Two Sides of the Spectrum

Lydia X. Z. Brown is an autistic attorney and disability justice advocate who specifically focuses on violence against multiply-marginalized disabled people. In this episode, join us as we:- Dive deep into how white supremacy and white privilege play out for autistic kids- Learn how systematic racism and trauma impact the diagnosis and treatment of autistic kids, including the unexamined racism of many  OTs- Explore the role that police and prisons play in the schools and lives of autistic black, brown, indigenous, Asian, and POC kids- Discuss concrete steps OTs can take to become anti-racist in their work  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

Welcome to episode 1! In this episode Sarah and I dive deep into how our OT practices can better reflect our respect for autistic voices and our autistic clients. Join us while we:- Revisit how the podcast idea was born and named- Explore the most pressing reasons not to use hand-over-hand assistance with autistic kids (I'll also talk about why we say "autistic" not "kids with autism")- Discuss autonomy, sex, race, the foster system, and so much more- Explore the most pressing changes needed by OTs working with autistic people, and what concrete steps we can take to get there  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast