Autism Learning Lab Podcast

In this edition of the Autism Learning Lab Podcast, Chris chats with Kay Rodgers, a clinical psychology doctoral student at Mercer who specializes in working with neurodivergent clients. Kay shares how fashion psychology can help autistic people express themselves and build confidence. Drawing from her own
experience and clinical work, Kay explains how clothing can become a meaningful tool for self-expression, social connection, and emotional regulation.

Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: [email protected]

Quotes:
[5:26-5:31] Kay “How will you ever know who you are if all you have ever done is try to fit in with everyone else around you?”

[5:55-6:01] Kay “Fashion (and what you wear) is one way that you can communicate who you are without having to say anything at all.”

[14:16-14:22] Kay “You have very little to lose, but a lot to gain if you can find that sense of style that really speaks to you and makes you feel good.”

What if personal growth is less about fixing what’s missing—and more about discovering what you uniquely bring to the world?
In this Autism Symposium Edition, Chris sits down with Dr. Danny Recio, program director and co-founder of The Bridge Costa Rica and New Summit Academy, to discuss neurodiversity, identity, and creating safe spaces for autistic young adults to explore, grow, and discover their strengths. Danny shares how a low-judgment “sandbox” for life can encourage experimentation, connection, and growth beyond the comfort zone. They also explore artificial intelligence, the importance of real-world human connection, and practical ways families can create meaningful opportunities for growth without coercion.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: [email protected]
Guest Info:
Bridge Young Adults: https://www.bridgeyoungadults.com/

Quotes:

[5:03-5:08] Danny: “You just get the opportunity to practice and just explore. And if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.”

[11:18-11:21] Danny: “Growth happens at the edge of your comfort zone.”

[20:30-20:42] Danny: “Time is important, repetition is important, salience is important, dissonance is important, choice is important, challenge is important, feedback is important.”

Chris sits down with Dr. Eric Endlich, clinical psychologist, certified educational planner, and founder of Top College Consultants, to discuss what neurodivergent students and their families need to know before making the transition to higher education. They explore independent living skills, self-advocacy, college accommodations, and practical ways parents can gradually help their child build confidence and independence. Dr. Endlich also shares insight into autism support programs, community college, gap years, and why finding the right college environment can be more important than simply following a traditional path. Most importantly, this conversation offers encouragement and hope: there is no single timeline or path to college. With thoughtful preparation, the right environment, and appropriate support, autistic students can find their own path and thrive.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: [email protected]
Top College Consultants: https://www.topcollegeconsultants.com/

Quotes:
[9:33-9:36]Eric “[You don’t] have to have every skill completely mastered the day you walk into college.”

[19:26-19:30] Eric “[College] is not the time to throw away all the supports that helped you get to where you are.”

[25:16-25:20] Eric “Time is on your side. There's no deadline.” 

[27:15-27:19] Eric “You deserve to go to college. If that's what you want to do, you can be successful.”

Chris sits down with Chris Heys, Head of School at Hampshire Country School, to discuss what true school readiness really means. Together, they explore why readiness is about far more than compliance. They show how parents and educators can recognize when a child is struggling and why relationships and trust are essential for meaningful learning. They also discuss the importance of self-advocacy, and knowing when a different educational environment may be the right fit. For many neurodivergent students and their families, back-to-school season can bring uncertainty and difficult decisions, but this conversation offers practical guidance and encouragement for parents preparing for the new school year.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: [email protected]

Hampshire Country School: https://www.hampshirecountryschool.org/

Quotes:
[7:15-7:20] Heys: "Readiness is not obedience and compliance. Readiness can
look many different ways."
[12:23] Heys: "Breaks are always okay."

[22:40-22:42] Heys “Nobody else on the planet knows your child better than
you."

Chris Blankenship invites therapist Regan Adair to discuss the unique challenges autistic adolescent girls who are often diagnosed later in life face. They explore the impact of chronic pain, sensory differences, shame, and years of being misunderstood. Regan shares how listening deeply, believing clients' lived experiences, and collaborating across disciplines can dramatically improve quality of life. This conversation offers insight and encouragement for parents, clinicians, and autistic girls seeking support.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: [email protected]
Regan Adair Practice: Blue Ridge Wilderness

Quotes:
[8:29 - 8:37] Regan "I want to seek understanding from my clients. I want to
always be listening to them. She is the expert on her experience."

[15:33-15:38] Regan “listen and challenge yourself to believe what your child is
saying”

[15:55-16:02] Regan "If you haven't found a provider who believes you and
listens to you, please keep looking. They're out there. We are out there."

Chris chats with Kellyn Smythe, Director of Admissions at Pacific Quest and a father navigating autism in his own family. Kellyn shares his personal journey of his
son’s early feeding struggles and eventual autism diagnosis. This conversation offers an honest look at the realities many families face. However, this episode offers hope with Kellyn reflecting on how perspective shifts over time explaining how what once felt devastating can become a source of joy.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: [email protected]

Pacific Quest: https://pacificquest.org/

Quotes:
[7:50-8:00] Kellyn “All that suffering and all that distress and worry and
sleepless nights and all those things that made a big old hole that we get to
fill up with everything he does now it's just so rewarding.”

[10:45-10:55] Chris “I like the fact that you're other people are putting up
boundaries, and you're saying ‘no I'm gonna take that away and let's at least try.’ If you're not going to do that for your kid, who's going to?”

[15:21-15:24] Kellyn “Our healthy relationships involve attuned expectations.”

In this episode of the Autism Learning Lab Podcast, host Chris Blankenship sits down with occupational therapist and Mountain Valley Treatment Center Executive Director Zachary Schafer to discuss sensory processing challenges in adolescents. Together, they explore the remarkable power of neuroplasticity and explain why it's never too late to support meaningful change. Zachary challenges the common belief that sensory development is fixed after early childhood, offering hope, practical insights, and encouragement to families and individuals navigating sensory sensitivities.

Links:

Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/

Email: [email protected]

Fear Less Podcast: https://mountainvalleytreatment.org/resources/podcast/

Mountain Valley Treatment Center: https://mountainvalleytreatment.org/

Quotes:

[1:30-1:38] Zachary  “Did you know that we could actually maybe change the way that they process sensory information and that this might not be a fixed challenge?”

[6:20-6:22] Zachary “Before you can do any of this, you have to educate.”

[11:03 - 11:07] Zachary “Your sensory processing capacity is something that's a  lifelong experience.”

In this episode of the Autism Learning Lab Podcast, Chris Blankenship discusses the complexities of autism diagnosis and treatment with Neil Wallace the director of Spark. They discuss the challenges of ever emerging autism labels and how those labels can impact care, identity, and outcomes. Neil also shares insights on rigidity, PDA, and why diagnosis should guide treatment, not define a person. This episode is great for parents and caregivers, highlighting the powerful role they play in helping children regulate, grow, and navigate the world.

Links:

Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/

Email: [email protected]

Spark: https://www.spark.heritagertc.org/

Quotes:

[00:57-1:03] Chris: “We're all slaves to this. big purple book called the DSM.”

[6:05-6:07] Neil: “ a diagnosis is to help guide treatment.” 

[8:47-8:56] Neil: “And [labels] almost become a permission structure for allowing rigidity, allowing noncompliance, allowing this behavior that maybe otherwise we would challenge.

[15:46-15:51] Neil: “you've got to be able to regulate the body first and then everything else we get so much easier” 

Chris Blankenship sits down with podcaster and relationship advocate Gina Kavali for an encouraging conversation about the life-changing power of human connection in the neurodivergent community. Through her program Table Talks, Gina has helped countless adults on the autism spectrum build confidence, develop social skills, and even form meaningful romantic relationships.

Together, Chris and Gina discuss the growing challenges of loneliness,
depression, and suicide within the autism community, while highlighting the
hope, healing, and purpose that can come through authentic relationships
and social engagement. This inspiring episode explores why connection
matters — and how creating spaces for belonging can truly change lives.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: [email protected]

Life With The Spectrum: https://lifewiththespectrum.com/
Life With The Spectrum Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@lifewiththespectrum
Spectrum Autism Support: https://spectrumautism.org/
Table Talk: https://spectrumautism.org/table-talk/
Table Talk Junior: https://spectrumautism.org/events/table-talk-jr/

Quotes:
[3:19-3:23] Chris: “One of the biggest predictors of having a fulfilling life is
having friends and having relationships...”

[12:57- 13:02] Gina: “...The world is really better for having autistic people in it.”

[14:49-14:57] Gina: “I had my hand in that, to bring people together to
understand that it's okay to create these socials and these opportunities...”

In this special conference edition of the Autism Learning Lab podcast, recorded during the Autism Symposium in Georgia, host Chris Blankenship is joined by Tony Meiners and Trish Ruggles for a conversation about “lazy diagnosing,” autism misdiagnosis, and the long-term impact of mismatched mental health treatment—especially for autistic women and high-masking adults. Together, they discuss how autistic individuals are often misunderstood within traditional mental health systems, leading to misdiagnoses, burnout, masking, and medical trauma. The episode also explores the importance of neurodiversity-affirming care, adapting therapy to the individual, and rebuilding trust after harmful treatment experiences.

Links:

Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/

Email: [email protected]

The Neurodivergent Collective

Dr. Tony Meiners

Pathfinder Consulting with Trish Ruggles

About Trish Ruggles

Quotes:

[12:35  - 13:17] Trish: “Most of my clients that I work with are diagnosed late and a lot of the female clients I work with are diagnosed in their 20s or 30s, and that is so profoundly late, and they've usually encountered a lot of hardship of not being able to make and keep friends, not being able to hold jobs, or they're only able to hold lower level jobs, they're never able to get promotions, and if they do, they start to crumble, they start to become depressed, they start to become suicidal, they get involved in substances to fit in, they often end up in really abusive sexual relationships because they don't know or understand any better, and it's connection, and it looks normal.”

[13:59 - 14:25] Tony: “I think the issue is that we often ask clients to adapt to the therapy instead of adapt the therapy to the client, you know, and a lot of these gold standard modalities assume a singular processing style or the singular way of perceiving the world, and when you're trying to have a client use this therapy that has these assumptions, but the client perceives the world differently. It's not going to work.”

[25:17 - 25:45] Trish: “I think another chronic one [issue] that happens over a long period of time as well is mistrust of providers, right? Like, what are you going to do to me? What are you going to make me do? What are you going to tell my parents? And on the reverse, the parents are going to say, like, what kind of hope are you going to give me now? And then you're, you know, it's going to fail to produce. So I think it can be long term, like a lot of mistrust, a lot of resentment, loss of hope.”

[30:48 - 31:03] Tony: “One of my mottos is, you are not the problem, the problem is the problem, and that's kind of how I start these, these sessions or conversations with clients or families, is really decentering and depathologizing that the person in front of me as the issue.”