Perspectives on Neurodiversity

I'm Christopher Scott Wyatt. I'm autistic and I'm unemployed.

Only 14 percent of autistic adults are employed in their communities. A third of autistic adults are considered college and career capable, but less than half of that group are employed full or part-time.

Bricolage Production Company presents

The Forest of Everywhere

May 17 - June 3, 2018

An enchanted open-world adventure where kids can be themselves! Dig for bugs, play magical instruments, and help our furry animal friends explore the forest.

A colossal storm has rearranged the entire globe, causing whole cities to change locations! Swept up from all across the world, our furry and feathered animal friends have found refuge in a beautiful Enchanted Forest. Help Don Key the dancing burro, Esther the singing ostrich, and Simon the napping alpaca adjust to their new home as you dig for bugs, play instruments, and make your mark in the chalk cave.

This fully accessible experience takes your kids out of their seats and into a real-life adventure. They'll explore an open-world environment, have one-on-one interactions, and play without the restrictions and rules of traditional theater. Sitting is not a requirement. Being quiet for long periods of time is not a requirement. The Forest of Everywhere was built with children on the autism spectrum and their families in mind and is a place where all kids can be themselves.

Lu Randall of the Autism Connection of Pennsylvania discusses how to approach your child's school to seek an IEP or 504 Plan.

An introduction to the IEP (Individualized Education Program) and 504 Plan processes. For more information, visit The Autistic Me blog for this episode.

The "unwritten curriculum" of social interactions penalizes autistic students and others with differences in the classroom setting. Teachers are trained to foster active and engaged communities, valuing peer interactions and class participation. The emphasis on social skills draws attention to the defining characteristic of autism: social communication deficits.

Lu Randall of the Autism Connection of PA joins us again to discuss these challenges faced by autistics and how training helps teachers, parents, and peers appreciate autistic differences.

Daniel Sansing is a husband, father, and college instructor. He has also worked as a reporter. Daniel is also autistic, and in this episode, he offers insights from his experiences with other diagnoses and finally obtaining the autism diagnosis.

Daniel's children and his wife are neurodiverse.

Media accounts overlook neurodiverse parents, members of the autistic community I hope to highlight.

For transcripts, visit The Autistic Me blog.

An interview with Lu Randall, Executive Director of the Autism Connection of Pennsylvania. Learn why connecting services are needed in the autism community and what services the Autism Connection provides.

Visit www.autismofpa.org for more information on the organization.

The planned episode for this week wasn't ready on time. Why? Because I badly estimated the time required for post-production and transcription. At least I admit my challenges with time and planning in this episode and will release the planned episode this week.

Consider this an unplanned bonus look at my life.

Introducing The Autistic Me Podcast and host Christopher Scott Wyatt.

The transcripts of all episodes are available on The Autistic Me blog.