All Autism Talk

Dr. Megan Anna Neff, a Neurodivergent Psychologist joins us to discuss discovering her own autism in the aftermath of her child’s diagnosis and how that has inspired her passion to support the neurodivergent community. Dr. Neff describes the experience of her autism revelation in this way, “For the first time in my life, my body made sense, my experience of self made sense, and it was a powerful m...

Dr. Linda LeBlanc, a Licensed Psychologist and author of 3 books on supervision joins us to discuss her latest book about ethics which she co-authored with Dr. Amanda Karsten, who is the Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Grand Valley State University.  Their new book titled Proactive and Practical Decision Making for Behavior Analysis explores the critical need for continually...

Jessica Sylfest is the parent of a child with Autism and ADHD and the Sr. Director of  Talent Acquisition for LEARN Behavioral. Jessica’s compassion, warmth, and learned wisdom are great offerings to all parents as we transition our kids back to school. There are a lot of specific strategies shared when navigating an IEP and how to establish good communication with your child’s team. As Jessica sa...

Dr. Becky Thompson, Director of Clinical Services for the Wisconsin Early Autism Project (WEAP), and Reux Lennon, Non-binary member of both the LGBT and Autism community and Lead technician with WEAP join us to share their work on the Person-Centered ABA team and the Neurodivergent Advisory Committee.  Dr. Thompson leads LEARN's Person-Centered ABA team, which is a group of clinical leaders within...

Kerry Hoops the current President of the Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin and the clinical director for Wisconsin Early Autism Project’s Green Bay region joins us to share about a unique clinic event and what can be learned. Kerry shares details of sensory-friendly covid vaccine events that utilized assent-based practice to create a comfortable experience for children. As Kerry put it, “When it...

Dr. Ellie Kazemi is the Chief Science Officer at Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE), an accrediting organization focused on improving the quality of behavior analytic services. She is also a professor at CSUN, where she founded the M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program. Dr. Kazemi joins us to share about the accreditation process and the importance of assessments and measurin...

Dr. Amber Valentino, Chief Clinical Officer for Trumpet Behavioral Health where she leads all research and training activities, joins us to discuss the importance of prioritizing research. We delve into the issue of outdated research for those receiving services and the benefits of practitioners publishing needed research.  As she shared, “What you want to happen is for a practitioner to pick up a...

Motivational Speaker and Poet Russell Lehmann joins us for a third time to explore autism through the lens of culture. Having spent most of his life in isolation, Russell has found his voice and independence in recent years. His passion for erasing stigma and stereotypes about autism is shared through his moving, spoken-word poetry. In this discussion, Russell shares the challenges of communicatin...

Motivational Speaker and Poet Russell Lehmann joins us for a second time to share his perspectives on the words we use when discussing autism. Having spent most of his life in isolation, Russell has found his voice and independence in recent years. His passion for erasing stigma and stereotypes about autism is shared through his moving, spoken-word poetry. In this discussion Russell shares, "If yo...

Motivational Speaker and Poet Russell Lehmann joins us to share his perspectives on autism and the human condition. Having spent most of his life in isolation, Russell has found his voice and independence in recent years. His passion for erasing stigma and stereotypes about autism is shared through his moving, spoken-word poetry. As Russell shares, "I like to say you hold up a mirror to anybody, a...

Sara Litvak, Founder & CEO of Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, the only ABA-specific accrediting body joins us to discuss the different ways quality is measured in the accreditation process. This discussion delves into the importance of not only clinical standards but the needs of clients and their families. As Sara shares, "We are here as a support for parents who are receiving ABA. We...

Mo Buti, an advocate and instructional expert for people with autism joins us to take a deep dive into the IEP process. She shares details about all the people that make up the team and how parents can best prepare and advocate for their child. As Mo shared, "It's so important that you communicate well and build relationships with your team. Even if you disagree, it makes the process so much more...

Pamela Feliciano, Scientific Director of SPARK (Simons Powering Autism Research) the world’s largest autism research study. Dr. Feliciano joins us to share her thoughts on the recent change to autism statistics from the CDC, the value of participating in research, and the information that can be accessed (or declined) for those who do. As she shared, “SPARK’s ultimate goal is to power research to...

Professor Emeritus at the University of Oregon and President of the Choose Kindness Foundation, Doug Carnine joins us to discuss his work with the Choose Kindness Foundation that works with schools, businesses, prisons, and social service agencies across the US to promote mindful kindness.    For More Information: Dr. Carnine’s website https://feedkindness.com/ Teen mindfulness program https://cho...

Dr. Tom Welch an expert in work with neurodiverse young people and families joins us to talk about the important work of preparing adolescents for adulthood. Dr. Welch shares key skills parents can help foster while also setting appropriate goals for their child's future. As he shared, "You're working toward a goal where you are in influencer but not in control. It's messy but It's what we all wan...

The September 26th was created to honor the lives of a family that was tragically lost in a home fire. By providing safety awareness and preparedness resources for families the mission of this initiative is to review their safety plans every year on September 26th and use their checklists to be prepared. Kelly also commented on the importance of caregivers to support safety preparedness and awaren...

All Autism Talk hosts Kathrine Johnson and Richie Ploesch, sit down to discuss strategies and tips to support a happy, safe, and fun holiday experience for children with autism. As Katherine shared, "When kids know what to expect, it can really help them regulate... and leaving space to let them have a choice and downtime can really help".   For more helpful family tips all year round visit: https...

Heather Tarczan, Executive Director of Urban Autism Solutions joins us to talk about how their program is working to build opportunity and community for young adults in Chicago. Every year, thousands of teens with autism age out of high school. For the majority of these young adults, this is the end of their autism-based services and support. Urban Autism Solutions provides a multitude of social a...

Roy Richard Grinker is a Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs at George Washington University and author. He joins us to share insights from his latest book, Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness. In this discussion, we explore how various stigmas around diagnosis are formed - and can be dismantled. As Richard shares, ”Look at the history of autism, when...

Kari Luther Rosbeck, President & CEO, TSC Alliance, and Steven L. Roberds, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, TSC Alliance join us for a discussion about Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSCA) a rare genetic disorder. This is an incredibly educational conversation on how this disease is identified and treated.  About 50% of those diagnosed with TSC, will also have a diagnosis of autism. Even if your ch...

Dr. Temple Grandin returns to the podcast to discuss her latest book, Navigating Autism, which is a collaboration with psychologist Debra Moore, who has done extensive work with children, teens, and adults on the autism spectrum. This episode highlights Dr. Grandin’s powerful personal insights and wisdom with practical support and help from Dr. Moore. In this lively conversation, Drs. Grandin and...

Corina Jimenez-Gomez, faculty at Auburn University, and Lauren Beaulieu a behavior analyst for 20 years join us to discuss the importance of culturally responsive services in ABA. Along with their extensive work educating others in this area, they each bring their personal experiences to this important conversation. Corina is a mother and Venezuelan native now living in Alabama. Lauren also shares...

Jennifer Cook was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at the age of 35 and is raising three children on the spectrum. She is the author of seven bestselling, award-winning books. This lively conversation had our host, Katherine Johnson laughing and crying. Jennifer provides perspective on why diagnosis has been widely missed in girls and women and promotes her philosophy of helping others, “Move from...

Holly Lechniak Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Outreach Director for the AARTS (Autism Assessment, Research, Treatment, and Services) Center at Rush University Medical Center, joins us to share about the work of SPARK. This national study is working towards accelerating research, as well as our understanding of autism.  Holly shares, “Autism, as compared to other fields, is still relatively ne...

Dr. Fred Volkmar, a professor at Yale University with over 40 years in the field of autism-related studies, joins us to provide perspective on how far we have come in the diagnosis, research, and services for individuals with autism.  With all the gains, there is still a great need for more research.  As Dr. Volkmar put it, “I think until we get more parents pushing for work on adults, we’re just...