Autism Weekly

This week we welcome Rose Griffin to the podcast to discuss how to help children with autism find their voice and increase their communication skills as well as how speech and ABA therapy work together. Rose is a speech-language pathologist and board-certified behavior analyst with over 20 years of experience in the field. She provides educational material online through ABA Speech and works part-time in the public education system. Download the podcast today to learn more! Visit the ABA Speech Website: https://abaspeech.org/ Listen to the Autism Outreach Podcast: https://abaspeech.org/autism-outreach-podcast/

This week we welcome Rebecca Sorensen, co-founder of Blawesome to the podcast. Blawesome is a Chapel Hill, North Carolina -based flower farm and design studio. The farm is owned and co-operated by a young man living with autism. Their work is a celebration of the beauty and uniqueness of both flowers and humanity. Blawesome is a small part of a larger movement that uses farming as a therapeutic intervention to improve health, social, and vocational outcomes for vulnerable populations. We use the art and practice of growing, designing, and delivering organic cut flowers to promote self, environmental, and community sustainability. Rebecca has over 10 years of experience in sustainable horticulture and over 20 years of experience as a community development consultant. She organizes unique community initiatives to serve adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities like autism. She is the mother of a young man on the spectrum who has found fulfilling and purposeful work as a farmer. Download the podcast today to learn more from her and her family's experience! Learn more about Blawesome: https://beautifulblawesome.com/

This week we welcome Dr. Keivan Stassun to the podcast to discuss Autism and Employment and the value of neurodiversity in hiring. This is an important subject as many adults on the spectrum struggle to find fulfilling jobs or careers. Dr. Stassun serves as Director of the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation where they work to understand, maximize, and promote neurodiverse talent. The Frist Center represents a collaboration of Vanderbilt engineers, scientists, disabilities researchers, and business scholars, together with major employers in Nashville and leading autism-related organizations nationally. The Frist Center's ultimate purpose is to advance workforce innovation through the employment of autistic adults. Dr. Stassun also shares the parent perspective as the father of an autistic individual. Download the podcast today to learn more!

This week we welcome Lorri Unumb to the podcast to discuss autism services, insurance coverage, access to care, and parent advocacy. She’s the ideal guest to discuss both the history of access to care in autism as well as the current status, the pitfalls, and the current concerns. Lorri played a vital role in the autism insurance reform movement back in the mid-2000s. She worked for nearly a decade as the VP of State Government Affairs for Autism Speaks, taught a university course titled “Autism and the Law” at George Washington University, and is currently the CEO of CASP (which is the Council of Autism Service Providers.) Learn more from this awesome parent advocate by downloading the podcast today! Learn more about CASP: https://casproviders.org/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, google podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS. ABS is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

Today we welcome Sam Farmer to the podcast to talk about his journey through autism awareness and acceptance as an individual on the spectrum. Sam is an author of a book titled “A Long Walk Down a Winding Road.” The book offers clear advice and simple steps for overcoming adversity and improving your life. It has proven to be a helpful resource for parents, other autistics, and clinicians alike. Sam also regularly creates coaching videos and writes blogs for the AANE (Asperger / Autism Network). His goal is to help others help themselves. We are thrilled to learn more. An Autism Son's Tribute to His Mother https://www.aane.org/spectrum-sons-tribute-mom/ Visit Sam Farmer's Website https://www.samfarmerauthor.com/ Buy A Long Walk Down a Winding Road on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-Down-Winding-Road/dp/173337230X/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, google podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS. ABS is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.