Today’s Autistic Moment: A Podcast for Autistic Adults by An Autistic Adult

A brief look at what the first season of Today’s Autistic Moment. The topics covered. Announcing the last three episodes of 2021. What’s coming up in 2022.

Program Scripts and Interview Transcripts are available at the Episode Index Page.  The biggest holidays of the year are only weeks away.  Everyone must be so excited for the holiday season to arrive right?  Actually, many Autistics dread the arrival of the end of the year holidays.  The combination of lights, food smells, crowded homes or halls with many people at one time, extra socialization can be a sensory nightmare for many Autistic Adults. Zephyr James returns to Today's Autistic Moment to talk about these sensory unfriendly holidays, with some helpful tips of how Autistic Adults can prepare for them.  Zephyr will also talk about what are some helpful ways to manage our sensory needs during the holiday season.

Program Scripts and Interview Transcripts can be found by going the New Podcast Episodes page or the Episode Index page at the website for Today's Autistic Moment. The most important, and challenging quote to remember is "If you have met one Autistic Person, you have met one Autistic Person."  Autistic Adults are not immune from struggling with the diversity among other Autistic people.  George Williams joins me to talk about how Autistic Adults can manage our relationships with other Autistic individuals.

Go to https://todaysautisticmoment.com/podcast-episodes/ein/ for the Program Script and Interview Transcript. Discovering that we are Autistic and of a diverse sexual orientation or gender identity, can be a coming out process.  As we begin October as National Coming Out Month for LGBTQIA+ people, it is only fair that we talk about coming out as Autistic too.  My very special guest Yenn Perkis joins me to talk about their life experience of coming out as Autistic, Asexual, Queer and Nonbinary.  Enjoy the show.

Program scripts and Interview Transcripts are available at todaysautisticmoment.com.  My guest Leah Bauman-Smith and I will have a frank conversation about the matter of consent and sexuality, with very sensitive content that may be triggering and therefore not appropriate for all audiences.  Listener discretion is advised.  Consent is more than just saying yes or no to sexual activity.  Consent for many Autistic Adults applies to being asked if someone can shake their hand, give them a hug and having their decisions respected without the fear of coercion or exploitation. Autistic Adults regardless of their ability to verbalize have just as much right to give their consent as anyone else. Yet, too many Autistic Adults regardless of the level of their support needs have had their right to consent violated.  On the other hand, too many Autistic Adults unfortunately have a sex offender violation to their name, because of a lack of sex education and a healthy social environment to help them make better choices. Leah Bauman-Smith joins me for this very upfront discussion about consent for Autistic Adults.   

My guest Leah Bauman-Smith and I have a very frank conversation about dating, romantic relationships and sexuality in this installment, with very sensitive content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.  Listener discretion is advised. There is a myth that all Autistic people are asexual and not interested in dating or having romantic relationships.  The truth is Autistic Adults really do want to have healthy relationships and sex life. Leah Bauman-Smith joins me to talk about how Autistic Adults can have health and safe relationships, and be sexually active in ways that meet their needs.

Hear the achievements of the first nine months of Today’s Autistic Moment.

Don't miss listening to my commentary about a recent article that appeared about Autistic Adults.  Zephyr James joins me to talk about Autistic Adults and Interdependence.  Interdependence is best understood as relying on each other for a sense of community belonging.  Zephyr is working with The Autism Society of Minnesota to begin helping Autistics seek and find interdependence through healthy relationships, building strong families, connected communities and independence and interdependence.

A Program Script and Interview Transcript for this show can be found on https://todaysautisticmoment.com/podcast-episodes/ein/. Gaslighting is a form of manipulation and abuse by which the abuser makes the individual being abused doubt their own reality.  Gaslighting occurs by lies and cover ups designed to suggest that the person experiencing the abuse has no understanding of themselves, who they are, what they need and how to manage relationships and their everyday lives.  Autistic Adults experience gaslighting with regards to their sensory processing, questioning whether they are Autistic at all, and spoken to as if they are incompetent at living their lives.  Lyric Holmans, the Neurodivergent Rebel joins Philip to talk about what gaslighting is, and how to self advocate to do some self healing and protect themselves.

Regardless of what group of people you are from that has a history of being “othered,” the media plays a powerful role in that it reflects what society looks like. The media is well known for getting everyone’s attention by whatever sensations they create. Autistic people are one group of people that are portrayed and betrayed by the media.  Nicola Whiting, an Autistic Adult and Amazon best-selling author from the United Kingdom joins me to talk about Autistic Adults: Media Portrayal or Betrayal?