Uniquely Human: The Podcast

A podcast conversation with Lauren Ober delves into her late diagnosis of autism, struggles in school, and successful career. They discuss similarities in experiences and her new podcast. Topics include navigating neurodiversity, communication challenges, embracing uniqueness, and fostering understanding of diversity.

Thrilled to announce a new collaboration with Pushkin Industries, we’re sharing a special preview of a new podcast, The Loudest Girl in the World. For years, journalist and podcast host Lauren Ober wasn’t all that jazzed about herself. She was always getting in trouble, she had a lot of sensory issues and her anxiety felt off the charts. And then, she found out why — she was autistic. The Loudest Girl in the World tells the story of Lauren’s journey to understand what it means to be on the autism spectrum and how to live life as a newly diagnosed autistic person. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There is a significant divide between autistic advocates and parents of autistic children. Parents may feel attacked for their lack of understanding, and autistic adults who offer insight and guidance may also be met with rejection. Professionals face their own challenges in supporting autistic people. Limited by information that often excludes autistic perspectives, professionals may inadvertently contribute to this divide.  Meghan Ashburn, a mother of two autistic boys of color, and Jules Edwards, an Ojibwe autistic mother, were no strangers to this tension. This book explores the rift between these communities and encourages them to work towards a common goal. Providing context to dividing issues, the authors use their own experiences to illustrate where they’ve messed up, where they’ve got things right, and what they’ve learned along the way. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Supporting successful transitions back to school is critical for maximizing success for the whole school year. Join us as we throw back to episode 31st, where Dave and Barry shared a lively discussion about challenges and creative strategies to help children of all ages to get off to a good start in this coming school year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For many years, parents of autistic children and family members, and autistic people themselves have expressed concerns about how they have been misunderstood, and even mistreated by medical professionals and the traditional medical systems they work within. Dr. Mel Houser has experienced this personally as a physician trained in the medical establishment, as a late diagnosed autistic woman, and as a mother of an autistic child. She discusses the need for change and the changes she is actually implementing in her medical practice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is widely accepted that many autistic children and adults may have difficulties feeling comfortable in social interaction and social relationships given neurotypical expectations. Non-autistic people also may also feel uncomfortable and may have difficulty adjusting their style of communication and social interaction to support successful social engagement. Dave and Barry discuss these issues from a neurotypical and autistic perspective, looking, in part, through the lens of cultural differences in autistic and neurotypical conventions, while acknowledging the great individual variations in across individual people.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is widely accepted that autistic individuals often experience co-occurring mental health challenges and conditions. However, the specific relationships between autism and mental health conditions remain an area of debate and even significant disagreement. Sean Inderbitzen, an autistic Behavioral Health Therapist, holds specific beliefs that vary from views of autism grounded primarily in a social model of disability framework. In this episode, Sean, Dave and Barry have a lively discussion about autism and mental health based on Sean’s professional and personal experiences.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an invaluable framework that has great relevance in addressing the varied needs of autistic and neurodivergent learners, and supporting active engagement in learning environments. We discuss the basic concept of UDL with Emily Rubin and Lindee Morgan, experts on UDL, and its great value for developing individualized programs and for addressing social emotional as well as pre-academic and academic goals for children who may think and learn differently. We also discuss how UDL has great implications for supporting educators, therapists and families.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Traveling for vacations and for other purposes provides great opportunities for learning, for creating wonderful memories for families and for growing socially and emotionally. However, for autistic and neurodivergent children and adults, and their families, traveling can also present unique challenges. In this episode, we discuss challenges and many helpful strategies to support positive traveling experiences with Dawn Barclay, an expert on travel for families who have neurodivergent family members. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael Gilberg, an attorney specializing in educational law, discusses his varied experiences he brings as an attorney involved in legal issues for individuals with disabilities, including autism. These experiences include his being a student who received a late diagnosis of autism, as well as numerous and varied experiences working with families and school districts as a lawyer. He provides advice to school personnel and to parents about how to navigate through the through the oftentimes contentious waters of providing or securing free and appropriate services for students.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.