Interviews Archives - Learn From Autistics

Autism Interview #106 Part 1: Katie Oswald on the Transformation of Travel

September 10, 2019JennaInterviews

Katie, a.k.a. “The Autistic Travel Coach” is a travel consultant from Michigan. When she’s not traveling, she manages the Ann Arbor Autistic Adults meetup group, and a new nonprofit, Full Spectrum Agency for Autistic Adults that provides programs and services that assist with socialization and other activities to help autistic adults become less isolated and and lead fuller lives. She is also the founder & CEO of Oswald Consulting that works with nonprofits and social enterprises to help achieve their missions. This week Katie shared information about some of her significant travel experiences and how her life has been transformed through travel. Stay tuned for next week when she shares how she helps her autistic clients lead more enriched lives through a variety of activities, including overcoming some of their most common travel difficulties.

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Autism Interview #105 Part 2: Sandra Jones on Autism Slurs, Teaching, and Advocacy

September 3, 2019JennaInterviews

Last week, she shared her experience obtaining a late diagnosis and how she is raising her sons to achieve a positive self-image. This week Professor Jones discussed the casual misuse of autism as a slur, her path to employment in higher education, and leading a more peaceful advocacy movement.

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Autism Interview #105 Part 1: Sandra Jones on Autistic Identity and Parenting

August 27, 2019JennaInterviews

Professor Sandra Jones is an autistic mother of two autistic sons and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Engagement) at Australian Catholic University. She has studied autistic adolescent development, the impact of diagnostic labels, and the development and evaluation of social support and peer support programs. In Part One of her interview, she shared her experience obtaining a late diagnosis and how she is raising her sons to achieve the same positive self-image.

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Autism Interview #104: Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht on Late Diagnosis and Autism Research

August 20, 2019Jenna2 CommentsInterviews

Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht is a late-diagnosed, registered psychotherapist practicing for over twenty-five years who has a passion for helping individuals with autism reach their potential. She blogs at Embrace ASD on a variety of autism topics, including the latest autism research. This week she discussed her professional background with helping others on the spectrum (including those who are diagnosed later in life), her surprising diagnosis, and how she assesses the latest autism research.

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Autism Interview #103: Robyn Steward on Robyn’s Rocket and Menstruation

August 13, 2019JennaInterviews

Robyn Steward is an international public speaker, autism advocate, musician, and author from the UK. On top of her training and consultancy work, Robyn has been an advocate for inclusivity and raising awareness around sexual abuse. In 2018, Robyn was named as 1 of the 100 Most Influential Disabled People in the UK. Robyn has…

Autism Interview #101: Elizabeth Crawford on Listening, Marriage, and Autistic Identity

July 23, 2019Jenna2 CommentsInterviews

Elizabeth Crawford is an autistic freelance book editor and writer who blogs at Return to Innocence. She’s on a mission to support other women with Asperger’s Syndrome by writing about her life experiences. She has a new book Chameleon: An Asperger’s Memoir that released this month. This week she shared her experience as a former teacher in a school for autistic children as well as her experience navigating social life and the learning curve of personal relationship development.

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Autism Interview #102: Marie Porter on Leading a Better Advocacy Movement

July 18, 2019JennaInterviews

Marie Porter is a professional spandex costumer and cookbook author from Canada. She is an award-winning cake artist, and her cakes even landed her international magazine coverage, including “Every Day with Rachel Ray.” She blogs about new recipes, celebrations, crafts, and occasionally, autism. This week she shared her experiences growing up undiagnosed and ideas for how parents can better support autistics in leading a more positive advocacy movement.

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Autism Interview #100! Julia Bascom on Autism Advocacy for All

July 16, 2019JennaInterviews

I am pleased to announce this is the 100th interview on the Learn From Autistics site! I’m especially excited to introduce Julia Bascom, Executive Director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Julia is a leading voice in autistic self-advocacy and currently serves on the Centene National Disability Advisory Council, the advisory board of Felicity House, the board of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, and the board of Allies For Independence. Julia is also the editor of Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking, an anthology of writings by autistic people. This week Julia discussed autistic identity, autistic representation, and how The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) advocates for all autistic individuals.

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Autism Interview #99 Part 2: C. L. Lynch on Autism Advocacy and Raising Non-ableist Families

July 9, 2019JennaInterviews

This is the second part of a two-part interview with Canadian novelist and autistic advocate C. L. Lynch. Last week she shared her personal diagnosis story and explained why she advocates for a complete overhaul in autism severity labeling. She offered an excellent perspective on language surrounding autism and how we can better understand and support autistic individuals through the words we use. This week she discussed ableism in literature and how parents can raise their children without ableist attitudes and advocate for positive autistic identities.

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Autism Interview #99 Part 1: C.L. Lynch on Self-Awareness and How We Describe Autism

July 2, 2019Jenna2 CommentsInterviews

C. L. Lynch is a novelist and autistic advocate from Vancouver. Her breakout novel Chemistry came about from the intention to write a book that was “the exact opposite of Twilight.” She also writes about her recent autism diagnosis and advocates for improved autism awareness and understanding. This is the first part of a two-part interview with C. L. Lynch in which she discusses her personal diagnosis story, how her diagnosis changed her marriage, and why she advocates for a complete overhaul in autism severity labeling (beyond merely avoiding “high” and “low” functioning labels).

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