Uniquely Human: The Podcast

Dr. Temple Grandin joins us to share her perspective on setting oneself up for success in a lifelong journey of personal growth. David LaFrenz shares the impact his work has made on him, and he receives this episode’s Enthusiasm of the Week! Award.

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The holidays can be such a fun and spiritual time of year for a lot of us, but there are also challenges, especially if you or a family member is autistic. We hear from two guests with interesting perspectives on how to enjoy family time at the holidays in a neurodiverse family. Kristy Forbes joins us from Australia, and Dave’s wife Kristen spills the tea on their own family’s strategies for enjoying the holidays together. And, hear a special performance from our autistic friend, Conner.

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Life imitates art and inspires the artist. Barry and Dave are joined by two parent-visionaries, Elaine Hall and Michael Kregler, to explore the value of neurodiversity in artistic expression, and the many roles artistic expression plays in our neurodiversity. We learn about The Miracle Project and hear from TMP veteran, Dom, about their new Broadway-On-Demand feature project.

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Barry and Dave examine the potentially damaging dichotomy of so-called “high-functioning” and “low-functioning” autistic individuals. The hosts make a compelling case for eliminating these terms from our conversations about autism and autistic people. Clinical psychologist and father of an autistic Black man, Dr. Robert Naseef, joins us to discuss the effects of systemic inequities on underprivileged families dealing with autism and his burgeoning Fathers’ Group, which provides a comfortable environment for men to open up about their child’s diagnosis. And we bestow upon one lucky fan our Enthusiasm of the Week! award.

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What are the indicators for quality of life for people with autism? How can autistic people build a more self-defined life, starting where they are now? Autistic autism consultant and speaker Becca Lory Hector shares her perspective on improving quality of life, as Barry and Dave discuss the indicators and factors that go into it.

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We welcome bestselling science writer Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, to discuss building bridges of understanding between autistic and neurotypical people. Afterwards, we discuss the significance and value of autistic enthusiasms, and we present our first-ever Enthusiasm of the Week! award to fans Latrice and Terrence Hamilton.

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Autistic autism advocate Chloe Rothschild lends her perspective on effective communication strategies, AAC, and interoception. Afterwards, Barry and Dave share important insights into the benefits of stimming as we reframe this classic behavior for parents, educators, and clinicians.

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EPISODE 1 A Fresh and Uniquely Human Perspective on Autism

Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.

1. Barry coined the term “Uniquely Human” to de-pathologize and reframe the way we understand autistic individuals and the autistic experience. In your opinion, does “Uniquely Human” help to achieve these goals of seeing autism in a different way? If so, why, and if not, why not?

2. Barry and Dave see the Uniquely Human Podcast as a neurotypical/autistic co-equal partnership, as they each bring unique experiences and skills to the podcast. How is this approach emblematic of what we are learning from the neurodiversity movement? What are the potential benefits of such a partnership for listeners?

3. Barry and Dave discuss the concept that autism is best understood as a “shared human experience”. How does this perspective contrast with more traditional views of autism, and how can this change your attitude and actions?

Featuring

Show Notes

Join Barry and Dave for the debut of Uniquely Human: The Podcast, as they deeply explore the broader meaning of the phrase, “uniquely human.”

In this hour-long special episode, you’ll hear Barry describe how a lifetime of work has informed the necessary evolution of humankind’s relationship with autism and neurodiversity.

Enjoy this special conversation as we set the stage for regular episodic content focusing on the most important topics in autism.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Music

Matt Savage, courtesy of Savage Records

Matt Savage is an autistic jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Matt has collaborated with jazz greats like Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi. Donny McCaslin, and more. He has recorded more than a dozen records and graciously contributes the music for Uniquely Human.

Production and Sound Design

ELEVATEDSTUDIO

Uniquely Human: The Podcast is produced, engineered, and edited by Elevated Studio in Denver, Colorado. Owned and operated by co-host Dave Finch, Elevated Studio produces digital media assets and content strategies for the electronics, entertainment, and lifestyle industries.

Trailer for Uniquely Human: The Podcast

Play the audio…

Featuring

Show Notes

We are so excited to share this original podcast series, Uniquely Human: The Podcast. An expansion upon Barry’s groundbreaking book, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, this podcast is for autistic people and the parents, people, and professionals who love them. Enjoy the trailer, and we’ll see you soon!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Music

Matt Savage, courtesy of Savage Records

Matt Savage is an autistic jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Matt has collaborated with jazz greats like Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi. Donny McCaslin, and more. He has recorded more than a dozen records and graciously contributes the music for Uniquely Human.

Production and Sound Design

ELEVATEDSTUDIO

Uniquely Human: The Podcast is produced, engineered, and edited by Elevated Studio in Denver, Colorado. Owned and operated by co-host Dave Finch, Elevated Studio produces digital media assets and content strategies for the electronics, entertainment, and lifestyle industries.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.