Uniquely Human: The Podcast

“My Mother’s Apprentice” – The Special Qualities of my Upbringing. A Discussion with  Gyasi Burks-Abbott Gyasi Burkes-Abbott has a unique perspective as a late-diagnosed autistic man, who is African-American and raised by his mother in a white-dominated culture. In today’s episode, he discusses how his mother was vigilant about exposing him to role models in black literature and culture, and how his upbringing led to a strong sense of identity, confidence and purpose. He shares the special way his mother accepted and appreciated his differences that all parents could benefit from hearing, and how it motivated him to become a strong advocate in supporting neurodivergent individuals. He also challenges concepts such as lack of “Theory of Mind” that have pathologized the autistic experience.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many of you may be aware of the fact that “Avatar: The Way of Water”, the follow up of the 2009 "Avatar", was just released. One of the stars is Sigourney Weaver, and we had the great pleasure of interviewing Sigourney with Ros Blackburn, a great friend of ours who is an autistic women from England. We invite you to listen again, or for the first time, to the episode we did with them. We have a discussion with Ros Blackburn, an autistic friend, colleague and international speaker from the UK who speaks with great insight about her autistic experience. In Barry’s book, Uniquely Human, he shares so much of what he learned from Ros in their travel and presentations together, and Ros expands on her insights in today’s discussion with great humor and candor. We surprise Ros when we are joined by the world-renowned actress, Sigourney Weaver, who played an autistic woman in the film “Snowcake”. Sigourney modeled her role after Ros, and by sharing time together in the US and UK, they developed a valued friendship. Sigourney and Ros reflect on that time, and all they learned in the process. Access our website for more info about this episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is now widely accepted that for autistic and neurodivergent individuals to be fully included and successful in educational and vocational settings, the design of such settings must support accessibility and be sensitive to the specific environmental challenges posed by different settings. Such challenges may occur due to the sensory and social demands inherent in schools, vocational settings, and everyday environments. Dr. Magda Mostafa, a leading expert and innovator in architectural design for neurodivergent individuals, discusses her groundbreaking work that is at the forefront of influencing autism friendly design and has helped to improve quality of life for autistic children, adults and their families.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Art of Autism is a nonprofit that has become a community of sharing art, poetry, and literary works by autistic people from around the world. In this episode, Debra Muzikar, one of its founders, discusses the range of artistic endeavors and submissions to their website and then shared in their e-mail newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Inspired by their NY Times best selling book, John Donovan and Caren Zucker discuss their mission in producing their film, “In a Different Key”. Their engaging  film includes an historic perspective built around the life of Donald Triplett, the first autistic child diagnosed by Leo Kanner, as well as many profiles and voices of autistic people sharing their experiences and challenges.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Josh Feder, a child and family psychiatrist, delves into the appropriate use of medications for autistic individuals. He emphasizes seeing medications as part of holistic plans for supporting neurodivergent individuals. Topics include navigating neurodiversity, challenges in obtaining proper care, exploring ADHD medications and long-term risks, and creating comprehensive treatment plans. The discussion also touches on challenges faced by autistic adults in medical settings and the importance of personalized medication management.

The concept of neurodiversity and its application is currently one of the hottest issues of discussion and consideration, both within and outside autism and disability culture. Barry and Dave have a wide-ranging conversation that addresses the origin of neurodiversity, current debates about boundaries and terminology, and how the concept has evolved in recent years. They go onto discuss implications of our evolving understanding of neurodiversity for education, employment, and supporting a more respectful and inclusive approach to differences across all human beings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is well known that a major challenge for autistic and neurodivergent individuals of all ages is developing a healthy lifestyle that supports fitness, and emotional well-being. Belden Long and Rosie White, NCAA and Olympic elite athletes, with additional expertise in occupational therapy, yoga, and movement approaches to fitness, have dedicated their current careers to helping neurodivergent individuals and their families live healthier lives. They discuss their motivations for doing so, and the philosophy underlying JustB, their on-line suite of programs designed to making a healthier lifestyle more accessible.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As autistic individuals become increasingly involved in contributing to the performing arts, a relatively new role is that of autistic playwrights developing bodies of work admired for their creativity and impact. Dave Osmundsen, one such playwright, is experiencing success and recognition for his contributions. Dave discusses his development as a playwright, and the themes that he finds most exciting to explore in his plays.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Autistic individuals are more likely to attempt suicide at rates alarmingly highly than in the non-autistic population. In this episode, Barry and Dave discuss critical issues regarding suicide and mental health with autistic professional, Lisa Morgan, based on her personal experiences and her professional mission to educate others around the risk factors and prevention. In particular, Lisa advocates for approaches that are based on the unique experiences of autistic people, she challenges approaches to prevent suicide that are not well adapted to autistic people, and she discusses the concept of a strength-based approach to suicide prevention.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.