Shifting the Narrative on Everything Autism

On this episode, Stacy interviewed Pastiche Graham, a children's author, who is herself, autistic.  Pastiche is the author of Pia Pistachio Gets A Job, a tale of a young autistic woman who enters the work force for the first time and learns a lot along the way. The women spoke about: -The inspiration for the book's main character: Pia Pistachio -Patische's own experiences as an autistic adult in t...

We're back (at least for this week), and we're here to talk about Monotropism?  -What is it? -Is it like having a one-track mind? -What is its relationship to autism?                                                                  *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you are looking for one-on-one coaching with Stacy t...

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin discuss Augmented Alternative Communication (AAC).    -What is it?  -What are AAC devices?  -Does using an AAC device stunt an autistic child's potential to use mouth words?  -If finances are an issue, how can you obtain an AAC device?                                                             *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Lib...

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin discuss what to do when an autistic child seemingly starts to regress in various skill sets.  -How to deal with this issue.  -Is it even an issue at all?  -What are the causes?                                                             *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you are looki...

Stacy and Torrin speak a lot about parent empowerment, but what exactly is it?  On this episode, they explain what it is, what it looks like when applied to parenting, and easy ways to implement it.                                                              *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you are looking for one-...

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin speak with Mental Health Practitioner, Educator, and Disability Justice Advocate Santana Ficken.    Santana came on to discuss autism in adults, the kinds of trauma they often deal with, and how to avoid it.                                                                 *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://k...

We were going to wait a couple more weeks to start releasing the latest season of the podcast, but President Trump and RFK forced our hands...   On this episode, Julia Lee Barclay-Morton returns to help us unpack the mother of all autism misinformation dumps: the recent claim--made by the President of the United States--that pregnant women taking Tylenol are the cause behind the massive rise in au...

On this episode, Stacy flies solo and talks with musician, therapist, and yoga instructor Alicia Diesch.    Alicia specializes in using music therapy to help neurodivergent people overcome trauma. They discussed the different kinds of trauma often seen in autistic and neurodivergent people and how Alicia's therapeutic practices can help.                                                             ...

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin are joined by Rachelle Vartanian to talk about the services available to adults with autism.  Rachelle is the founder of the Living and Learning Enrichment Center in Northville, Michigan. There, they offer job skills training, support groups, and social programs tailored for autistic teens and young adults. Rachelle, an autism parent herself, was inspired to found...

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin discuss what they've learned over the years about autism and working with autistic people. (Stacy has had more years than Torrin).  TL;DR: Stacy has always led with compassion and understanding of the autistic perspective, even when there was a lack of information about autism. As for Torrin, his journey was a bit...different.                                     ...

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin are joined by Chantelle Hyde, an anti-restraint advocate and mother of an autistic daughter.  Chantelle is the Lead Canadian Volunteer with Alliance Against Seclusion & Restraint, an organization whose mission is to raise awareness and ultimately end the use of punitive measures against neurodivergent children, such as forced restraint and prolonged seclusion....

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin talk about a variety of topics that all relate to the overarching theme of communicating with autism parents. -What is the best way to talk to autism parents? -Why some autistic social media influencers struggle to connect with parents of autistic children -Why we need to change how we speak about autism and parenting.                                              ...

On this episode (unfashionably late), Stacy and Torrin were joined by autistic Speech Pathologist Christina Schmidt to discuss therapy for late-diagnosed individuals. What does a neuro-affirming therapeutic approach look like for adult clients? How does it differ from strategies used for children?   Christina also talks about her own autism journey as a late-diagnosed woman, and what led her to fo...

On this episode, Stacy and Torrin talk about the importance of having a sense of urgency as an autism parent. If your child has autism, they might need supports, therapies, and treatments for co-occurring conditions. The you act to secure the things your child needs to thrive, the better.                                                                  ***  Help marginalized youth get the educatio...

Stacy's new Micro-School: https://autism4home.com/taki-wa-tanga Thanks for listening to the first hundred episodes. Hope to see you for the next hundred.                                                                   *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you are looking for one-on-one coaching with Stacy to help your...

On this week's episode, Stacy and Torrin discuss what will happen if the Department of Education is dissolved. (As the new presidential administration has promised to do).  What can parents do? What should they do?                                                                  ***  Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you...

On this week's episode, Stacy and Torrin are joined by autism therapist, parent, and author Dr. Alondra Rodgers.  She spoke with us about her therapy work with autism parents and autistic adults, along with her role as a caregiver for an autistic child. She also touched on her own late autism diagnosis and her latest book Autistic Thinking: How Autistic Brains Think, Learn, & Remember. You can...

Dr. Stephen Shore is an autistic professor of special education at Adelphi University .  He has written books that include: College for Students with  Disabilities, Understanding Autism for Dummies, Ask and Tell, and Beyond the Wall. Currently, he serves on the board of Autism Speaks , and is one of the first two autistic board members in its history, looking to improve the potential of those on t...

We are SO back!  This week's episode is all about Echolalia. What is it? Is it a good/bad thing? How do you deal with the annoyance of your child repeating what you say? (TL;DR it's a form of communication).                                                                 *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you are look...

On this week's episode, Stacy and Torrin discuss some of the hard decisions autism parents have to make while trying to do what's best for their children.  Stacy is a parent of two. Torrin is autistic himself but doesn't have kids. It was an interesting discussion...                                                                  *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ...

On this week's episode, Stacy and Torrin were joined again by Julia Lee Barclay-Morton to talk about the life and times of the late, great Steve Silberman, author of the groundbreaking book on autism Neurotribes.  We spoke about the effect Neurotribes had on Stacy's therapy practices and Julia's discovery that she was autistic. We also spoke about Sliberman's lifelong social advocacy and how he em...

On this week's episode, Torrin and Stacy discuss ways parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists can help support autistic teens.                                                               *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you are looking for one-on-one coaching with Stacy to help your child with autism reach t...

On this week's episode, Stacy and Torrin are joined by speech therapist, author, and public speaker Julie Roberts. Julie is the founder of the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective, an international neurodiversity-affirming therapy, education, and advocacy organization.  She is also the author of The Gold Standard Fallacy of ABA: A Reference Guild for Therapists, Educators, & Parents.  She spoke...

Ande Quercus returned this week, this time, for a discussion about ableism. What exactly is ableism? How can we identify it? How can we fight it?                                                                 ***  Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy VQ Library a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vqlibrary If you are looking for one-on-one coaching with Stacy to help your child wit...

On this week's episode, Stacy and Torrin speak to autism advocate Ande Quercus about systemic physical abuse of autistic children.  In schools and group homes, physical restraint and abuse is commonplace; either legal or ignored. Ande is fighting to end these practices.                                                                 *** Help marginalized youth get the education they deserve. Buy V...