116. S9 E11: Rekindling our dimmed spark and reclaiming autistic joy

Dani Rodwell is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, therapist, and Co-founder of NeuroSpark Health. She lives in New Jersey, USA. 

She has worked in the field of autism and neurodevelopmental conditions for over 7 years - including working with neurodivergent youth, a brief period in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), then internships at The Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health, in mental health programming for neurodivergent adults and a support group for parents of neurodivergent adult children.

Now 29, Dani self-identified as autistic for five years, before being informally diagnosed in 2023. 

 

In our conversation we talk about:

 

➡ Advocating for herself and others, and the support within the ND community

➡ How she ended up being referred to a psychiatrist as a preteen, diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder and how her experiences and treatment ended with her being sent to a so-called 'therapeutic' boarding school for troubled teens

➡ Her short lived experience of using the controversial ABA with children, and later of working with adult ABA survivors with high support needs in residential settings

➡ Why she loves her current work providing autism assessments, therapy and support through Neurospark

 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

 

EPISODE LINKS:

Website: https://www.neurosparkhealth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurosparkhealth/ 

 

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

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THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

 

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

 

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