Autistic Tidbits & Tangents

Ep. 33 - Autism, Artistic Expression, & Appreciation The first episode of Season 3! In this episode, Kara, Maja, and Bruce talk about the creation of Art(s) of all types, and how this can be a therapeutic activity for many autistics. They also consider what an autistic perspective can do to enhance our artistic creations and what type of unique perspectives can be brought i.e. sensory overload...

Ep. 25 - Music, Medicine, & the Meaning of Disability (with Kristen Hovet) - Bruce, Kara, and guest Kristen Hovet discuss difficulties navigating medical care for autistic people, self-advocacy in medical settings and in general, what it means to be disabled, Kristen's podcast, and Frooty Loops. GUEST BIO: Kristen Hovet is a late-diagnosed autistic individual from Williston, North Dakota a...

Ep. 32 - Motherhood, Transitions, & Muddling Through In this season's finale, Maja is back to celebrate the end of 2023 and to look forward to the year ahead with Bruce and Kara. We review life changes over the past year and discuss many tangents around pregnancy difficulties; challenges in adulthood; the weirdness of cultures; nudist beaches; and deep relationships with pets. Happy New Ye...

Ep. 31 - Agency, Biowearables, & Grizzly Bears (with Rozarina Md Yusof Howton) Bruce, Kara, and guest Rozarina Md Yusof Howton talk about Roza's research to improve health outcomes (with an eye toward helping autistics); surprising doctors; sensory needs and how these can change with burnout, stress, or chronic health conditions; hyperacuity; and top down vs bottom up thinking. Why, yes, w...

Ep. 29 - Special Schools, Segregation, & Supports - In this episode, Kara and Bruce discuss the pros and cons of special schools and special education in general. Oh, and Maja sends an update! Thing of the Day:  Why closing special schools is such a complex topic important to so many families by national disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella, with the Specialist Reporting Team's Celin...

Ep. 28 - Compromise, Communication, & Community - In this episode Bruce and Kara discuss the role of compromise in Advocacy, and how sometimes things need to be celebrated for the greater community even if you don't fully agree with all the methods. They also talk about the importance of communication and community for advocacy work, and the prime importance of self-advocacy. It has been a...

Ep. 27 - Trust/Safety, Regulation, & Participation (Oh, and Bubble Wrap! - with Greg Santucci) - Kara, Bruce and guest Greg Santucci talk all about neuronormative expectations in schools, changes we'd like to see, and approaches to supporting children. Greg illuminates us on The Model of Child Engagement, a helpful framework for parents, teachers and other professionals. Tangents include b...

Ep. 26 - Shutdowns, Meltdowns, Burnout (and Inertia!) - Kara and Bruce share personal experiences with shutdowns and get meta as they talk about perception. They cover limbic braking, the Triune Brain (somewhat), imposter syndrome, and feeling stuck when you desperately want to move. Things of the Day:  Phung, J., Penner, M., Pirlot, C., & Welch, C. (2021). What I Wish You Knew: Insights on Bu...

Ep. 24 - Autistic Strengths, Creativity, and the Fallacy of the Weekend - Bruce and Kara discuss the positive aspects of autism and how we need to reframe conversations for families, autistic people themselves, and society. They share their own strengths and examples of their lived experiences. Tangents include Hamilton, playwrighting, and Bohemian Rhapsody! Things of the Day:  7 Ways of Hearing &...

Ep. 23 - Buildings, Language, and Running out of Time! - Bruce and Kara discuss societal conversations around what it means to be autistic and the need for change to existing narratives;  moving from stereotypes to getting curious about others' lived experiences; and autistic culture and community as a protective factor. Kara also reflects on time blindness and the cognitive effort needed when...

Ep. 22 - Exploding Trucks, Chuck Berry, & a Lifetime of Autistic Traits Revealed (with Peter O'Neil) - Bruce and Kara interview author and lawyer, Peter O'Neil, who was late identified as autistic at 65. We reflect on living autistically without knowing it, and how autistic thinking is an asset in the legal field -- and how central it is to our passions and relaxation activities. We co...

Ep. 21 - What is Fun, Anyway (and What’s It Gotto Do with Jazz and Godzilla?!)? - Bruce Petherick steps in as co-host while Maja adjusts to motherhood! Bruce and Kara discuss how subjective a term “fun” is and how notions of fun are tied into the concept of normalcy. They debate what things are merely enjoyable versus actually fun, and much more. Lots of laughs in this episode! Things of the Day: ...

Ep. 20 - Finding Community (with Karen Timm)  - In this episode we speak with Karen Timm about the importance of an autistic community, diversity in autistic voices and empowerment of everyone in the community. We also tackle topics related to education and late diagnosis. GUEST BIO: Karen Timm is a perpetually reflective educational leader, an author, an artist and a musician, a relentless learne...

Ep. 19 - Deep Dive into Diagnostic Criteria  - In this episode, we discuss diagnostic criteria of autism in the DSM-5 (and the ICD-10 diagnostic manual). We talk about things that, according to us, should or should not be a part of the criteria. There is also a brief discussion about ABA and teaching methods near the end, which is not properly in depth and may be picked up at a later date. Things...

Ep. 18 - AAC, Aphantasia, & Cross-Cultural Communication (with Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk)  - In this episode, Kara and Maja ask Alyssa about all sorts of accommodations: from their experiences as an sometimes AAC user (Assistive & Augmentative Communication) navigating university accommodations, to their thoughts on how folks make certain accommodations during cross-cultural communication vs...

Ep. 17 - Autism & Pregnancy  - Wherein Kara has finally talked Maja into having a chat about her pregnancy on the podcast (Kara interjection: I suggested it as a possible topic once!!). We talk about how pregnancy might be different for autistic people, including the sensory and social aspects, as well as interoception, body dysmorphia, and contact with health care providers. Things of the Day...

Ep. 16 - Hyperfocus & Rabbit Holes!  - In this episode we talk about how our interests can change and evolve, jump around, and how the rabbit holes that our hyperfocus drives us into are not necessarily pleasant or connected to our special interests. Thing of the Day:  not clearly defined today ;) so many things! __________ Autistic Tidbits & Tangents  is a biweekly podcast, co-hosted by K...

Ep. 15 - Neuroplurality in the Workplace  - In this episode we speak with Dr. Mekki MacAulay about being autistic in the workplace and how he believes companies can benefit from employing and utilizing the strengths of people of all neurotypes. GUEST BIO: Mekki MacAulay (he/they) is the IBM CIO Red Hat OpenShift and IBM Z Mainframe Strategy Guy who specializes in modern open source strategies for...

Ep. 14 - Autistic Communication  - In this episode we discuss the autistic preferences and styles of communication and the differences between autistic and non-autistic communication. Thing of the Day:  Crompton, C. J., Ropar, D., Evans-Williams, C. V., Flynn, E. G., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective. Autism, 24(7), 1704–1712. https://...

Ep. 13 - Autism Acceptance Month?!  - In the Season 2 premiere, we discuss issues related to Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month, how our understandings have changed over time, and how we’d like society’s understandings to continue to evolve. Thing of the Day:  Autistic Acceptance vs. Autism Awareness by bneal89, NeuroClastic __________ Autistic Tidbits & Tangents  is a biweekly podcast, co-host...

Ep. 12 - Autistic Joys & Victories - For the last episode of the season, we discuss autistic joy and victories. Often, autistic people are not believed when we express happiness or fulfillment, or we are told we can’t be autistic then. Autism and happiness are seen as opposites. For this episode, we talk about how everyone needs to have their needs met in order to be joyful and happy. We discu...

COMING JANUARY  2, 2023 - Ep. 12 - Autistic Joys & Victories - For the last episode of the season, we discuss autistic joy and victories. Often, autistic people are not believed when we express happiness or fulfillment, or we are told we can’t be autistic then. Autism and happiness are seen as opposites. For this episode, we talk about how everyone needs to have their needs met in order t...

Ep. 11 - Changes in the Autism Discourse (with Prof. Tony Attwood) - We had a chat with Tony about the changes in autism advocacy, education, and perspectives during his career. We also discuss changes in how autism has been viewed diagnostically, and how people could have been missed earlier and who would receive a diagnosis now.   GUEST BIO: Professor Tony Attwood is a clinical psychologist...

COMING DECEMBER 19, 2022 - Ep. 11 Trailer - Changes in the Autism Discourse (with Prof. Tony Attwood) - We had a chat with Tony about the changes in autism advocacy, education, and perspectives during his career. We also discuss changes in how autism has been viewed diagnostically, and how people could have been missed earlier and who would receive a diagnosis now.   GUEST BIO: Professor Tony...

Ep. 10 - Autistic at the Holidays - Today is all about holidays! We talk about difficulties, strategies and a few personal experiences. We touch on different support needs, how small accommodations can have a big effect, and as always, there may be a tangent or two. We hope everyone has a good time during their holiday celebrations. Thing of the Day: https://koriathome.com/autism-holidays/ _______...