Autism Interview #36: Kerry Magro on Misconceptions, Mistakes, and Positive Autism Advocacy
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Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone has led advocacy campaigns at national, state, and local levels. Savannah is an active member of and social media coordinator for ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) and board member and current vice president of the PA based SAU1 (Self Advocates United as 1). She blogs at Cracked Mirror in Shalott and writes for many other multi-contributor blogs. This week she shared some of her experience advocating for herself and others on the spectrum, offering practical ideas for parents and educators who want to support their children.
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Vera Didenko is an autistic blogger recognized for contributions in both radio broadcasting, from 2001 to 2008, and federal government defense accounting, from 2008 to 2013. Vera blogs about a variety of life issues relevant to individuals on the spectrum and the neurotypicals in their lives at This, That, and Vera.
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Jay Avery is a 22-year-old, nonbinary autistic from England. Jay is currently pursuing a degree in Math and Physics while self-teaching Java programming and wildlife photography. Jay blogs about their experience on the spectrum at https://autisticality.com/. This week Jay Avery Rowe shared with us their experience growing up on the autism spectrum and how they developed a positive autistic identity.
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Last week Jesse Saperstein shared a little about his work with the College Experience, a program that helps students with disabilities succeed in college and learn to live independently. This week he discusses his idea for a specialized autism graduate program and offers advocacy advice for parents.
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Jesse Saperstein is a best-selling author, autism advocate, and motivational speaker. He currently serves as the Activities & Media Liaison for the College Experience, a program helping students with disabilities attend adaptive college programs and learn to live independently. The College Experience is currently trying to raise money by the end of the month to earn a permanent partnership with the Global Giving Foundation. You can read more about the campaign (and help them reach their fundraising goal!) by visiting the Global Giving website.
This is the first part of a 2-part blog post covering Jesse’s opinions and experience regarding a variety of issues affecting individuals on the spectrum. This week he shared how his college experience differed from the one he currently advocates for as well as some general misconceptions about autism he has encountered.
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Jim C. Hines is the author of twelve fantasy novels, including the Magic ex Libris series, the Princess series of fairy tale retellings, the humorous Goblin Quest trilogy, and the Fable Legends tie-in Blood of Heroes. He’s an active blogger, and won the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. This week he shared his experience as a parent of an 11-year-old on the autism spectrum.Jim reveals some of the ways he has learned to help his son develop his own unique identity.
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Daniel Wendler is an author, public speaker, and advocate for people that (like him) are on the autism spectrum. He’s spoken about autism and social skills at conferences around the country, and is the author of a variety of social skills guides including Improve Your Social Skills. This week Daniel shared his advice for parents trying to support their autistic children both at home and in school.
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Anthony Ianni is a National Motivational Speaker for the Relentless Tour to eradicate bullying, an initiative of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Anthony was diagnosed on the spectrum with Pervasive Developmental Disorder at the age of four and struggled with bullying throughout childhood. He rose above the low expectations of doctors and specialists to graduate from Michigan State University and play basketball for Tom Izzo during his time there. He was the first Division 1 Basketball player in NCAA History to be diagnosed with autism. This week Anthony shared some of what he has learned about bullying and autism advocacy.
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Bob Yamtich is a Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in Nonviolent Communication coaching and neurodiversity Bob works as an independent consultant and therapeutic coach. He blogs at Connecting with the Neurodiverse. This week he discusses his personal experiences on the spectrum and offers advice for how parents and educators can connect with others like him.
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