Autism Interview #97 Part 1: Kmarie on the Benefits of Knowing Yourself

This is the first part in a two-part interview with Kmarie. Kmarie is an autistic wife, mother, and blogger from Canada. She is is drawn to music and often uses song lyrics to express her emotions. Her beautifully written blog details a variety of different life experiences, including (but not limited to) living with Asperger’s, INFJ personality, low ferritin, and chronic illness. This week Kmarie discussed her relationship with music, the importance of self knowledge, and her struggles with executive functioning and language.

Autism Interview #94: Elizabeth Boresow on Music Therapy and Friendships

Elizabeth performing at “Evening with the Rents.”
Photo credit: Brandon Parrigo

Elizabeth Boresow is a a board-certified music therapist, writer, direct support provider, and Autistic advocate. She regularly uses her experience as an individual on the autism spectrum to both serve and educate others about autism acceptance. This week she shared her experience working as a music therapist, her introduction to stand-up comedy, how she found friendships in college, and the need for more services for adult autistics.

Autism Interview #91 Part 1: Leanne Libas on Autistic Identity

Leanne Libas is a writer, college student, and a/Autistic advocate. Leanne started her advocacy work after a life-changing experience at YLF (Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities). Leanne was an Autistic Scholarship Fellowship Recipient from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and she was a regular contributor to the Art of Autism blog. This is the first part of a two-part interview with Leanne. This week she shared her experience understanding how autism affects her and how she has adopted a positive autistic identity.

Autism Interview #82: Michelle Swan on Modeling Autism Acceptance

Michelle Swan is an autistic Australian writer, speaker, mentor, and neurodiversity rights advocate. She has experience in peer support, mentoring, education workshop presentation, community building and advocacy with degrees teaching and psychology. Michelle is also a mother to six neurodivergent children and is the author of The Real Experts: Readings for Parents of Autistic Children and the co-author of The Respectfully Connected Anthology. This week she shared information about her advocacy work and offered advice for how parents can model autism acceptance in order to help build a positive autistic identity for their children.

Autism Interview #49: Paula Sanchez on Autistic Identity

Paula Sanchez spent 18 years supporting adults in the criminal justice system before leaving her job to pursue a PhD program in autism. Both she and her son are on the autism spectrum, and she blogs about her experiences at https://autisticmotherland.com/. This week Paula shared her experience developing an autistic identity after 40 and how people can best support and advocate their loved ones on the spectrum.

Autism Interview #25: Dinah Murray on Autism Research

Dinah Murray is a British researcher, speaker, and campaigner for people with varied learning disabilities, including autism. Her work has been published in the journals Autism, Good Autism Practice, as well as a number of books and online publications. She is an international public speaker on autism. Her research interests include medication and quality of life impact, IT for nonverbal individuals, and the ethics of autism research.

This week Dinah shared with us some of her most meaningful research findings as well as how to promote a positive autistic identity.