Thoughty Auti - The Autism Podcast

What journey did Steve go on when writing Neurotribes? How was autism first developed? What is the Geek Syndrome? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley is joined by Steve Silberman to talk about the history and future of autism - Steve is a multi-award winning writer, former writer for Wired and Ally Of The Year award winner for his contributions to the autistic community! Th...

Are Autistic people more at risk for Drug Addiction? What is Crystal Methamphetamine withdrawal like? Which factors can help addicts live a life of sobriety?   (18+ Trigger Warning - Talk about drugs and physical abuse) In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Francesca from @Neurodivergent FranchFries - an autistic creator on YouTube and Instagram, as well as the owner...

How do you improve your relationship with autism? What does self acceptance feel like? What is autism acceptance like across cultures? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Dr. Mordehai Benhamou - a researcher and lecturer at the Israeli Autism Research Center. The Jerusalem based pioneer in autism advocacy, Mordi is somewhat of a celebrity in his country for his app...

Is social media healthy for autistic people? What is life like for autistic creators? What platforms are the most positive or toxic? How can you manage your social media use? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Andy from the Indie Andy YouTube channel - a great example of a channel for the community, from the community. Andy uses his own experiences to create infor...

This episode dives into many different popular topics of diversity:- Extroversion/Introversion, co-morbidities, special interests/innate abilities, sensory profiles, and empathy! In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Jesslyn from the Holistic Autistic YouTube channel - she has a community-focussed website which aids in the education of Neurodiversity, and provides a...

What are the benefits of CBD for autistic people? Can CBD replace alcohol at social events? How do you know if a CBD product is safe and trustworthy? What are the side effects of CBD? Can CBD interact with medication? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Stacey  - The founder of the start-up CBD company Planthaya and previous social worker at FUSION - a service that...

Does autistic masking translate to acting? Can an autistic person survive in the acting world? What is the 'autistic' stereotype in the film industry? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Reggie Herold - A Manhattan based autistic actor who has performed in many theatre productions and short-films, he's an avid Tiktoker, an aspiring story writer, and the co-winner o...

Is there a link between OCD and Autism? Did the government support autistic people enough? What challenges does OCD present? Can special interests help combat OCD anxiety? Is autistic OCD more logical?  In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Autism's Individual (Youtube) - An advocating YouTuber and website blogger with a strong experience and knowledge of Autism and...

Are autistic people the most bullied group on the planet? Can you even separate autism from trauma? What is isolation and bullying like at all stages of an autistic persons life? How can an autistic person succeed and stay healthy in our society?  In this World Anti-Bullying Week special episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Charlotte from @TheSpectrumGirl - Famous & Pro...

Why has Eileen received so much harassment from the #actuallyautistic community? What is it like be an autistic mother? Are functioning labels harmful for autistic people?  In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Eileen Lamb from @TheAutismCafe - Author of 'All Across The Spectrum', professional photographer, Autistic mother, and online autism advocate.  They start by...

What is Speech and Language Pathology? How does teaching shift your opinion of common teaching methods? Can the autistic experience be used for this role? Are autism-related professions accommodating of autistic people? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to @AllisonNV - An Autism advocate with a strong background in Speech & Language Pathology They start by discu...

What are the stages of processing a diagnosis? What are common mistakes parents make with autistic children? How can a parent be their child's advocate? Is there a 'one size fits all' approach to teaching autistic children? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Michelle Rogers - A parent advocate with an online support service for NEW autistic parents They start by d...

Should you get an autism diagnosis as soon as possible? What are the benefits and disadvantages of SEN schools Vs Mainstream? How do you ensure your child develops socially and confident?  In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Luis Oddy - A documentary creator and Radio Host! They start by discussing the creation of Luis's documentary 'Luis Oddy - Autism Meets Autism [https...

Is there a link between Autism and OCD? What is relationship OCD? What sort of strategies and treatments are there to treat OCD sufferers? Is early diagnosis best? How can we better represent autistic people in the media? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to an openly gay and autistic BBC producer, Nick Ransom! To kickstart the episode they both reflect on the many project...

What is Neurodiversity? How can one 'survive' school? Do we need Neurodiversity in the workplace? What are the barriers to promoting Neurodiversity? How can we change the world? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to the multi-award winning public speaker, the author of 'The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide',  and creator of the Neurodiversity Celebration Week... the one and o...

What autistic traits can and can't you work on? How can an autistic person become sociable? What is the University party experience like? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to his good friend Adam Mohamed about their days of parties and social events at University... highlighting some of the ways they overcame the social deficits of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  At fi...

What is Demisexuality? Is it just a low sex drive? Are autistic people more likely to fall on the asexuality spectrum? What challenges does being Demisexual present during dating? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to the popular autistic YouTuber Sam (@Yo Samdy Sam) about Demisexuality and how it ties in with autism. They chat about the experience of being a YouTuber at fi...

What is it like to bi-racial AND autistic? How can you make transitions easier? Which are easier for an autistic person to deal with: Big or Small transitions? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to the half British, half Taiwanese autistic blogger, and writer Grace Liu (@UnwrittenGraceBlogs).  They focus their conversation around the topic of transitioning and why it's diff...

What gender stereotypes surround autism? What can we do help represent ALL autistic people? What is it like to work for the National Autistic Society? In this episode, Thomas talks to an award-winning poet and Content Officer at the National Autistic Society... Hermione Cameron (@Hermirony1). They focus their conversation around the importance of expressive arts, the depression metaphor of the Dem...

What is it like being disabled AND autistic? Is Team GB friendly for disabled people? What goes on in the life of a Paralympic athlete? In this episode, Thomas talks to a professional wheelchair basketball player Sarah Hope from the Great Britain Squad about the strengths and difficulties of being both autistic and physically disabled in sport.  Late-diagnosed with autism, Sarah fell injured durin...

What is it like inside a psychiatric hospital!? How bad can misdiagnosis go? What are some flaws in way we deal with mental health? In this episode, Thomas talks to Lottie (@lottsvoicingautism) about her experience with being a misdiagnosed autistic. She was sent to a psychiatric hospital with multiple psychotic and mood disorders, living life under lockdown even before COVID-19...  Within the top...

Is autism represented realistically in mainstream media? What celebrities are autistic? What are the barriers to promoting autism awareness and acceptance? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Esme Hayes about the portrayal of autism in TV, Film, and the mainstream media, but also her experiences speaking on the new independent documentary about autism 'Aspergers in Societ...

What common issues occur for autistic people in the workplace? What mindsets help during workplace problems? How can society better accommodate autistic people? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Barry Aldridge (@barryaldridge1983) about his experiences in the workplace and some of the benefits and difficulties of being autistic in those settings.  What common issues ari...

What is high school like for an autistic teenager?  What are the differences between the neurotypical and autistic experience of puberty? Why are autistic people targets for bullying and isolation? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Victoria Ellen (@actuallyaspling) about her experiences at secondary school and how puberty influenced her life.  We chat about our commonal...

What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? Is EDS linked to autism? What are the early signs of EDS? What difficulties does EDS present in later life? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to an autistic couple (Matt & Brandy) about what life is like with Ehler-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and the types of things they do to manage their individual symptoms. Is there a link between autism an...