Aria Sky is a late-diagnosed Autistic mother of four. She blogs at Mamautistic on a variety of her personal experiences as an Autistic adult. In Part One of her two-part interview, Aria shares her path to diagnosis and how that process differed from the diagnosis of her children. She also discussed common barriers to diagnoses and ways to make access to a diagnosis more equitable.
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Tas Kronby are Autistic members of the disability community with developmental, mental health, and physical disabilities. They use them/them and plural pronouns and we/ours in writing (Really, they are not typos). They advocate for equal access and awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity. They aim to use their voice to break the stigma surrounding any and all invisible disability diagnosis. For more information on what they do, come visit them at www.tasthoughts.com. This week Tas discussed allyship and equal access to higher education.
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Holly Bishop is from southwestern Ohio and has a Bachelor’s of Art in European History, as well as a Master’s of Science in Political Science, from Southern New Hampshire University. Bishop was formally diagnosed with ASD I in July 2020, at the age of 37. This week she shared her path to diagnosis, self-advocacy, and navigating personal and public life.
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Michele Truty is a vegan writer from Chicago recently awakening to her Autistic identity as an adult. She has worked in book and magazine publishing for a variety of different companies across the U.S. Michele documents her discoveries and shares insights about autism in women on her blog Delightfully Quirky. This week she shared her experience pursuing a formal diagnosis and the desire for proper supports for Autistic children and their families.
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Kristen Hovet is a science writer and research communications specialist, covering health research and innovation. After being diagnosed with autism at the age of 38, she set out to create a platform, The Other Autism, to speak about late diagnosis in females and on the positive sides of being autistic. In Part One of her interview, Kristen shared her long path to obtaining an autism diagnosis and explained the more subtle ways autism can manifest both in herself and many other Autistic people. In Part Two she shares indicators for identifying autism in young girls as well as some common stereotypes about autism in women.
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Kristen Hovet is a science writer and research communications specialist, covering health research and innovation. After being diagnosed with autism at the age of 38, she set out to create a platform, The Other Autism, to speak about late diagnosis in females and on the positive sides of being autistic. In Part One of her two-part interview, Kristen shares her long path to obtaining an autism diagnosis and explains the more subtle ways autism can manifest both in herself and many other Autistic people.
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James is a 77-year-old late-diagnosed, retired professor of psychology. James enjoys kayaking, walking and motorcycles. This week he shared his path to diagnosis and autism acceptance.
Leigh Spence is an autism advocate and vlogger from the U.K. This week she shared her experiences with ableism as a late-diagnosed adult and offered advice for teaching ableism to younger ages.
Marcelle Ciampi M.Ed. (aka Samantha Craft) is an author/advocate best known for her book Everyday Aspergers. She serves as the Ambassador and Senior Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Ultranauts Inc., an engineering firm with a neurodiversity-hiring initiative, where Ciampi is credited for developing an innovative universal design approach for inclusion. She also provides keynotes, workshops, corporate training, consulting, and life coaching for Spectrum Suite. In Part One of her interview, Ciampi discussed how Ultranauts is serving as a model of workplace inclusion and offers advice for advocating for inclusion in the educational setting as well. In Part Two, Ciampi shared a defense of the neurodiversity paradigm as well as resources for families interested in learning more.
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