Perspectives on Neurodiversity

I hope this third season of The Autistic Me Podcastmeets audience expectations. If you leave comments or email me, I'll do my best to address the issues of concern. It would be nice to have more guests and maybe a cohost or two for some open-ended discussions. Please share your suggestions.

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The Autistic Me blog posts mentioned:

• Moving to Texas: https://www.tameri.com/wordpress/autisticme/2019/07/15/now-posting-from-texas/
• Parents by Choice: https://www.tameri.com/wordpress/autisticme/2019/04/26/autistic-parent-by-choice-keep-objections-to-yourself/
• Marriage: https://www.tameri.com/wordpress/autisticme/2019/01/22/is-your-marriage-normal/
• https://www.tameri.com/wordpress/autisticme/2017/05/23/the-question-starts-youre-married-so/
• https://www.tameri.com/wordpress/autisticme/2016/11/09/terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-year-but/

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I am not a success. I am not an academic inspiration story.

I could write a book about my experiences as a student and educator. I've started just such a project several times, and each time I've decided it isn't helpful since it is one failure after another. There's a lot more to say than what follows, but it's enough to remind people that education is no better than any other path for an autistic individual.

I'd argue education is difficult for any disabled person. Higher education is particularly uninviting and unsupportive.

The assumption is that because I have completed various degree programs, I must have mastered how to succeed in higher education. The reality is more complex. Yes, I do have two terminal degrees, a doctorate and a master of fine arts, but the journey towards those degrees was fraught with academic and social failures.

If you have questions or thoughts, visit the blog or join our community on Facebook.

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Daniel Sansing discusses his interest in writing and communication theories. Sansing studies academic composition and teaching composition courses.

The myth that autistics are only concrete thinkers dismisses the uniqueness of individuals. Yes, some of us are concrete thinkers... and we can still study theories, too.

I study rhetoric and writing, but not first-year college composition, which is a course designed to help students transition into higher education.

Three topics generate the most traffic to The Autistic Me: Relationships, Education, and Employment. I'm not really an expert in any of these areas, but people seem to assume I know something.

If you have questions or suggestions, be sure to visit the blog page, Facebook, or Twitter.

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Daniel Sansing discusses the complications of disclosing an autism diagnosis. When do we tell friends, family, schools, and employers? What are the risks and benefits of disclosing we are autistic?

Heather Conroy, the co-founder of Evolve Coaching, discusses coaching autistic individuals as they develop life and employment skills.

Visit Evolve on the web at https://www.evolve-coaching.org

Do autistics have more health problems and injuries? I believe so, based on my experiences. It is difficult for me to notice warning signs that might alert neurotypical individuals. With sensory overload, new inputs are ignored or unnoticed because we process so much input. When we don't "hear" what our bodies are trying to express, we end up with medical emergencies.

We discuss house hunting with Prof. Dayna Goldstein. For the neurodiverse, spaces need to meet our distinct needs. The wrong space can cause stress and make it difficult to decompress.

Joe Farrell discusses the Joey Travolta Film Camp, Arts for Autism, and Evolve coaching.

Joe moved to Pittsburgh in 2008 to pursue his Master's of Science in Education and Community Agency Counseling degree from Duquesne University and began working with children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Substance Abuse Disorders.

His main focus is empowering individuals to live independent and integrated lives. Joe incorporates techniques from Behaviorism, Cognitive Therapy, and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy into his Coaching. Joe enjoys hiking, biking, and backpacking and he is also a member of the Steel City Beard and Moustache Club, where he gets to talk about having facial hair and host charitable events for local Non-profit Organizations.