The Autistic Me

Daniel Sansing discusses the complications of disclosing an autism diagnosis. When do we tell friends, family, schools, and employers? What are the risks and benefits of disclosing we are autistic?  Check out this episode!

Heather Conroy, the co-founder of Evolve Coaching, discusses coaching autistic individuals as they develop life and employment skills.  Visit Evolve on the web at  https://www.evolve-coaching.org   Check out this episode!

Do autistics have more health problems and injuries? I believe so, based on my experiences. It is difficult for me to notice warning signs that might alert neurotypical individuals. With sensory overload, new inputs are ignored or unnoticed because we process so much input. When we don't "hear" what our bodies are trying to express, we end up with medical emergencies.  Check out this episode!

We discuss house hunting with Prof. Dayna Goldstein. For the neurodiverse, spaces need to meet our distinct needs. The wrong space can cause stress and make it difficult to decompress.  Check out this episode!

Joe Farrell discusses the Joey Travolta Film Camp, Arts for Autism, and Evolve coaching. Joe moved to Pittsburgh in 2008 to pursue his Master's of Science in Education and Community Agency Counseling degree from Duquesne University and began working with children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Substance Abuse Disorders.  His main focus is empowering individuals to live independent and integrated lives. Joe incorporates techniques from Behaviorism, Cognitive Therapy, and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy into his Coaching. Joe enjoys hiking, biking, and backpacking and he is also a member of the Steel City Beard and Moustache Club, where he gets to talk about having facial hair and host charitable events for local Non-profit Organizations.   Check out this episode!

Three years as parents, and questions about if an autistic person should be a parent still confound me.  Check out this episode!

Prof. Dayna Goldstein discusses diversity within the neurodiversity community. She reminds us that neurodiversity isn't limited to autism and includes women. Apologies for low-quality phone interview audio. Check out this episode!

Autistic visual artist and advocate Bobby Roma discusses the ways in which autistics are devalued by society because our thinking processes seem strange to others.  Check out this episode!

Interview with visual artist Bobby Roma, part one. Bobby reflects on his experiences in the workplace and his pursuit of a career in the film industry.  Check out this episode!

We open Season Two chatting with Grayson Rumsey, a 20-year-old autistic self-advocate, creative writer, performing artist, and member of the LGBTQ+ community.  Check out this episode!

The Autistic Me Podcast returns for Season Two with more guests and a broader variety of topics, starting September 4, 2018. Check out this episode!

Success requires cultural knowledge expected of the middle and upper classes. We're doing a lot of summer enrichment to give our daughters every opportunity we can for them to "fit in" with peers. That we can provide such experiences is also a privilege.  Check out this episode!

Summer demands a lot of social energy, especially for parents. For autistics, the never-ending social calendar of summer can cause serious autistic burnout. Host C. S. Wyatt discusses his need to find a balance between social demands and self-care. Check out this episode!

Pennsylvania House Rep. Dan Miller (PA-42) discusses his efforts to highlight mental health and disability issues at the state level. He also calls on advocates to reach out to elected officials.  Check out this episode!

Daniel Sansing and C. S. Wyatt discuss dating, marriage, and the work required to maintain relationships for an autistic individual. Relationships challenge everyone, but autism increases those difficulties. Daniel has been married for 16 years and has a Neurodiverse family.    Check out this episode!

I’m Christopher Scott Wyatt. I’m autistic and I’m unemployed. Only 14 percent of autistic adults are employed in their communities. A third of autistic adults are considered college and career capable, but less than half of that group are employed full or part-time. Check out this episode!

Bricolage Production Company presents The Forest of Everywhere May 17 - June 3, 2018 An enchanted open-world adventure where kids can be themselves! Dig for bugs, play magical instruments, and help our furry animal friends explore the forest. A colossal storm has rearranged the entire globe, causing whole cities to change locations! Swept up from all across the world, our furry and feathered animal friends have found refuge in a beautiful Enchanted Forest. Help Don Key the dancing burro, Esther the singing ostrich, and Simon the napping alpaca adjust to their new home as you dig for bugs, play instruments, and make your mark in the chalk cave. This fully accessible experience takes your kids out of their seats and into a real-life adventure. They’ll explore an open-world environment, have one-on-one interactions, and play without the restrictions and rules of traditional theater. Sitting is not a requirement. Being quiet for long periods of time is not a requirement. The Forest o...

Introducing The Autistic Me Podcast and host Christopher Scott Wyatt. The transcripts of all episodes are available on The Autistic Me blog.   Check out this episode!

Lu Randall of the Autism Connection of Pennsylvania discusses how to approach your child's school to seek an IEP or 504 Plan. Check out this episode!

An introduction to the IEP (Individualized Education Program) and 504 Plan processes.  Check out this episode!

The "unwritten curriculum" of social interactions penalizes autistic students and others with differences in the classroom setting. Teachers are trained to foster active and engaged communities, valuing peer interactions and class participation. The emphasis on social skills draws attention to the defining characteristic of autism: social communication deficits.  Lu Randall of the Autism Connection of PA joins us again to discuss these challenges faced by autistics and how training helps teachers, parents, and peers appreciate autistic differences.  Check out this episode!

Daniel Sansing is a husband, father, and college instructor. He has also worked as a reporter. Daniel is also autistic, and in this episode, he offers insights from his experiences with other diagnoses and finally obtaining the autism diagnosis.  Daniel's children and his wife are neurodiverse.  Media accounts overlook neurodiverse parents, members of the autistic community I hope to highlight. For transcripts, visit The Autistic Me blog .   Check out this episode!

An interview with Lu Randall, Executive Director of the Autism Connection of Pennsylvania. Learn why connecting services are needed in the autism community and what services the Autism Connection provides. Visit www.autismofpa.org for more information on the organization. Check out this episode!

The planned episode for this week wasn't ready on time. Why? Because I badly estimated the time required for post-production and transcription. At least I admit my challenges with time and planning in this episode and will release the planned episode this week. Consider this an unplanned bonus look at my life.   Check out this episode!

Autistics make other people uncomfortable, and we do this almost instantly upon meeting. In my communications classes, I teach about the 50 to 500 milliseconds during which most people develop first impressions. These impressions are difficult, nearly impossible, to counteract with evidence and familiarity. Knowing us doesn’t undo the initial discomfort of meeting us .  That is the cost of autism . Read more at our new blogging site... http://www.tameri.com/autisticme https://www.tameri.com/wordpress/autisticme/2018/01/13/autistics-make-others-uncomfortable-instantly/

The new URL for The Autistic Me is: https://www.tameri.com/wordpress/autisticme/ Migration of the complete blog archives will require several weeks, at least. Leaving Blogger behind was a difficult decision; I'll do my best to post to both locations for a few months, at least, since so many readers visit this URL and redirection isn't ideal. The Autistic Me podcast will be launching this month, too! Thank you.