Autism In Real Life

Sam Warner is a Communication Specialist and works with leaders across multiple industries to help Neurodivergent people at work to achieve recognition, respect and understanding.  Working predominantly with the IT industry, Sam works with the whole team to enable them to become self-aware, better communicators and gel as a cohesive team.  The benefits include increased profit and productivity, decreased absenteeism and an empowered high-performing team.Sam is a TEDx Speaker, the licensee and director of TEDxTelford and coaches TEDx Speakers, speakers for formal events and small businesses wishing to refine their messaging. Sam undertakes individual coaching for Neurodivergent adults and their friends, family and co-workers. She also helps trainers to design for neurodivergent audience members and trains organisations to improve their team culture and HR processes to be more inclusive. You can connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwarner/Sam's Website is here: Get Your Message Across

Dan McManmon grew up in western Massachusetts with four sisters, six foster brothers, and an adopted brother. Dan’s father, Michael McManmon, founded the College Internship Program (CIP) in 1984 and was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in his late 50’s. The experience and relationship growing up with his father have had a profound effect on his understanding and compassion of Autism, ADHD and related learning differences.Dan studied multimedia and marketing at Champlain College and Autism Spectrum Disorders at Elms College. He began working at CIP a residential instructor and National Marketing Coordinator in 2005 teaching independent living skills and person-centered planning at the CIP Berkshire Center in Lee, Massachusetts. In 2007, Dan assisted with the opening of CIP’s fourth program site in Berkeley, California. In 2010 he relocated back to Western Massachusetts and served as CIP’s Director of Admissions and Marketing.Dan is a member of the Autism Asperger’s Network (AANE), Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), Autism Society of America (ASA), and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). His co-authored work on Reframing was published in the Autism File Magazine and he is a contributor to Autism & Learning Differences: An Active Learning Teaching Toolkit released by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2015.As President, Dan strives to achieve long-term vision and alignment with CIP’s core values and founding principles by ensuring operations, marketing, strategy, and programming are effectively implemented across the organization. He enjoys producing music, photography, hiking, biking, and spending time with his wife Nicole, son Marlow, and daughters Arbor and Juniper.https://cipworldwide.org/

View the trailer here.Movie Description:When fifteen-year-old Tyson attends public school for the first time, his life is changed forever. While helping his father clean up after the football team, Tyson befriends champion marathon runner Aklilu. Never letting his autism hold him back, Tyson becomes determined to run his first marathon in hopes of winning his father's approval. With the help of an unlikely friend and his parents, Tyson learns that with faith in yourself and the courage to take the first step, anything is possible.Guest Bios:Bass is an Emmy®-nominated screenplay and teleplay writer best known for his work on “In Living Color,” “Sister, Sister” and the Nickelodeon sitcom “Kenan & Kel.” During his over twenty-five year career, Bass has worked as a writer for almost all of the major Hollywood studios and television networks as well as many prominent and independent film and television production companies including: Warner Brothers Studios; Twentieth Century Fox Studios; Disney Studios; Sony Pictures Studios and others. Currently, Bass is in post-production on his latest film, HeadShop, and pre-production on a faith-based Christmas film, Mother Johnson's Miracle Christmas, scheduled to begin principal photography in the spring of 2022. In addition, Bass’ film, Tyson’s Run is scheduled to open theatrically, nationwide on March 4th.Major Dodson is best known for his role of Sam Anderson on AMC’s International smash hit series “The Walking Dead.” Other projects include LEFT BEHIND, “American Horror Story,” and “Revolution.” Dodson is currently featured in the inspirational drama TYSON’S RUN in theaters Spring 2022. Dodson currently resides in Los Angeles, Calif.Film Website: https://www.tysonsrun.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TysonsRunMovie https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMajorDodsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tysonsrunmovie/https://www.instagram.com/major_dodson/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tysonsrun https://twitter.com/Major_Dodson

Jenna and I have a great conversation about getting diagnosed when you are an adult who also is the parent of a child on spectrum. 

Sarah Appleman MS, OTR/L is a published Author, Speaker and Pediatric Occupational Therapist for therapist 20 years. Sarah Co-Owned Paws 4 Peds in Long Beach New York. A unique facility that combined Occupational, Physical and Speech therapy while incorporating  2 dogs, 2 Herman’s Tortoises and a Malo Uromastyx lizard for animal assisted therapy. This facility inspired her to write “Paw Prints Learning”, a 3-part Handwriting Curriculum utilizing a multi-sensory approach to handwriting. In her newly released book, “Play with your Food”, Sarah combines her passions of working with the special need’s population and baking. Through fun therapeutic interventions, activities, and tips, she guides caretakers and children to enjoy the participation in the food preparation with fun games, while improving food repertoire of picky eaters. Sarah holds a master’s degree from Touro College in Occupational Therapy. She specializes in early intervention in children diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorders. Sarah has worked as a Senior Therapist & Supervisor for school districts, home care agencies and sensory gyms. She has also been published in Spectrum Magazine, Long Island Herald, and recently appeared on KUSI for Autism Awareness month.

Karen Miscall-Bannon is a senior hatha Yoga teacher. She is Yoga Alliance-certified at the 200-and 500-hour levels in Embodyoga® and at the E-RYT 500-hour level by Yoga Alliance since 2003.  She began leading trainings at Newington Yoga Center in CT in 2009. She is also an IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist and has worked on their exam-writing committee. Karen is currently  program director at Mindful Yoga Therapy, a non-profit dedicated to bringing trauma-sensitive yoga to veterans and other populations suffering with Post-Traumatic Stress. MYT offers trainings for teachers as well as resources for students.Karen is currently located in Northern CA, where she teaches classes, workshops, and leads 100- 200- and 300-hour Yoga Alliance-certified Hatha Yoga teacher training programs in the greater Sacramento area. She leads workshops and trainings around the world, including Thailand, Europe, and India.Karen has extensive knowledge of anatomy, with a passion for yoga therapeutics, stemming from her bodywork practice of over 20 years.  Karen brings a deep love of yoga and yoga philosophy to her teaching, and she is known for being able to make abstract concepts accessible to her students.  She gratefully brings what she has learned from her teachers and her own practice to her students, to assist them in deepening their awareness of body and mind through the practices of yoga.

Dr Isabelle Hénault, is the Director of the Autism & Asperger's Clinic at Montreal. She is a sexologist and psychologist from the University of Québec at Montréal, Canada. Her practice and studies have focused on providing diagnosis, education and support to children,adolescents, adults and couples living with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Dr. Hénault has developed a relationship and sex education program and works with individuals and groups to increase their understanding of sexuality and conducts relationship counseling. Asperger Syndrome and Sexuality was her first publication (with Jessica Kingsley Publisher in 2005). She is presently collaborating on numerous international research initiatives involving socio-sexual education, interpersonal relationships and gender identity. Dr. Hénault is the co-author of The Autism Spectrum, Sexuality and the Law (Attwood, Hénault &Dubin) published by Jessica Kingsley Publisher, London (2014). In 2020 she published a bookthat was co-authored on the Female profile of Asperger syndrome (Hénault & Martin) atChenelière Education.Contact Information:Clinique Autisme et Asperger de Montréalhttp://www.clinique-autisme-asperger-mtl.ca/514 990-3373Here are links to resources that Isabelle mentions during this episode:Initial Clinical Guidelines for Co-Occurring Autism Spectrum Disorder and Gender Dysphoria or Incongruence in Adolescents“I Don't Feel Like a Gender, I Feel Like Myself”: Autistic Individuals Raised as Girls Exploring Gender Identity

Russell Lehmann: Speaker, Poet, AdvocateRussell Lehmann is an award-winning and internationally recognized motivational speaker and poet contextualizing autism, mental illness, and cannabis use. His words have been featured in the USA Today, LA Times, NPR, Yahoo! News, Success Magazine and archived in the Library of Congress.A graduate of MIT’s “Leadership in the Digital Age” course, Russell sits on the national Board of Directors for The Arc and is a council member for the Autism Society of America. Russell has also been the Youth Ambassador for the mayor of Reno, Nevada, and a member of the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities as well as the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders.Russell showed signs of autism as a newborn, however, he was not formally diagnosed until the age of 12 after suffering through 5 weeks in a lockdown psychiatric facility.His new book, “On the Outside Looking In” recently hit bookstores nationwide.In 2018, Russell was named as Reno-Tahoe’s “Most Outstanding Young Professional Under 40”.In 2019 & 2020, Russell lectured for the prestigious King’s College of London and the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Special Education in Abu Dhabi, respectively. Russell currently travels the world spreading hope, awareness, and compassion in a raw and dynamic fashion, while also setting his sights on erasing the stigma and stereotypes that come with having a disability. Russell’s passion is to be a voice for the unheard, for he knows how difficult and frustrating it is to go unnoticed.Website and TestimonialsInstagramLinkedInFacebookYouTube

In this episode Tas and I discuss the intricacies of complex trauma and it's impact day-to-day specifically in the workplace.  Please listen in for this informative discussion. Tas is autistic and part of the disability community with developmental, mental health, and physical disabilities. They are the trifecta or triad of disabilities. They are a person of color and nonbinary. They are proud to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a neurodiverse DID system! Since they have a unique combination of diversity, they advocate for inclusion. Equal access to education, healthcare, and innate human rights motivate them to move past challenges in the effort to make the world accessible, inclusive, and fair for the next generation. For more information: https://linktr.ee/tasthoughtsTas Kronby(they/them/we/our)Autistic Mental Health AdvocateMindful Life Coach Practitionerwww.tasthoughts.com

In this episode I have a great conversation with Eileen Lamb, A Blogger and Creator of The Autism Cafe.  We talked about her experience being an autistic parent of a child with autism as well as autism  advocacy. Eileen Lamb, author of "All Across The Spectrum" and “Be The One,” is the founder of The Autism Cafe. She’s also a writer, photographer, and podcast host. Born in France, Eileen now lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two sons, Charlie (8) and Jude (6). On her blog, she shares the ups and downs of raising a severely autistic child while being on the autism spectrum herself. In her free time, Eileen enjoys daydreaming and road trips.https://theautismcafe.com/@theautismcafe

In this episode Marcelle and I have a very exciting and inspiring conversation about inclusion, diversity and universal design in the workplace. Marcelle Ciampi M.Ed. (aka Samantha Craft), a respected Autistic author and international ambassador, has been featured at over 100 events around the world. Ciampi is best known for her writings found in the well-received book Everyday Aspergers, endorsed by best-selling author Steve Silberman. She is the Senior Manager of DEI at Ultranauts Inc., an engineering firm with an autism hiring initiative (featured in the New York Times), where Ciampi is credited for largely-architecting an innovative universal design approach to workplace inclusion. Some of her works, especially the Autistic Traits List, have been translated into multiple languages and widely-shared in counseling offices, globally. A former school teacher, Ciampi has corresponded directly with over 10,000 individuals on the autism spectrum and been featured in various literature, including citations in articles, books, and research papers. A selection of her writings can be found in ND GiFTS, ICare4 Autism, Exceptional Needs Today, Autism Parenting Magazine, ERE, and Different Brains. Considered an expert in the field of neurodiversity in the workplace, by key thought leaders such as Judy Singer, her knowledge is shared through consultancy work at quality enterprises like Uptimize. She serves as the founder of Spectrum Suite LLC, the Co-founder of the Spectrum Lights Inclusion Summit, Co-executive of LifeGuides for Autistics, and a contributor, advisor, and board member to autism organizations and conferences, including the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit. Her upcoming book, Autism in a Briefcase: Straight talk about belonging in a neurodiverse world, is based on 3000 hours of study. Ciampi also contributed to the book Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism and was recently accepted as a doctoral student in the field of organizational leadership and social justice. Recent appearances include AstraZeneca, Deloitte, Accenture, and Bank of New York Mellon. Marcelle is Autistic (Aspergers) with gifted-intellect, and dyslexic, dyspraxic, and hyperlexic, what she calls a ‘blended-neurodivergent.’ Two of her adult sons are also neurodivergent, as is her life partner.You can find out more about Marcelle and her work at http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/ and https://ultranauts.co/ 

Temple and I have a very interesting conversation about the challenges of employment while being on the autism spectrum as well as some strategies we can all use to help. Dr. Temple Grandin is well known to many for her trailblazing work as a spokesperson for people with autism and her lifelong work with animal behavior. Dr. Grandin has been with Colorado State University (CSU) for over 25 years. Grandin has been referred to as the "most famous person working at CSU" by her peers.Her life’s work has been to understand her own autistic mind, and to share that knowledge with the world, aiding in the treatment of individuals with the condition. Her understanding of the human mind has aided her in her work with animal behavior, and she is one of the most respected experts in both autism and animal behavior in the world. Dr. Grandin is also a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. You can learn more about Dr. Temple Grandin's work in autism at templegrandin.com and for her work in animal behavior you can go to grandin.com.

Welcome to Season 2!!  I have lots of great interviews and content coming this season.  Looking forward to sharing with you! I have also started adding transcripts for this season.  Let me know what you think!