Uniquely Human: The Podcast

Supporting successful transitions back to school is critical for maximizing success for the whole school year. Join us as we throw back to episode 31st, where Dave and Barry shared a lively discussion about challenges and creative strategies to help children of all ages to get off to a good start in this coming school year.

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For many years, parents of autistic children and family members, and autistic people themselves have expressed concerns about how they have been misunderstood, and even mistreated by medical professionals and the traditional medical systems they work within. Dr. Mel Houser has experienced this personally as a physician trained in the medical establishment, as a late diagnosed autistic woman, and as a mother of an autistic child. She discusses the need for change and the changes she is actually implementing in her medical practice.

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It is widely accepted that many autistic children and adults may have difficulties feeling comfortable in social interaction and social relationships given neurotypical expectations. Non-autistic people also may also feel uncomfortable and may have difficulty adjusting their style of communication and social interaction to support successful social engagement. Dave and Barry discuss these issues from a neurotypical and autistic perspective, looking, in part, through the lens of cultural differences in autistic and neurotypical conventions, while acknowledging the great individual variations in across individual people.

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It is widely accepted that autistic individuals often experience co-occurring mental health challenges and conditions. However, the specific relationships between autism and mental health conditions remain an area of debate and even significant disagreement. Sean Inderbitzen, an autistic Behavioral Health Therapist, holds specific beliefs that vary from views of autism grounded primarily in a social model of disability framework. In this episode, Sean, Dave and Barry have a lively discussion about autism and mental health based on Sean’s professional and personal experiences.

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an invaluable framework that has great relevance in addressing the varied needs of autistic and neurodivergent learners, and supporting active engagement in learning environments. We discuss the basic concept of UDL with Emily Rubin and Lindee Morgan, experts on UDL, and its great value for developing individualized programs and for addressing social emotional as well as pre-academic and academic goals for children who may think and learn differently. We also discuss how UDL has great implications for supporting educators, therapists and families.

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Traveling for vacations and for other purposes provides great opportunities for learning, for creating wonderful memories for families and for growing socially and emotionally. However, for autistic and neurodivergent children and adults, and their families, traveling can also present unique challenges. In this episode, we discuss challenges and many helpful strategies to support positive traveling experiences with Dawn Barclay, an expert on travel for families who have neurodivergent family members. 

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Michael Gilberg, an attorney specializing in educational law, discusses his varied experiences he brings as an attorney involved in legal issues for individuals with disabilities, including autism. These experiences include his being a student who received a late diagnosis of autism, as well as numerous and varied experiences working with families and school districts as a lawyer. He provides advice to school personnel and to parents about how to navigate through the through the oftentimes contentious waters of providing or securing free and appropriate services for students.

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Zhara Astra’s mission is to communicate the vital importance of early and accurate diagnosis of autism and neurodivergent conditions in girls and women. Drawing from her own experience as an autistic woman diagnosed in adulthood, as well as her knowledge of the research in this area, she argues for a different set of criteria for diagnosis in females. Zhara discusses the debilitating impact of not being diagnosed, some of which she experienced personally, as well as the how receiving a diagnosis can be so helpful for one’s mental health and for creating a self-determined life that can be lived authentically.

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From each of us at Uniquely Human: The Podcast, thank you for listening and contributing to this show. As we look back on our first 50 episodes, Barry and Dave share some of their favorite moments.

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An issue of increasing interest and concern in the autism community is that of masking. Masking or camouflaging is when an autistic person or neurodivergent person consciously, or subconsciously seeks to hide or minimize their autism or neurodivergent traits to fit in with the neurotypical world. Individuals with autism, especially ones who have a history of trauma, frequently feel they need to mask their autistic traits in order to fit in. Dr. Devon Price, a social psychologist and transgender autistic man shares his personal experiences as well as his expertise as a researcher and psychologist in exploring many issues related to masking. Drawing from his critically acclaimed book, Unmasking Autism, he provides understanding and practical guidance related to masking that will be of great value to autistic and neurodivergent individuals, and neurotypical individuals as well.

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