Autism Grown Up Podcast

For today's episode I chatted with Megan Carranza from the Adventures in Autism podcast. I loved getting the chance to talk with her about behind the scenes of starting and running her podcast as well as life as an autism parent. Megan's always a joy to talk to and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

For today's episode I'm sitting with a chocolate shop owner local to me in North Carolina. This isn't just any old chocolatier - this is also a place specifically started to hire employees with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder. Dan Friedman is the owner of Special Treats located in Chapel Hill, NC, and he's also an autism dad. Special Treats sells products created by small businesses led by or consisting of employees with disabilities as well as creates and sells their own special treats. Learn more below and click through to buy some of their products! AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

Today we get to chat with Maria Davis-Pierre, the owner and CEO of Autism in Black, Inc. Here's more about Maria and Autism in Black:  The organization aims to bring awareness to Autism Spectrum Disorder and reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis in the black community.  As a licensed therapist, Maria primarily works with parents to provide support through education and advocacy training. Her passion for working in the field stems from her personal journey with ASD when her daughter received the diagnosis at a very early age.  In addition to therapy, Maria dons many other titles including coach, speaker, advocate, and most recently author. Her first published work, a Self-Care Affirmation Journal, is currently available for purchase on Amazon. Maria’s unique approach to coaching and counseling exemplifies her drive and motivation toward greater acceptance and overcoming the barriers and personal struggles associated with raising a child on the spectrum. Connect with her today and a

In today's episode, I sit with members from A Special Blend a non-profit business and coffee shop located in Greensboro, NC. DeeDee Ungetheim (President of the Board) and Terri Ramsey (Board Member + Volunteer Coordinator) join us as they share about the inception of the idea, to raising over $300,000 in their local community, to where they are today in training employees with disabilities for employment. A Special Blend's mission is to employ adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a setting that interacts with the community. They aim to improve the quality of their lives and to broaden the public's perception of people with disabilities. In this episode, we get into A Special Blend's core messaging of being a Community in a Cup and how they intentionally reflect this on a day-to-day basis from starting as a coffee shop (with dang good coffee!), to empowering both individuals with and without disabilities to get involved, and so much more. As of this recording, A Special Blend is turnin

It's the last Thursday of October, and you know what that means! It's the October Q+A episode! This week, we recorded live in the Autism Grown Up Community and briefly answered a couple of questions there. AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

At the start of this episode, we get into some personal and family updates as well as some Autism Grown Up at-large updates - and we've got some great ones! I'm so excited that Autism Grown Up is now a non-profit! More info to come on how you can help support our mission and get the word out about our Resource Center + Community (which this podcast is an arm of) and our services. And then, we get to wrap up our National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) mini-series of sorts with information on what's out there to promote autism @ the workplace today, from thinking early, to being an informal mentor in your workplace, and getting the word out on shifting attitudes on autism and employment. AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/

A common challenge that many autistic individuals face as well as their families is staying active, more especially, staying physically active. A few years ago, the CDC reported that adolescents on the autism spectrum have a higher likelihood of obesity in comparison to their peers. In fact, about 32% of autistic teens are overweight or obese. This has been a challenge for my family with both of my brothers, as we try time and again ways to stay healthy and active, in ways that a) my brothers enjoy and b) that we can do together (we found these two aspects to be the active ingredients for us). One day as I was looking through posts in my local Autism Society chapter Facebook group, I saw some posts from a fitness instructor named Ryan Bost. He was sharing about his classes and that he was actively recruiting individuals with disabilities, specifically on the autism spectrum to join in. From there, I couldn't wait to get him on the podcast to learn more about his experiences leading up to now and what he's l

Did you know that October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month? To mark the month, for our solo podcast episodes I'll be diving deeper into some of the latest findings when it comes to the autism @ the workplace movement. This includes sharing findings around employers' experiences in hiring and working with autistic employees. We'll also pull in from my professional experience to shape and shift employer and employee attitudes towards autism. Like working towards increasing buy-in and building inclusive practices in the day-to-day. AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

Today, I invited Kenzie Clark from Able Transition Consulting, LLC to share her work in helping families and individuals with disabilities transition to adulthood here in the Triangle in North Carolina. Through her services, she helps pave a path forward through providing concrete skill-building support, a person-centered plan, resources, trusted advisors and an overview of what the transition process entails, what it means and how to specifically prepare. My conversation with Kenzie illuminates so much about the transition process. Some families have no idea where to start within their community or even what their state or county offers in services. They may have recently moved to the area or unfortunately, just didn't access that information because there isn't really any one person or role devoted to sharing community resources and services with families of an autistic child and IDD. This is often the exact place where Kenzie begins her work, she's created a helpful tool, a resource guide that she share

This month's super Q: What Should We Focus on for Success in Adulthood? I realized we have this information stored in our AGU community - under workshop tabs. For more information, check out NTACT's resources and our free workshop in the AGU community, where we go more in-depth about what areas to focus on at each stage of life with videos, workbooks, and more. 14 factors/areas pulled from research and recommendations across 5 domains: Skill areas: 1) Social skills 2) Self-advocacy 3) Self-care/independent living School experiences: 4) Inclusion in general ed 5) Career and technical education 6) Student support Planning Practices: 7) Program of study 8) Goal setting Community Experiences: 9) Community experiences 10) Interagency collaboration 11) Work experience 12) Transition program   Adult expectations and experiences: 13) Parental/staff expectations 14) Parental involvement AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/a

Bill Dusch, Ph.D. is #ActuallyAutistic, a Physics Ph.D., and a data scientist. He's also a really great friend of mine whom I really appreciate stopping by to have this conversation with me to share with you. We discuss his path to his chosen career through special interests, figuring out what's the deal with social communication and breakthroughs he's had along the way, grad school (of course, right? Get 2 former grad students in a room, and we're gonna talk about it!), and how his life led to where he is today! AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

Let's get into the big picture of ASD employment. I'm hoping for this episode to be the beginning of a discussion here on the podcast and in our Autism Grown Up community.  As you listen to this episode and what I share, I want you to think about questions you have when it comes to employment (whether that's employment with your autistic child that's now or soon will be an adult, for you as an autistic adult, your students, or your clients) and ideas for your next steps. We get into research findings surrounding employment, what underemployment looks like, and why it's important to be talking about this area and fill the gaps in support. AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

Elisabeth Rubin is a NC-based Occupational Therapist or OT. She currently works in early intervention with little ones referred to her through the organization she works in. She began her autism training at Camp Royall (a summer and year round camp for individuals on the autism spectrum here in NC and a place neither of us can get enough of), worked at the TEACCH center in Chapel Hill, NC, and then pursued her Master's in OT at Colorado State.  We talk about her day to day professional life as an OT, working with kids in the home setting and with their families, as well as take a deep dive into some of the major skills or domains she commonly works on with families. Particularly self-regulation and coping skills, and how they are still ones to focus on across the lifespan and can prevent so many now adults from accessing the supports, employment, and community they need. AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AU

It's the last Thursday of the month, which means that we're doing a Q&A! This is our first one ever, so thank you very much to those who submitted questions. We've received a few questions and today I'm picking one from one of our members in the Autism Grown Up community online. You can join us in the community at community.autismgrownup.com And you can submit your question at http://bit.ly/aguquestion This gives us a chance to do a deep dive into the what, why, and how of various topics related to autism, growing up, and adulthood. And therefore to give space to an area that isn't covered as often, especially in this area and age span. So today's question is centered on wanting to learn more about...scheduled routines. AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podca

My sister Tasha Regan is on the podcast today! In this episode, we give you a glimpse of another autism sibling's life. Which is also very different than my experience, and also goes to show that no two autism siblings are the same as well. I love that she is so honest in sharing her experiences, even the not always the glorious and #blessed experiences. Sibling relationships are complicated, nuanced, very special, as Tasha can attest to this. And this episode one that I hope you find helpful as you think about your family and the families you know and work with. You'll also get a chance to hear our brother Tanner at times - he pays us a visit at one point too! AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

We’re quickly approaching the back-to-school season!   It’s a big change for everyone, and returning to school every fall is one of the biggest annual transitions for autistic children and teens.  There’s a lot up ahead to adjust to, such as new routines, teachers, classes, classmates, bus schedules, and even perhaps a new school. Today we'll be chatting about how can families ease the back to school transition for their kids on the spectrum (and themselves). AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

In today’s episode, I’ll recommend a few ways you can avoid the summer slide, keep your child on track, and get them ready for the upcoming school year by the end of the summer. AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support

Let's get into another major question parents have during the summer: How can I get my child to try something new? AUTISM GROWN UP COMMUNITY: https://community.autismgrownup.com/ AUTISM GROWN UP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/autismgrownup/ AUTISM GROWN UP SHOWNOTES: https://www.autismgrownup.com/agupodcast/ AUTISM GROWN UP PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/autismgrownup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autism-grown-up-podcast/support