You Don't Sound Autistic (YDSA)

It's a question we're seeing a lot in various groups lately and feelings are mixed about the concept. Life on the spectrum is still largely misunderstood and conditionally judged. Many aspects of daily life, parenting, and thriving come with a very different owner's manual and one that's still be written for all age groups. Blake discusses his feelings as someone with ASD and we look for potential...

What was your light bulb moment when you realized you might be Autistic? Did you stumble across the connections or did someone help illuminate the idea? We high-level review our understanding and awarenesses of autism spectrum disorder over time and discuss the perspective changes and research advancements that continue to help adults find their own missing life puzzle piece.  Adults receiving a d...

Daily life is full of unexpected twists and turns which often clash with our expectations and expectations of routines. Staying afloat and learning to stay out of a place of feeling anger and rigidity takes practice and a dedication to find the laughter and the joy of the moment. Moving our physical bodies is also a key component of managing emotions, physical and mental energy, sensory sensitivit...

Welcome 2022! ADHD and Autism didn't just appear on the planet overnight. The Night Watchman Theory offers an interesting perspective that many agree with that align the unique traits of ADHD to the same traits that our earlier social structures valued to keep us safe at night. Rachelle believes Autism may have evolved from generations of depression or freeze-centered responses to stress. Today, w...

How do you successfully reconcile and find the middle between family members with sensory, dietary, emotional profiles on opposite sides of the fight/flight vs freeze Neuro-biodiversity scale?? We've spent 10 years researching this very topic and finally this year managed to pull all the pieces together to create a Happy Holiday experience for everyone. Follow Blake's journey on TikTok at @blakefe...

Has anyone told you "You're too tangential for me"?? For individuals with ADHD/ADD (with or without Autism, Anxiety and Depression) the reality of life is a tangential stream of consciousness. Listen in to discover if you, or someone you love, can relate to Blake while he transparently describes the brilliance and chaos of his mental health routines. Join the Group. Join the Conversation. ADHD and...

Intuitively, we know when we're struggling with mental, physical or emotional aspects of life and when we don't have the words (or diagnosis) to explain the details to friends and family. Sometimes, we invent terms like Blake did when he said he had a Selective Learning Disorder as a kid as an attempt to explain his teacher's scoldings over his behavior, attention span and chattiness to his mother...

Not only do women live in a highly interuptable environment when raising kids but today, there are still millions of women living with undiagnosed, unrecognized and unsupported neurodiversity. We dig deeper into the complex social and emotional ways that mirroring and masking can unintentionally keep women from discovering their true mental health owners manual for life. Follow Blake's journey on...

We're back from a two-week marathon of transitions, transitions and more transitions that led to some exciting breakthrough's and transformations. During this week we also journey back to the start of our relationship 10 years ago, before we had any idea Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression or Hyper Empathy were part of our relationship dynamics and we examine the transitions, strategies, obstacles a...

This week we adventure out to a family breakfast and get served with a double platter of public meltdowns. Reflecting on our experiences prior to Blake's ASD diagnosis, we breakdown the similarities and differences in meltdowns for Dad and Son and provide multi-generational strategies for Neurodivergent families. Follow Blake's journey on TikTok at @blakefertig Join the Group. Join the Conversatio...

This week we review the process and results of our son's evaluation and eligibility process for creating a preschool IEP (Individual Education Plan). Taking a step farther, we answer critical questions to distinguish medical and educational evaluations that every parent or caregiver of a child with ASD or Neurodiversity needs to know. Join the Group. Join the Conversation. ADHD and Autism Dad's Gr...

A MUST-LISTEN EPISODE for EVERYONE, Neurodivergent or Neurotypical. Emotional Regulation is not an easy task for neurodivergent individuals. Blake opens up about a recent conversation with friend and shares the deeply crushing impact of her ignorance when she brushed off and flat out denied belief that Blake has ASD. Listen in and make sure you don't cause the same emotional harm to another person...

Today we venture out to the Georgia Aquarium putting our sensory parenting to the test to maximize enjoyment and mitigate sensory overload, meltdown and shutdown potential for autistic Dad and Son. Together we learn about mammalian "mimicking" from the dolphin show and compare that neuro-biodiverse "mirroring" social go-to's. Finally, inspired by a visit to the ENT to retest hearing and smelling s...

Ooh! That sounds fun! Let's try something new with our autistic son and adventure out into a crowded area with loud kids and no real plan for the day. Can we pull this off without us all falling into a meltdown? We quickly learned the concept and value of a "Frame of Reference" when we didn't have one in place for picking apples. After spending the day in the apple orchard, we delve into colors an...

Join the Group. Join the Conversation. ADHD and Autism Dad's Group (Private) You Don't Sound Autistic (YDSA)

This is an emotional look back at multiple events in recent years including the loss of our dear sweet Elijah McClain, the night Blake nearly lost his life in the same city of Aurora, Colorado and a sincere reflection how we as a society can do better as a whole. We miss you Elijah and dedicate this episode to your sweet soul.  Join the Group. Join the Conversation. ADHD and Autism Dad's Group (Pr...

Join the Group. Join the Conversation. ADHD and Autism Dad's Group (Private) You Don't Sound Autistic (YDSA)

COVID-19 is an adventure and one that we've now completed twice. Join us as we explore the unique challenges of recovering from COVID-19 with specific Neuro-Biodiverse considerations that are unique to families likes ours.  We took a week off as part of our COVID-19 mandated quarantine and recovery 10 day period and now we're back in heart, soul and most of our mental capacity to discuss the raw t...

In this episode, we explore the differences in how autism is expressed between men and women. Until recently, Autism was largely considered a disorder for men. Finally, the medical/mental health community is understanding how autism presents in women, why it's so easily missed and/or under diagnosed and what you can do as a female (or if you identify as a female) if you suspect you may be on the s...

This Week Blake and Rachelle Discuss Hyperfixation vs Hyperfocus, Short-term Memory, and Emotional Regulation among other things. Join the Group. Join the Conversation. ADHD and Autism Dad's Group (Private) You Don't Sound Autistic (YDSA)

In this episode of You Don't Sound Autistic Blake and Rachelle take an Autism Test and Discuss their answers. The first step in Neurodiverse Curiosity is to take an online screening test. There are multiple versions out there but in this episode we illuminate the test provided by www.aspietests.org /  The Ritvo Autism Aspergers Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R). We explore each question with 360...

In this week's episode, we talk about our Son's Autism Evaluation and whether or Not Spock was Autistic, among other things. Join the Group. Join the Conversation. ADHD and Autism Dad's Group (Private) You Don't Sound Autistic (YDSA)

Why do Dad's always get less press, less recognition and less support while often dealing with just as many if not more sensory and emotional dysregulating stresses. For a long time now, Autism has been diagnosed 4:1 in men over women and yet there still aren't enough supports for men (recognizing women are highly likely to be under recognized... so not taking anything away from women). One of our...

Welcome to the pilot episode where we're jumping right into to catch you up on the past 8 years before the diagnosis, the process of receiving a neuropsychiatric evaluation and finally learning the truth, and the most recent 12 months after the diagnosis. We touch on what life is like today living in a neuro-integrated family. We're not alone. Many families are experiencing the same things we are...