136. Autism Europe and Improving Lives, with Harald Neerland

136. Autism Europe and Improving Lives, with Harald Neerland

Discover what’s possible when you share the end goal. 

Harald Neerland is the President of Autism Europe, an international association whose main objective is to advance the rights of autistic people and their families and help them improve their quality of life. Originally from Norway, Harald is also a father of a young autistic woman. 

In today’s conversation, we discuss: 

• Harald’s daughter’s strengths, interests, and living situation
• How Harald assesses her quality of life
• The level of awareness and services available in Norway
• Inclusion vs integration
• Describing autism based on level of need rather than diagnostic criteria
• Autism Europe’s mission, policy work, and research initiatives
• Why researchers and practitioners need to work together
• Bringing mental and somatic health to the forefront of the political discussion
• Objectives Harald wants to complete before the end of his term 

To learn more about Harald Neerland and his work, please visit autismeurope.org.

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135. Social Thinking, with Michelle Garcia Winner

Discover what’s possible when we relate through emotions. 

A globally recognized thought leader, author, speaker, and social-cognitive therapist, Michelle Garcia Winner is the Founder and CEO of Social Thinking, a company devoted to helping individuals gain stronger social awareness and social functioning skills through the Social Thinking Methodology. 

Across her 30-year career, Michelle has created numerous evidence-based strategies, treatment frameworks, and curricula to help interventionists develop social competencies in those they support. 

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

• Grouping students based on social needs rather than diagnostic labels
• How to increase social competence through 4 main steps: attend, interpret, problem-solve, and respond
• Complex social concepts, like nuanced perspective taking
• What a typical session at Michelle’s clinic might look like
• Why small talk is embedded in most social situations
• Autistic empathy
• Navigating the dating world
• Maintaining friendships
• Tips for autistic people going into a job interview 

To learn more about Michelle and her work, please visit our show notes at socialthinking.com. 

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134. Peer Support Groups, with Stephane Guidon

Discover what’s possible when peers connect. 

Originally from France, Stephane Guidon is an Autistic Self-Advocate currently living in the UK. He works for the National Autistic Society as a Senior Branch Engagement officer and Project Lead. The National Autistic Society is the largest autism charity in the UK, dedicated to creating a society that works for autistic people. 

In today’s conversation, we discuss: 

• Stephane’s journey of self-discovery
• His autistic strengths
• How he relates to his autistic son
• Autism awareness in France
• Stephane’s role at the National Autistic Society
• Key components of a successful peer group

To learn more about Stephane Guidon and his work, please visit our show notes at autism.org.uk.

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TBT | 46. Autism in the Black American Community, with Maria Davis-Pierre

*THROWBACK EPISODE*

This conversation with Maria Davis-Pierre was originally released on February 4, 2021. We are re-releasing it today in honor of Black History Month to highlight the unique experiences of Black families with autistic loved ones. 

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Discover what’s possible when you start to examine your own biases. 

Maria Davis-Pierre is a mother to an 8-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and the Founder and CEO of Autism in Black Inc., an organization dedicated to raising autism awareness and reducing the stigma within the Black community. Maria is also a coach, speaker, advocate, and author. She has been featured in Forbes, the New York Times, and Counseling Today, and her book The Self-Care Affirmation Journal was published in 2018. 

In today’s conversation, we discuss: 

• The challenges Maria faced when receiving her daughter’s diagnosis
• Why Maria started Autism in Black
• How Parent-Child Interaction Therapy can benefit families who are dealing with behavioral challenges
• How religion, misunderstanding of autism, and distrust of the health care system contribute to misdiagnosis
• The lack of research on autism in the Black community and why this problem leads to culturally-insensitive assessments and treatment plans
• Maria's experiences as a Black parent, including dealing with stress and being judged according to stereotypes

For more information about Maria Davis-Pierre, please visit autisminblack.org and follow her on Instagram @autisminblack. 

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Resources:

Racialized Emotion Recognition Accuracy and Anger Bias of Children’s Faces  ----more----

Related Episodes:

17. Growth, Diversity, and Cultural Humility, with Brandy Collins and Crystal Thompson 

43. Social Media and Intersectional Advocacy, with Tiffany Hammond 

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too. 

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133. RTD | Transitioning into College, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when you move towards independence. 

This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events! 

The topic of this roundtable discussion was Transitioning into College, and it was hosted by community moderator Liz Castillo.

Liz began her involvement with the Global Autism Project in 2017 as a SkillCorps volunteer in Kenya, followed by trips to India, Nigeria, Czech Republic, and Poland. She has also completed our Leadership Academy program, served as a SkillCorps mentor to future travelers, and managed our social media and donor communications. Thank you, Liz, for your dedication to our mission and our community. 

Also participating in this event were Autistic Self-Advocates Corben Havener and Andrew Bennett, and community member Sofia Matalonga. 

What you’ll hear today is the first half hour of this roundtable discussion. Unfortunately, there was a technical error and the rest of the event wasn’t recorded. We thought it was still worth releasing, and I believe you’ll find many of the participant’s insights interesting. 

In today’s conversation, we discuss: 

• Transitioning from living at home to living in dorms
• Support available at school 

Round-table discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful.

If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org. 

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

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