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.

Autism Interview #171 Part 3: Emma Reardon on the Role of Autistic Voice in Research

Emma Reardon is a wildlife enthusiast and social care professional from the United Kingdom. She is a Director of Autism Well-Being, a not-for-profit organization providing a variety of support and wellbeing services, training and consultancy. In Part One of this series, Emma shared her long road to diagnosis as well as some specific sensory challenges personal to her daily experience. In Part Two of this series, she discussed the significance of sensory trauma, and using language to convey this impact. In Part Three of this series, she discussed the importance of integrating Autistic expertise into sensory research and the powerful role Autistic voice plays in improving the lives of future generations.

Autism Interview #104: Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht on Late Diagnosis and Autism Research

Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht is a late-diagnosed, registered psychotherapist practicing for over twenty-five years who has a passion for helping individuals with autism reach their potential. She blogs at Embrace ASD on a variety of autism topics, including the latest autism research. This week she discussed her professional background with helping others on the spectrum (including those who are diagnosed later in life), her surprising diagnosis, and how she assesses the latest autism research.

Autism Interview #52: Mark Kent on Asperger’s Syndrome and M.E.

Mark Kent is an autistic writer and married father of four. Mark lives with Aspergers and Myalgic Encephalopathy (M.E.) (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), a condition that makes everyday tasks challenging. Mark participates in a variety of research studies related to autism and M.E. and blogs about them at http://mark-kent.webs.com/ in order to help others improve awareness and understanding of people with disabilities. This week he shared some of his personal experiences as a father of four with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Autism Interview #25: Dinah Murray on Autism Research

Dinah Murray is a British researcher, speaker, and campaigner for people with varied learning disabilities, including autism. Her work has been published in the journals Autism, Good Autism Practice, as well as a number of books and online publications. She is an international public speaker on autism. Her research interests include medication and quality of life impact, IT for nonverbal individuals, and the ethics of autism research.

This week Dinah shared with us some of her most meaningful research findings as well as how to promote a positive autistic identity.