Autism Knows No Borders

Behind the Music: ASD Band, with Rawan Tuffaha, Spenser Murray, and Andrew Simon | TBT


Listen Later

Discover what’s possible when all notes are heard. 

Today we’re featuring two members of the ASD Band, lead vocalist Rawan Tuffaha and drummer Spenser Murray, joined by their manager, Andrew Simon. 

Comprised of musicians on the autism spectrum, the ASD Band was formed by Canadian charity Jake’s House to raise awareness and highlight strengths related to autism. If you’d like to learn more about Jake’s House, please listen to episode 44 featuring its co-founder, David Bodanis: Support Across the Lifespan at Jake's House in Canada

The ASD Band has performed with Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, and their covers of Shawn Mendes, Sonny & Cher, and Marvin Gaye are available on streaming platforms. In the intro, you'll hear a short sample of the band performing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” 

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

  • The serendipitous creation of the ASD Band
  • Rawan and Spenser's musical influences
  • How autism helps their musical abilities
  • Misconceptions about autism
  • Tips for people on the spectrum who may be interested in joining a band 
  • For more information about the ASD Band, please visit:

    Jake's House  

    ASD Band “I Got You Babe” 

    Spenser's Band: Lime Ricky 

    Spenser’s YouTube: PlayerPunk6 

    Rawan’s YouTube: Rawan Singer 77 

    This conversation with ASD Band was originally released on March 4, 2021. 

    The band's story has been made into a feature-length documentary called OKAY! (The ASD Band Film)

    The film premiered at the Hot Docs International Festival last April, where it came in 2nd place for Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, and was also accepted and presented at Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand. 

    Since then, ASD Band has been performing in a Canadian-wide tour thanks to one of the festival’s sponsors.

    ----more----

    We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

    Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

    Join our Facebook group: Autism Knows No Borders 

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

    We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Autism Knows No BordersBy Global Autism Project

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    86 ratings


    More shows like Autism Knows No Borders

    View all
    The Psychology Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

    The Psychology Podcast

    1,855 Listeners

    My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

    My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

    171,952 Listeners

    The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker by The New Yorker

    The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

    2,149 Listeners

    Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children by Debbie Reber

    Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

    982 Listeners

    The OCD Stories by Stuart Ralph

    The OCD Stories

    759 Listeners

    Psychologists Off the Clock by Debbie Sorensen, Jill Stoddard, Yael Schonbrun, Michael Herold & Emily Edlynn

    Psychologists Off the Clock

    329 Listeners

    Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel by Esther Perel Global Media

    Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

    14,951 Listeners

    Neurodiversity Podcast by Emily Kircher-Morris

    Neurodiversity Podcast

    424 Listeners

    Dateline NBC by NBC News

    Dateline NBC

    47,847 Listeners

    Two Sides of the Spectrum by Meg Ferrell

    Two Sides of the Spectrum

    230 Listeners

    Uniquely Human: The Podcast by ART19    Uniquely Human

    Uniquely Human: The Podcast

    422 Listeners

    Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

    Huberman Lab

    29,194 Listeners

    Meet My Autistic Brain by The Autistic Woman™

    Meet My Autistic Brain

    310 Listeners

    Depresh Mode with John Moe by John Moe, Maximum Fun

    Depresh Mode with John Moe

    812 Listeners

    The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

    The Mel Robbins Podcast

    20,245 Listeners