clients and help meet the needs of the whole familyKristy’s biggest advice to professionals supporting autistic people with a PDA profile  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

This episode has been removed View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Lyric Holmans is an autistic self-advocate from Texas who runs the neurodiversity lifestyle blog Neurodivergent Rebel. In episode 22, you’ll learn about Lyric’s own experience as a gender fluid autistic person. And we’ll tie this into authenticity in general, including what we can all be doing in our sessions to support positive identity around gender and sexuality. Please note that this episode was recorded before Lyric's name change from Christa. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Zosia Zaks is a certified rehabilitation counselor, author, and autistic self-advocate. He manages the Towson University's Hussman Center for Adults with Autism, where he teaches service-learning courses that examine autism through a social justice lens. Listen to episode 21 where we explore:How diversity education can truly shift the paradigm to make disability inclusion more effective and empowering for everyoneWhy attitudinal accommodations are the key to positive inclusion for autistic peopleThe concrete ways OTs can support autistic people at workWhat true self-advocacy looks like and why and how to start it youngHow everyone benefits from accommodations and advocacy strategies used by disabled people  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Jacklyn Googins is the cofounder of the OTs for Neurodiversity social media movement and the founder of B3 Coffee, an inclusive pop-up coffee stand in Chapel Hill, NC. Greg Boheler, who is autistic, is the cofounder of OTs for Neurodiversity and a board member for B3 Coffee. Join us in Episode 21 where we:Explore the practical changes that OTs for Neurodiversity strives to make in the field of occupational therapy, and how these can completely transform the work we doDive into concrete examples of the content that Jacklyn and Greg create, including how we can shift our thinking on both echolalia and sensory processing differences towards a more strengths-based, person-centered approachLook deeply at the B3 Coffee model and learn how inclusivity and neurodiversity can truly benefit everyone  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Damian Milton is an autistic researcher whose idea spawned a huge shift in how we think about autism.  In this episode, listen in as we explore: - How Damian developed his hypothesis that the trouble with empathy and social skills is a two-way street between autistic and non-autistic people, not a deficit of autistic people - What early research Damian did to confirm this hypothesis - One thing Damian would love to see OTs stop doing with social stories and comic strip interventions with autistic clients - A tip for how to better approach sensory processing challenges with autistic kids, with a cautionary tale from his own life  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast