Megan Amodeo is a writer, autistic self-advocate, and stay-at-home mother to three, 2 of whom are on the spectrum. Prior to staying at home with her children, she worked in special education. She currently writes for geekclubbooks as an “Autism Insider.” This week she shared her experience receiving a late diagnosis and the joys of being an autistic mom.…
Lana Grant is a specialist advisor and advocate for people with autism and their families. Lana has worked within the field of autism for nearly twenty years. Lana specializes in autism and females, particularly pregnancy and motherhood. Her book “From Here To Maternity, pregnancy and motherhood on the Autism Spectrum” was published in March 2015 by Jessica Kingsley publishers and is the only book that focuses on this issue. Lana is a trained birth partner (doula) specializing in supporting pregnant women on the autism spectrum and their partners. Lana has recently contributed to the Scottish Autism Right Click Women and Girls Programme. She is a passionate advocate for female empowerment and speaks for the NAS and other organizations about female issues. She also has a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.
This week Lana shared with me some of her background and advocacy work for mothers on the spectrum.
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Jeanette Purkis is an Autistic author, public speaker, and self-advocate. Jeanette has worked in the Australian Public Service since 2007 and has a Masters degree in Fine Arts. She is the author of three books on Autism. Jeanette has given many presentations including at TEDxCanberra 2013 and presenting alongside Professor Temple Grandin and artist Tim Sharp in Melbourne in 2015. Jeanette facilitates an Autism women’s group and is the 2016 ACT Volunteer of the Year. This week Jeanette discussed some of her background and advocacy work and how to help individuals on the spectrum develop a positive autistic identity.
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Caroline Hearst is an autistic autism trainer and consultant from the U.K. who runs post-diagnostic peer support groups for autistic adults. She runs Autism Matters and is the director of AutAngel, a community interest company run by and for autistic people. She also blogs about her autism perspectives at http://www.autismmatters.org.uk/blog.
This week Caroline shared with me her perspective on the neurodiversity movement and autism advocacy both in the United States and the United Kingdom. This interview was conducted via Skype and is transcribed below.
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Emma Dalmayne is an Autistic and Autism Advocate and activist from the United Kingdom who speaks out against all Autistic mistreatments. She has published several articles and books aimed at helping individuals on the spectrum, and her advocacy work has been featured in the Guardian. Emma is also a home educator to her children who are also on the Autistic spectrum.
This week Emma shared some of her background growing up on the autism spectrum, her feelings about receiving a late diagnosis, and how she advocates for others on the spectrum today.
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Sarah Hendrickx is an independent specialist consultant and trainer in Autism Spectrum Conditions. Sarah is autistic with a late diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome in her 40s. She has a lifetime of personal experience of autism, its mental and physical impact and how to live with it and shares this during training along with her professional expertise.
She travels internationally and has delivered over 1000 autism training sessions and speaks at conferences worldwide She has also worked with more than 200 autistic individuals as a coach and consultant in care, schools, relationships and employment. Sarah has written 6 books on autism and related conditions. She was featured in a BBC Horizon documentary on autism.
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Ron Sandison works full time in the medical field and is a professor of theology at Destiny School of Ministry. He is an advisory board member of Autism Society Faith Initiative of Autism Society of American. He recently published the book A Parent’s Guide to Autism: Practical Advice. Biblical Wisdom.
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Anita Lesko is the founder of the Global Autism Consulting Organization which aims to offer health care providers around the globe the knowledge and skills necessary to provide the best health care possible to their autistic patients. She and her husband Abraham assist small and large businesses in understanding their autistic employees and enabling them to incorporate people on the spectrum into their work team. Anita has an MS in Nurse Anesthesia and has been working as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for 26 years. She didn’t receive a diagnosis until the age of 50, but since then has become an internationally recognized autism advocate. She answered questions for us about her mission to help autistic patients and workers in the health care industry as well as her all-autistic wedding.
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Kenneth Kelty is a writer, speaker, disability advocacy writer, graduate of West Carolina University, and adult with autism. He has worked to help more college campuses become inclusive for students with disabilities, and he spoke with me below about his beliefs on inclusion.
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This week we have the opportunity to hear from Alex Chrenka. Alex is a commercial artist with Asperger’s syndrome. He currently is working as a Graphic Designer for a real estate firm, but has side projects involving 3D modeling and illustration which can be viewed at chrenkaart.wordpress.com. He is currently illustrating a children’s book about his experiences growing up with autism. Alex is a strong advocate for awareness of autism and helping those learn to cope with it. He has experienced the effects of medication and has had many life-changing events through those trials. Self improvement and accomplishment are the keystones of Alex’s life philosophy, and he believes no matter how difficult life gets, you can work towards a happier one by setting goals, having a positive outlook, and being a better you.
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