Two Sides of the Spectrum

By Meg Proctor

Society & Culture Education

What's Two Sides of the Spectrum about?

A place where we explore research, amplify autistic voices, and change the way we think about autism in life and in professional therapy practice.
Visit learnplaythrive.com/podcast/

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

The Children Who Deserve a ...

02.01.2023

Today’s guests, Meghan Ashburn from Not an Autism Mom, and Jules Edwards from Autistic, Typing, will be our guides in examining how we as professionals can create the world Autistic kids and their families deserve. Together we’ll dig through everything ...

Two Sides of the Spectrum episodes:

02.01.2023 The Children Who Deserve a Better World with Meghan Ashburn & Jules Edwards Today’s guests, Meghan Ashburn from Not an Autism Mom, and Jules Edwards from Autistic, Typing, will be our guides in examining how we as professionals can create the world Autistic kids and their families deserve. Together we’ll dig through everything ...
01.18.2023 A Social Curriculum that Centers Authenticity with Carolyn Long and Nick Kelsch This episode is about how we as therapists build something different to support our autistic clients' social and emotional development, with our ethics and values guiding us and our autistic students as our co-creators. Our guests are SLP Carolyn Long ...
01.04.2023 Happy New Year! We are gearing up for our OT Neurodiversity Continuing Education Summit and it's going to be transformative. Learn more about it here or visit learnplaythrive.com/summit
12.21.2022 Sensory Processing in Everyday Life with Dr. Winnie Dunn Dr. Winnie Dunn totally changed how we think about sensory processing for Autistic people. In this episode, we explore a person-centered, strengths-based way to consider our Autistic clients’ sensory needs in their daily lives. We also get Dr. Dunn’s advice ...
12.07.2022 How to Reduce Adult Demands to Increase Autistic Joy with Amanda Diekman There’s a tool that is missing from most of our therapy bags: it’s lowering the demands for our Autistic clients. This tool is irreplaceable for helping Autistic people recover from the burnout cycle, and even for preventing burnout all together. ...
11.16.2022 Culturally Responsive Therapy for Native Autistic Kids with Jules Edwards How does the historical and present-day trauma of Native Autistic kids impact their experience of our therapy? And how does the linear worldview of non-Native therapists create a gap between us and our Native clients? In this episode, Jules Edwards, ...
11.02.2022 When Autistic Kids Become Adults: Authentic Participation & Community Access with Dr. Kristy Coxon & Dr. Caroline Mills In this episode, Dr. Kristy Coxon and Dr. Caroline Mills look at how we can support Autistic people’s meaningful participation in daily life as they enter older adulthood. And then they help us apply these lessons to supporting Autistic people ...
10.19.2022 Breaking Out of the Medical Model with Dr. Mel Houser The medical model is pervasive, and it asks us to silo the health needs of our Autistic clients. But our Autistic clients are full people, and their needs are intertwined. In this episode, Autistic primary care physician Mel Houser helps ...
10.05.2022 Supporting Multiply Disabled Kids: Parent Perspectives In this three part episode, we hear from parents of multiply disabled kids on their experiences of inclusion in the schools, collaborating with therapists, and AAC. This episode takes us back in time into the history of the disability rights ...
09.21.2022 Culturally Responsive Therapy: A Moral Imperative with AC Goldberg Here’s the truth: if we aren’t engaging in a process to learn about our clients’ cultures and our own biases, we are likely causing harm. In this episode, intersex and transgendered SLP AC Goldberg helps us explore how culturally responsive ...
09.07.2022 Picky Eating, PDA, & PICA: What Every Feeding Therapist Should Know with Laura Hellfeld Ready to dive deeper into neurodiversity-affirming approaches to feeding? Our guest Laura Hellfeld, Public Health Nurse, explores the relationship between PDA and feeding, dives into eating disorders, and shares her personal experience with PICA. This episode will take you deeper ...
08.17.2022 Affirming Approaches to Picky Eating: Moving Beyond Systematic Desensitization with Naureen Hunani In this episode, neurodivergent RD Naureen Hunani helps us unpack the harm of systematic desensitization for picky eating in autistic kids. Then she lays out a framework for what we can do to support picky eaters in a more affirming ...
08.03.2022 Listener Q&A: All About AAC with Kate McLaughlin Have questions on teaching AAC to your autistic clients? Kate McLaughlin, M.S., CCC-SLP has answers! In this episode we field listener questions to Kate and get her insight on the ins and outs of teaching AAC without prompting, where to ...
07.20.2022 Strengths Based Diagnostics & "The Legend of Autistica" with Matt Lowry In this episode, Autistic psychology practitioner Matt Lowry helps us dive into what a strengths-based diagnostics process looks like for autism, and the incredible difference this can make. We also explore what parents and other professionals should look for to ...
07.06.2022 We Can't Address Disability Without Addressing Race - with Lydia X. Z. Brown Lydia X. Z. Brown is an autistic attorney and disability justice advocate who specifically focuses on violence against multiply-marginalized disabled people. Join us as we explore how racism impacts the lives of Brown, Black and Indigenous Autistic people, and what ...
06.15.2022 How To Change the System: An OT, SLP, And Physicist's Story with Sam Brandsen, Janelle Fenwick, & Jenna Meehan This episode is the story of how an autistic physicist, an autistic occupational therapist, and a neurotypical speech language pathologist came together to try and break down the barriers to truly authentic inclusion for autistic kids in Durham, North Carolina. ...
06.01.2022 Applying a Disability Studies Lens to Therapy with Chelsea Wallaert In this episode we explore how our ideas about disability – both as a society and as individual therapists - can deeply impact a parent’s relationship with their child and the child’s own view of themselves. Our guest, Chelsea Wallaert, ...
05.18.2022 Social Learning, Game Theory, & Autistic Girls with Vanessa Gill In this episode, we explore neurodiversity-affirming social-emotional learning through video games and stories. Our guest, Vanessa Castañeda Gill. Vanessa is autistic and the founder of Social Cipher. Our conversation goes into why game-based learning works, and how we can teach ...
05.04.2022 Let's Talk About Autistic Sex with Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez In this episode we explore the role of therapists in promoting positive sexual identity and reducing the risk of sexual assault for our clients. Our guest, Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez is an autistic occupational therapist and educator working to promote an ...
04.20.2022 Comprehensive Literacy with Jane Farrall In this episode we explore how a comprehensive literacy framework can totally transform how we approach speech and OT goals around reading and writing. Our guest, Jane Farrall, is a speech pathologist and special educator with extensive training and experience ...
04.06.2022 Autism & Interoception with Kelly Mahler In this episode we dive into interoception, our ability to understand the messages we are getting from inside our bodies. Our guest, Kelly Mahler, makes the connection between interoception and truly neurodiversity-affirming therapy practices. Kelly Mahler presents internationally on interoception ...
03.16.2022 Creating a Meaningful Life: Authentic Approaches Across the Lifespan with Maisie Soetantyo In this episode, we talk about what it means to cultivate an authentic life together with our autistic clients, from early childhood through adulthood. Our guest, Maisie Soetantyo, is an openly autistic family and inclusivity consultant who founded the Autism ...
03.02.2022 Inclusive, Strengths-Based Preschool with Corrie Price In this episode with preschool director Corrie Price, we go into exactly how you can build neurodiverse, inclusive early childhood spaces from the ground up and from the top down. Corrie Price is a life-long advocate for children and families ...
02.16.2022 Nigh Functioning Autism: From Shame to Empowerment with Tiffany Joseph In this episode with autistic AAC user Tiffany Joseph, we cover functioning labels, AAC access, how race intersects with disability in the autistic community, aggressive behaviors, and so much more. But the thread that runs throughout the conversation is empowering ...
02.02.2022 Delayed Echolalia & Gestalt Language Processors with Alexandria Zachos In this episode we deeply explore how therapists misunderstand kids who communicate using scripts, how traditional approaches just don’t work to support their language acquisition, and a totally new framework we can all use to support them in a meaningful ...
01.19.2022 Neurodiversity-Affirming Approaches to Social & Emotional Learning with Katrina Martin and Kat Harhai Kat Harhai is a facilitator, educator, and writer, and currently works as the Neurodiversity Collaboration Facilitator at Bridges Learning System. She is multiply disabled and was late diagnosed as autistic as a young adult. Katrina Martin is the founder of ...
01.05.2022 Exciting News! We'll be back later this month with a new episode, but for now, check out the free Neurodiversity in the New Year Summit at learnplaythrive.com/summit
12.01.2021 Autistic Motherhood & Self-Advocacy with Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez is an occupational therapist and educator working to promote an intentional identity-first approach to autism and OT. She’s also a mother to three neurodiverse children. In this episode, we explore Sarah’s experiences as an autistic mother, the ...
11.17.2021 How Behaviorism Hurts Kids with Greg Santucci Greg Santucci is an occupational therapist and the founder of Power Play Pediatric Therapy. Greg provides workshops and trainings to parents and professionals all over the country on compassionate, collaborative, and neuro-developmentally informed approaches. In this episode we talk about ...
11.03.2021 AAC & Authentic Participation with part-time AAC user Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk is autistic, a part-time AAC user, and a recent graduate from the interdisciplinary neuroscience program at the University of Rhode Island. In this episode, we talk about why and how part-time AAC use can support authentic ...
10.20.2021 The Neurodiversity Paradigm & Strengths-Based Goals with Rachel Dorsey Rachel Dorsey is an Autistic SLP in private practice, a consultant, and the creator of a new Learn Play Thrive course, Goal Writing for Autistic Students: A Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach. In episode 35, we cover the basics of the neurodiversity paradigm ...
10.06.2021 Strengths-Based Early Intervention & Parenting with Rachel Coley Rachel Coley is an OT and mom of three kids, one of whom is autistic. She’s also the founder of CanDo Kiddo, where she gives strengths-based strategies for supporting infant development. In this episode Rachel and I talk about how ...
09.15.2021 The Sensory Experiences of Autistic Mothers with Moyna Talcer Moyna Talcer is an autistic occupational therapist and researcher who conducted a qualitative study on the sensory experiences of autistic mothers. Her findings have implications for the ways we support not only autistic mothers, but all autistic people, starting in ...
09.01.2021 Executive Function Supports for Everyday Life with Oswin Latimer Oswin Latimer is the founder and President of Foundations for Divergent Minds (FDM) and former Director of Community Engagement for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). In this episode, Oswin and I talk about the specific executive function strategies we ...
08.18.2021 The Neurobiology of Executive Function Differences with Dr. Andrew Gordon Dr. Andrew Gordon is a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in memory, decision making, cognitive control, and misinformation research. This episode is a deep dive into a study conducted by Dr. Gordon and a team of researchers on how executive function differences ...
08.04.2021 Strengths-Based Approaches in Action: Parent / Professional Collaboration Michelle Neuringer is mom to an autistic 6 year old and neurotypical 9 year old. She’s committed to deeply learning from and about her daughter throughout her parenting journey. Jane Sloan, who teaches Michelle's daughter, is a seasoned educator with ...
07.21.2021 Teaching Self-Advocacy with Dr. Stephen Shore Dr. Stephen Shore is an autistic advocate, consultant, writer, professor at Adelphi University, and adjunct professor at NYU. His work focuses on aligning best practice in supporting autistic people to lead fulfilling and productive lives. He’s a co-author of the ...
07.07.2021 Being Black & Autistic: Mental Health, Bias, and Alternatives to Police Intervention with Timotheus Gordon Timotheus Gordon Jr. blogs and posts on social media as The Black Autist. His posts center on autism acceptance, race, disability, and the latest news relevant for autistic people who are black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC). Join us ...
06.16.2021 AAC and Autonomous Communication With Kate McLaughlin Kate McLaughlin, M.S., CCC-SLP (“The AAC Coach” on social media) is a Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with complex communication needs. She believes that autonomous communication, inclusion, and self-determination are fundamental human rights. In ...
06.02.2021 Reframing Social Differences for Autistic Kids with Rachel Dorsey, Autistic SLP Rachel Dorsey is Autistic and an ASHA-Certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Join us in episode 26 as we totally overhaul everything you thought you knew about the social skills of autistic people. Rachel plays out some of our most common social (and ...
05.19.2021 Empathy, Autistic Shutdowns, & A Strengths-Based Life with Elsbeth Dodman Elsbeth Dodman is an autistic artist, creative writer, and public speaker. Tune into Episode 25 where we talk about empathy, autistic shutdowns, the rigidity of neurotypicals, what it looks like to build a life on your strengths, and so much ...
05.05.2021 A Family-Centered Approach to PDA with Kristy Forbes Kristy Forbes. Kristy is an autistic support specialist for neurodivergent people and their families and professionals. She is the Founding Director of both inTune Pathways and The Neurodivergent Co. Kristy is autistic with ADHD and a Pathological Demand Avoidant (PDA) ...
04.21.2021 Pathological Demand Avoidance and the Drive for Autonomy with Harry Thompson Harry Thompson is a UK-based public speaker and writer who is autistic with a Pathological Demand Avoidance profile. Through his work Harry aims to bring more acceptance and joy to the lives of people who are autistic and have a ...
04.07.2021 Authenticity & Gender Expression with Christa Holmans, The Neurodivergent Rebel Christa Holmans is an autistic self-advocate from Texas who runs the neurodiversity lifestyle blog Neurodivergent Rebel. In episode 22, you’ll learn about Christa’s own experience as a gender fluid autistic person. And we’ll tie this into authenticity in general, including ...
03.17.2021 Self-Advocacy & Inclusivity: Changing the Paradigm with Zosia Zaks Zosia Zaks is a certified rehabilitation counselor, author, and autistic self-advocate. He manages the Towson University's Hussman Center for Adults with Autism, where he teaches service-learning courses that examine autism through a social justice lens. In episode 21, Zosia talks ...
03.03.2021 Pro-Neurodiversity Practices in Action with Jacklyn Googins & Greg Boheler Jacklyn Googins in the cofounder of OTs for Neurodiversity and the founder of B3 Coffee, an inclusive pop-up coffee stand in Chapel Hill, NC. Greg Boheler, who is autistic, is the cofounder of OTs for Neurodiversity and a board member ...
02.17.2021 The Double Empathy Problem with Dr. Damian Milton Damian Milton is an autistic researcher whose idea spawned a huge shift in how we think about autism. In this episode, listen in as we explore: - How Damian developed his hypothesis that the trouble with empathy and social skills ...
02.03.2021 There's No Function without Fun with Autism Level Up Jacquelyn Fede is a developmental psychologist and autistic self-advocate and Amy Laurent is a developmental psychologist and pediatric occupational therapist. They are the co-founders of Autism Level Up, where they push people who support and care for autistic people to ...
01.20.2021 Cultural Bilingualism & The Autistic Empire with Sarah McCulloch Sarah McCulloch is an autistic occupational therapist based in London, the senior OT in a school for autistic kids, and the founder of The Autistic Empire. Listen in to episode 17 as we explore identity-affirming approaches to OT, a path ...
01.06.2021 Navigating Sensory Processing Differences with Dr. Winnie Dunn Dr. Winnie Dunn is a distinguished professor of occupational therapy at the University of Missouri, the author of the Sensory Profile, and a trailblazer in occupational therapy research and practice. Dr. Dunn’s latest research focuses on parent coaching and occupations ...

Older episodes