Autism Knows No Borders

Discover what’s possible when all notes are heard.  Today we’re featuring two members of the ASD Band, lead vocalist Rawan Tuffaha and drummer Spenser Murray, joined by their manager, Andrew Simon.  Comprised of musicians on the autism spectrum, the ASD Band was formed by Canadian charity Jake’s House to raise awareness and highlight strengths related to autism. If you’d like to learn more about J...

Discover what’s possible when you're given a hand to hold.  Today we are joined by the CEO of the Global Autism Project, Molly Ola Pinney, and Sensory Integration Therapist, Anna Tuzova. Anna is a Ukrainian refugee currently living in Poland.  If you've been following our work closely, you'll know that a few weeks ago Molly visited Poland with a small team to learn how to best support Ukrainian fa...

Discover what’s possible when learning doesn’t hurt.  Ann Beirne is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over two decades of experience working with children and families in a variety of settings. She is the co-author of Understanding Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis: Practical Applications , now in its second edition. The book invites the perspectives of those within and outside the field o...

Discover what’s possible when wellness starts at bedtime.  Emily Varon is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst from California who focuses on sleep-related behavior. With more than 20 years in the field, Emily offers families and clinicians a broader, long-view perspective of sleep, producing more sustainable results over time.  In today’s conversation, we discuss:  The correlation between autism an...

Discover what’s possible when innovation brings connection.  Richard Schreiber is the father of a 16-year-old autistic girl, Katarina, and the Founder of the NYC Autism Community Group in Manhattan, which was created to help parents with children on the spectrum navigate their day-to-day challenges. With a background in tech, Richard’s passion is to bring innovation and career opportunities to aut...

Discover what’s possible when walls are broken down with vulnerability. Russell Lehmann is a motivational speaker, poet, author, and autism self-advocate. In 2018, Russell was awarded Reno-Tahoe’s “Most Outstanding Young Professional Under 40.” He has already published two books. The first is called Inside Out: Stories and Poems from an Autistic Mind , and the second is On the Outside Looking In ....

Discover what’s possible when you’re the one behind the wheel.  Andrew Arboe is an autistic self-advocate and the Founder of Driving with Autism , an educational program that helps autistic individuals and their families navigate the way towards becoming a driver. Andrew is also the Director of Community Outreach of Planning Across the Spectrum . You might remember episode 59 with their Founder, A...

Discover what’s possible when community becomes family.  This week we are celebrating the 2-year anniversary of our podcast, as well as the 1-year anniversary of our online community!  It’s been an eye-opening journey that continues to surprise, inspire, and move us. We’ve learned so much from self-advocates sharing their experiences, family members talking about accepting their children’s diagnos...

Discover what’s possible when you’re defined by your determination, dedication, and devotion.  It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we release this episode. On April 23rd, we lost one of our most dedicated community members, David Sharif, to an epileptic seizure.  David made a huge positive impact in this world, inspiring everyone around him. He was a dear colleague, genuine friend, and...

Discover what’s possible when you act yourself.  Our guest today is Grace Everett. An autistic self-advocate, Grace is also a second-year college student, a theater artist, and an award-winning playwright. Her work in musical theater includes playing the title role in Carrie and Jo March in Little Women. The first play she wrote, The Last Sunrise of August 1973, won Texas Thespian Playworks in 201...

Discover what’s possible when representation is nuanced.  This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events!  The topic of this round table discussion was Autism in the Media. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Thomas Iland, Mary Johnston, Robert Schmus, Corben Havener, Andrew Arboe, and David Sharif, as well as community members Danielle...

Discover what’s possible when caring is enough to make a difference.  Today’s episode is part two of Team Saudi Arabia’s SkillCorps® journey. If you haven’t yet listened to part one, I encourage you to go back to episode 100 so that you can hear about the first half of the team’s trip.  If you have any personal or professional connection with autism — that is, if you’re a self-advocate, teacher, t...

Discover what’s possible when caring is enough to make a difference.  We’ve made it to episode 100! To celebrate this huge milestone, we’ve put together this special episode taking you on a journey with our SkillCorps® Saudi Arabia team.  For almost 20 years, the Global Autism Project has been providing sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership training to autism centers around the worl...

Discover what’s possible when love begins with acceptance. What challenges do autistic people face when it comes to dating?  If you’re interested in hearing the autistic perspective on dating and relationships, you’ll want to listen to this roundtable discussion with our Global Autism Community, which was originally released on March 17, 2022. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates...

Discover what’s possible when winning comes second.  Scott Edgar is an autistic voice actor in Orlando, Florida, who has been recently featured in London’s Autism’s Got Talent. He has also participated in the Special Olympics, competing in basketball, bowling, and powerlifting.  In today’s conversation, we discuss: How Scott found out about his diagnosis How autism affects his life  Transitioning...

Discover what’s possible when experience informs best practice.  Martin Slyngstad is an autistic behavior specialist from California and the co-author of Chatter Box: My Life with Autism, A Mother and Son’s Perspective .  In today’s conversation, we discuss: Martin co-writing his autobiography with his mother  Coping with anxiety Music, snowboarding, and other special interests Martin’s work as a...

Discover what’s possible when travel is for everyone.  Dina Farmer is a Certified Autism Travel Professional, the Founder of Lily & Magnolia Travel, and the mother of a 10-year-old autistic boy. Her goal is to help parents plan autism-friendly family vacations while avoiding stress and overwhelm.  In today’s conversation, we discuss: Dina’s passion for traveling How traveling with an autistic...

Discover what’s possible when community inspires change.  This week’s episode is part 2 of our 2021 Highlights. Today we’ll be covering some of my favorite moments from episodes 72 to 89. To listen to the highlights from episodes 42 to 71 , you can check out part 1 of this special highlights series. And if you’re curious about episodes 1 to 40, you can also listen to our 2020 Highlights episode fr...

Discover what’s possible when change inspires community.  We made it to the end of 2021! To celebrate, we’ll be reviewing some of my favorite moments from this year’s episodes. This will be a two-parter due to the volume of content. Part 1 will highlight episodes 42 to 71, and next week we’ll review from 72 to 89.  Since we started working on this podcast almost two years ago, we’ve brought on a w...

Discover what’s possible when you’re true to yourself.  This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events.  The topic of this roundtable discussion was Masking and Authenticity. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Thomas Iland, Michael Gilberg, Terra Vance, Kate Jones, Jeff Snyder, and David Sharif, as well as community members Colleen Dor...

Discover what’s possible when information fuels advocacy.  Camille Proctor is the mother of a 15-year-old autistic boy and the founder of The Color of Autism , a non-profit organization committed to educating and assisting African American families with autistic children.  In this conversation, we discuss: Camille’s son and his interests  Her ideas to reduce the stigma of autism in the Black commu...

Discover what’s possible when you become a better leader.  If you’re a professional in the field of autism services, or interested in leadership in general, this bonus episode is for you.  The Global Autism Project is committed to up-leveling the leadership capacity of those in this field. This is the only way we’re going to make the difference we want to see in the world: all children with autism...

Discover what’s possible when you break the overwhelm cycle.  Today we’re bringing back three special guests: the CEO of the Global Autism Project, Molly Ola Pinney; our partner from Saudi Arabia, Yaser Aljaaidi; and the founder of the DoBetter Movement, Dr. Megan Miller.  For almost 20 years, the Global Autism Project has been providing sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership trainin...

Discover what’s possible when the right tools are in your box.  This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events! The topic of this roundtable discussion was Coping with Stress and Sensory Overload. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Thomas Iland, Robert Schmus, Mary Johnston, and David Sharif, as well as community members Colleen Dorsey...

Discover what’s possible when you redesign the approach.  Originally from Australia and currently living in the US, Lois Letchford is the mother of three young men, two of whom are on the autism spectrum. She has also personally struggled with dyslexia her entire life; however, she now uses it to her advantage as a literary spokesperson for learners who have fallen behind in the traditional classr...