Autism Stories

"4 of the cast were autistic and 2 were not autistic. That I felt was important as well. I didn't want people to look at the play and be able to say, "oh look, there's the autistic people doing their thing over there." I wanted people to say, "It's okay for all of us to be in this room together, and look how much better it is,” says Jody O’Neil. Jody joins this episode to discuss her play "What I Don't Know about Autism", how the theatre can be more inclusive, and what she wants to continue to learn about autism. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episodes subscribe on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com.

“Sex is deemed an inappropriate subject. People either shut down or they start giggling, or maybe they just blurt out everything and say too much. It is deemed inappropriate and something to be ashamed of. There's so much shame in our country in the way that people think about sex. We are oversexualized when it comes to the media, but we're also very shamed when it comes to our personal selves. It really is confusing,” says Angela Locashio. Angela joins this episode to discuss being a clinical sexologist, the impact of sex on the lives of autsitics, and what it means to be an intersectional octopus. To learn more about Angela visit https://www.mamapistachio.com. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episodes subscribe on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com.

“One of the main things that I'm in charge of is granting ADA requests. I want an employee to be super comfortable with me, and know that I will go after their manager looking for approval for an ADA accommodation. I just had to do so a couple weeks ago. There was a lot of back and forth with the manager, but I really stick to my guns- I'm here to help employees out,” says Dominique Cyntryn. Dominique joins this episode to discuss granting her fellow employees ADA requests as well as her other responsibilities as a benefits analyst. To learn more about Dominique visit https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/dominiquecytryn. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episodes subscribe on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com.

"I also use self disclosure as a therapist. I am very open about being neurodivergent and struggling with that myself, which I think makes a big difference. Because I've learned that neurodivergent people tend to build relationships and share information through storytelling. I tell my stories, they tell their stories, we share special interests to build rapport. Everything is custom to the neurodivergent client's experience “ says Vanessa Quinn. Vanessa joins this episode to discuss being a neurodivergent therapist and inclusive waiting rooms. To learn more about Vanessa and her services visit https://www.bloomtherapycincinnati.com. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episodes subscribe on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com.

"I am partial to children's books because I feel children have an open mind. To me, autism needs children to understand us because they are in school with autistics everyday. I want autistics to feel understood and accepted. My childhood would've been much better if that had happened for me,” says Gregory Tino. Gregory joins this episode to discuss his new book “The Autistic Boy in the Unruly Body: Autism and I Series" and the experiences of apraxic autistics. To learn more about Gregory visit https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtb4PV6YCEtrrSyeZ2ZeTMA and search for his books on Amazon. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episode by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com.

“Running my own art therapy private practice has been one of the greatest vehicles for self growth I've ever had, because I have to take ownership of every single decision in my practice. Do I want to maintain my policies? It's been such a process of looking at myself and standing true to my values, and designing my practice in a way that both really meets my clients' needs, but also meets my own needs,” says Jackie Schuld. Jackie Schuld joins this episode to discuss how art therapy can be helpful to autistics. Jackie also talks with us about coaching other therapists who are running their own private practice and coaching them to achieve the goals with their businesses. To learn more about Jackie visit https://www.jackieschuld.com. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episode by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would like to learn more about the personal development course for autistics please visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com/selfdefinedliving

“The first 15 minutes of class, we are teaching about the brain. We are teaching about the autistic neurotype and the strengths. It's a strengths-based approach, because you gotta play to the strengths. It's not fun to be in a situation where like oh, here's something that you're not good at, let's just keep on doing that, because you're not good at it. That's so deflating,” says Mara McLoughlin. Mara joins this episode of Autism Stories to discuss teaching social skills taking a neurodiversity affirming approach. Mara also talks with us about being appointed to Oregon Commission for Autism and the interventions subcommittee. To learn more about Mara visit https://irlsocialskills.com. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episode by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would like to learn more about the personal development course for autistics please visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com/selfdefinedliving

"I don't understand when someone gives me something that's more than three steps, I can't do it and I just panic, but I can write you a book in three days. It's one of the reasons that I have trouble with functioning labels, and why the autistic community in general, has trouble with functioning labels. Because you can't call someone like me high-functioning because that's not accurate, and you can't call me low-functioning because that's not accurate. They're both accurate depending on what's going on,” says Jaime A. Heidel. Jaime joins this episode us to discuss “The Articulate Autistic”, step by step instructions, and setting boundaries. To learn more about Jaime and her blog visit https://www.thearticulateautistic.com. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episode by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would like to learn more about the personal development course for autistics please visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com/selfdefinedliving

"I've been preparing to move and I know it's gonna be a big change, so I've been prepping myself, sort of, and trying to prepare what in my routine is gonna stay the same. That's brought me a lot of comfort. I also went to a support group for late-diagnosed autistis last week, and I got some amazing advice from them. They said to have all your comfort items easily accessible,” says Ziale Evans. Ziale joins this episode to discuss how moving takes a toll on her mental health, the sensory nightmares of shopping, and creating videos on social media. To learn more about Ziale find her at https://www.TikTok.com/@zialeevans . To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episode by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would like to learn more about the personal development course for autistics please visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com/selfdefinedliving

“Design, and art as a larger umbrella, is storytelling. Just like music is storytelling, even without lyrics. I think that we all tell stories. I really feel that every single thing we experience is some sort of story. We tell ourselves stories; everything that comes out of our mouths is a story. It's how we navigate the world,” says Neisha Hirsch. Neisha joins this episode of Autism Stories to discuss the impact of storytelling on our lives, her business Shadow Sage Designs, and how tarot has been helpful to her. To learn more about Neisha and Shadow Sage Designs visit https://www.shadowsagedesigns.com. To be updated on the latest Autism Stories episode by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening platform. If you could give us a positive rating and review on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com. If you would be interested in being interviewed on Autism Stories or would like to be a sponsor send an email to doug.blecher@autismpersonalcoach.com.