Autism Interview #188: Bart Shoaf on Late Diagnosis, Therapy, and Advocacy

Bart is a husband, father, grandfather from North Carolina. He has worked both in ministry, and in Continuous Improvement, both in food manufacturing and now in the printing industry.  He blogs at ManualTransmissionAutism.com.

Bart struggled for years with anxiety, social skills, and sleep disorders and was not diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder until his mid 50s. This diagnosis, although painful and confusing at first, has given him a lot of understanding about why he acts and reacts certain ways. He is now on the journey to find “autism life hacks” and hopes to share these with others along the way.

Autism Interview #187: Jessica Jahns on Late Diagnosis, Disclosure, and the Workplace

Jessica Jahns is a late-diagnosed Senior Data Analyst from Oregon with an interest in autism advocacy and allyship. She blogs at Autisticoronapoliticalifragilisticexpialidocious and is a self-described deep-thinker, draw-er of connections, observer and lover of humanity, supporter of all the proverbial “little guys,” and trauma-informed survivor. This week she shared her experience as a late-diagnosed adult coming to terms with her diagnosis and advocating in the workplace.

Autism Interview #186: Megan on Autistic Motherhood, Supports, and Disclosure

Megan is a mother, Aspie, and a lover of people, music, books, and writing. Megan’s blog is a creative outlet that shares her experiences with Asperger’s Syndrome, among other stories in the hopes of uplifting and starting meaningful conversation for those who seek it. This week she discussed a variety of topics including her diagnosis story, inclusion, disclosure, and supports for new mothers.

Update

Hello! I just wanted to offer a quick update here to say I am taking a brief break from publishing interviews. I’m trying to catch up on other projects, including finishing work on new advocacy book to be released in February (more to come!) and beginning research on another related project. I am still collecting…

Autism Interview #184: Ronan Boren on Songwriting

Ronan Boren is a fifteen-year-old autistic songwriter from Texas. Boren works with his music tutor Bill Paige (also an author/musician/songwriter) to compose original music he shares with the world.

Ronan writes all the lyrics for Josephmooon, whose debut album, “So Far So Good” features 12 songs about shifting moods (“Out of Tune,” “Up All Night,” “Check For”), menacing strangers (“Captolea,” “Busybodies”) and teenage fantasies (“Reusable Money,” “High In The Sky”).

His album can be purchased on JosephMooon.com as well as Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, Apple Music, and iTunes. A link to the full press release is available below. This week Boren gave us a glimpse into his music collaboration with Paige and teenage life.

Autism Interview #185: Tejas Rao Sankar on Learning to Spell, Traveling, and the Autistic Community

Tejas Rao Sankar is a nonspeaking autistic who spells to communicate. Tejas is a passionate traveler who loves to dance and spend time with his friends. He blogs with Neuroclastic to contribute to our emerging understanding of autistics, by autistics. Tejas loves to read with The BookWallis – A social media book group. He also loves creating memes for social media with I-ASC’s Spellers & Allies, a network which works to bring advocacy to spellers’ causes. He has been a panelist presenter at conferences such as Innovations in Education. Tejas has been recognized by Congressman Max Rose and other legislators for the advocacy work he does.

Tejas, with his autistic friends, is a co-founder of CrimsonRise, a neurodiverse community. You can find him on social media – Facebook and Instagram. This week Tejas shared how his life has changed since he learned how to spell to communicate. He also shared his love of traveling and engaging with other autistic people.

Autism Interview #182: Laura Weldon on Wellness, Treating Autistic Burnout, and Embracing Neurodiversity in Medicine

Laura Z. Weldon, ND, MS is a naturopathic physician who loves exploring how people think, feel, sense, and connect. Weldon earned a doctorate in naturopathic medicine, a master’s degree in integrative mental health, an undergraduate degree in english literature and post-bacc pre-med degree. Her interdisciplinary research currently focuses on the pathophysiology and treatment of autistic burnout, and her work advocates for a neurodiversity paradigm shift across both medicine and society. She provides trauma-informed naturopathic consulting and coaching services, using herbs, nutrition, movement, health counseling, and craniosacral therapy to establish and embody a radical concept of wellness that includes autistic and disabled populations. This week she shared her research on autistic burnout and how she advocates for a neurodiversity paradigm shift in medicine.