Discover what’s possible when empathy is a two-way street.

Have you ever struggled to empathize with someone who experiences the world very differently from you? Maybe because you don’t share an interest, or even a first language with them?

If so, you’ll want to listen to this episode, which is part 2 of my conversation with Brian Middleton. He talks about how a lack of mutual understanding between autistic and non-autistic people can lead to breakdowns in communication.

Brian Middleton is an Autistic Self-Advocate, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the creator of the Bearded Behaviorist, an initiative dedicated to the dissemination of behavior science and the inclusion of trauma-informed care standards in applied behavior analysis and other human services.

This conversation was part of a special event for our community or SkillCorps volunteers. Other participants include Danielle Terrell, Tara Hannan-Bruecken, Shannon Haynes, Marianne Spiotta, Hailee Perez, and Christina Cairoli.

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• The Double Empathy Problem
• The unfair expectation for autistic people to adapt to non-autistic communication
• How Brian created an adventure room for his students to take a break and feel safe
• Where the terms “neurodiversity” and “neurotypical” originated
• Neurodiversity-affirming as an attitudinal approach
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

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Do you know anyone else who might benefit from this episode? Maybe a non-autistic person looking for better ways to communicate with their autistic loved one? We encourage you to share this episode if you’d like to help them out. By doing so, you’ll also be helping us to improve access to autism services around the world.

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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.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey

Discover what’s possible when disability is viewed as a whole.

Have people ever based their perception of you solely on your deficits? Are your strengths and abilities sometimes overlooked because of your differences?

If so, stay with us for this episode, where Brian Middleton talks about how the biopsychosocial model of disability shifts perspectives from a purely medical approach to a more comprehensive one.

Brian Middleton is an Autistic Self-Advocate, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the creator of the Bearded Behaviorist, an initiative dedicated to the dissemination of behavior science and the inclusion of trauma-informed care standards in applied behavior analysis and other human services.

This conversation was part of a special event which we hosted for our community of SkillCorps® volunteers. Other participants include Danielle Terrell, Tara Hannan-Bruecken, Shannon Haynes, Marianne Spiotta, Hailee Perez, and Christina Cairoli.

In this conversation, among other things, we discuss:

• How Brian attempts to build bridges across both sides of the ABA divide
• The biopsychosocial model of disability
• Why pathologizing autism can be harmful
• Person-first vs identity-first language
• Transforming the puzzle piece symbol
• How radical behaviorism wasn’t originally developed to “fix” autistic people

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Are you a self-advocate willing to share your story and educate others? Or a professional seeking to hear directly from autistic voices and improve your practice? Or are you a family member hoping to support and empower your loved one?

Whatever your connection to autism is, we’d love to hear your takeaways from this episode in our online Global Autism Community, where hundreds of people from all over the world connect to support each other and know that they’re not alone.

Join us today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.

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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.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey

Discover what’s possible when you get the right support.

Have you ever wondered about the overlap between ADHD and autism? Or how being neurodivergent might affect parenting?

If so, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Sarah Glass and Eliza Cagle. Although they’ve never met in person, Sarah and Eliza have several things in common. They’re both late-diagnosed neurodivergent women, mothers to their respective boys on the spectrum, and Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Sarah has ADHD and Eliza is autistic. They’re also both members of our SkillCorps® Alumni community.

SkillCorps® is a carefully curated 10-day journey that includes developing culturally-relevant and sustainable training with our partner staff, listening to local Autistic Self-Advocates and family members to learn about their lived experiences, sharing meals with community members to brainstorm ideas and solutions, and executing a high-impact project to build on existing work being done in the country.

This episode with Sarah and Eliza was first released in June of 2021. We are re-releasing it today to highlight our SkillCorps program. We currently have a team of SkillCorps® volunteers in Peru! You can follow the team’s live updates on our Instagram @globalautismproject.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Sarah and Eliza finding out about their diagnoses as adults
• Support and strategies to reduce sensory overload and improve executive functioning skills
• Strengths related to thinking out of the box and being hyper focused on certain subjects
• Disclosing diagnoses at work and requesting accommodations
• How Sarah and Eliza talk about autism to their kids
• Personal and professional growth from volunteering with SkillCorps®
• Inspiring moments with our Global Autism Partners
• Advice for mothers and other applicants interested in going on a SkillCorps® trip

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We’d like to give a shout out to our SkillCorps® 2024 Title Sponsor, Action Behavior Centers. We’re excited to be partnering with businesses to create opportunities for employee development and growth through our SkillCorps® program.

SkillCorps® Business Partners endorse employee participation in our SkillCorps® program and provide support to selected sponsored employees through granting time-off, providing funds to support team member fundraising, and more!

Thank you, Action Behavior Centers, for being a model organization in the industry.

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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.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey