Discover what’s possible when obstacles become opportunities.

This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events!

The topic of this roundtable discussion was Overcoming Obstacles. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Stephanie De Kremer, Cassidy Hooper, Jeff Snyder, and David Sharif, as well as community members Kia Burton and Karen Shapiro.

As with previous live event recordings, the sound quality is a bit inconsistent because we hadn’t originally planned it as a podcast episode. However, I assure you that the stories and perspectives shared are really worth listening to.

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

• Setting boundaries
• Finding a job
• Making friends
• Dating
• Maintaining relationships

This episode with The Global Autism Community was originally released on November 4, 2021.

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Roundtable discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful. If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org.

To learn more about the participants in this discussion, please visit:

Stephanie De Kremer - IG @kiara_wrestler

Cassidy Hooper - The Diverse Butterfly Podcast

Jeff Snyder - Going the Distance Blog

David Sharif - IG @david_thetraveler

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

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We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey

Discover what’s possible when you live a life you don’t need a vacation from.

Diagnosed on the autism spectrum as an adult, Becca Lory Hector is an active autism and neurodiversity advocate, consultant, public speaker, and author. She offers a 3-unit personal development course for autistic adults called Self-Defined Living: A Path to a Quality Autistic Life. Becca also posts weekly live streams on her YouTube channel to encourage others to share both their challenges and what they’re grateful for.

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

• Becca’s emotional roller coaster of finding out about her autism
• Growing up misdiagnosed and heavily medicated
• Unmasking and prioritizing self-care
• The evolutionary benefit of difference
• What society can do to make life easier for autistic people
• Building on autistic strengths
• Why she decided to develop her course
• How to get out of autistic inertia
• Advice for newly diagnosed autistic adults

To learn more about Becca Lory Hector and her work, please visit beccalory.com.

This episode with Becca Lory Hector was originally released on July 1, 2021.

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Are you a self-advocate willing to share your experiences and educate others? Are you a professional seeking to hear directly from autistic voices and improve your practice? Are you a family member hoping to support and empower your loved one? Whatever your role related to autism is, you can join our Global Autism Community to connect and collaborate with people all over the world.

Sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

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We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey.

*THROWBACK EPISODE*

This episode with Ayu Suparman was originally released February 18, 2021.----more----

Discover what’s possible when safety invites honesty.

Ayu Suparman is a mother to two young boys, the eldest being on the autism spectrum. Living in Singapore, she and her husband host a podcast called Parents Made Special, in which they share information and resources for families in their community.

In today’s conversation, Ayu talks about the different levels of autism awareness across Singapore’s cultural landscape, the types of services available for families, the questions she asks herself regarding her son’s future, how she and her husband work as a team, and why they started their podcast.

For more information about Ayu Suparman, please follow her journey on Instagram @hitaandayu.

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our Facebook group: Autism Knows No Borders

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

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We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey.

Discover what’s possible when what you have to say matters.

Would you like to share your experiences with like-minded people who can relate to the same struggles? Are you looking for an easy way to form friendships and not feel isolated?

If so, you’ll want to listen to this episode, where members of our Global Autism Community talk about how being part of our online space has helped them feel support, connection, and a sense of belonging.

This week we are celebrating the 5-year anniversary of this podcast, as well as the 4-year anniversary of our online Global Autism Community!

It’s been an eye-opening journey that continues to surprise, inspire, and move us. We’ve learned so much from self-advocates sharing their experiences, family members talking about acceptance, and professionals discussing best practices in the field of autism services.

We’ve covered a wide range of topics, such as ableism, bullying, masking, the neurodiversity movement, intersectionality, disability rights, dating, communication, personal growth, cultural humility, and international collaboration, and even controversial topics like person-first vs. identity-first language, the puzzle-piece symbol, and ABA therapy.

Five years after launching Autism Knows No Borders, we are more energized than ever to keep going. There are still countless meaningful stories out there, and we want to bring them to you. We will continue to elevate autistic voices. We want their stories to keep traveling across the world, so that more and more people can join us in the cause for autism awareness, acceptance, and hope.

A huge thank you to all of our guests for educating us with their unique perspectives, as well as to our team members who keep making this podcast happen: our visual creator, social media manager, and community moderator, Danielle Terrell; our administrative associate, Aldjun Medenilla; and our sound designer and editor, Marc Aliana.

And, of course, many thanks to you, our dedicated listeners, for tuning in each week, sharing your takeaways, and ultimately giving meaning to what we’re doing.

If you’re a new listener, we’d like to welcome you as well!

Our online Global Autism Community has been growing over the past few years. This is a space where members have the possibility to share insights, listen to different perspectives, and create real change in their own communities – whether they’re autistic individuals, family members, or service providers.

Special shout out to our community moderators, Danielle Terrell, Hattie-Angelys Fox, Adrian Sanchez, and Bob Schmus. Our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful. If you’re interested in joining our moderator team, you can send me a direct message in the community.

Last week, some members of our community got together virtually to celebrate our anniversary and reflect on the podcast’s impact over the years. Today you’ll hear an excerpt from that special event, featuring our CEO Molly Pinney and Autistic Self-Advocates Hattie-Angelys Fox, Amira Collantes, Adrian Sanchez, Mary Johnston, and Corben Havener.

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Are you a self-advocate willing to share your story and educate others? Or a professional seeking to hear directly from autistic voices and improve your practice? Or maybe you’re a family member hoping to support and empower your loved one?

Whatever your connection to autism is, we’d love to hear your takeaways from this episode in our online Global Autism Community, where hundreds of people from all over the world come together to support each other and know that they’re not alone.

Join us today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey

Discover what’s possible when you put out the fire before burning out.

Are you looking for tips on how to alleviate stress? Stick around, because today’s episode is a Global Autism Community roundtable about Stress Management, featuring Autistic Self-Advocates Hattie-Angelys Fox, Adrian Sanchez, Mary Johnston, and Corben Havener. The CEO of the Global Autism Project, Molly Pinney, also joined us at the end.

Among other things, we discuss:

• Various stress triggers, including personal responsibilities, societal pressures, and the impact of social media
• Effective strategies for managing stress
• Engaging in self-care practices
• Creativity as a tool for stress relief
• Physical activities to improve mental clarity
• Shifting your perspective through positive thinking
• The importance of sharing experiences with your community and feeling supported by them

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Are you a self-advocate willing to share your story and educate others? Or a professional seeking to hear directly from autistic voices and improve your practice? Or maybe you’re a family member hoping to support and empower your loved one?

Whatever your connection to autism is, we’d love to hear your takeaways from this episode in our online Global Autism Community, where hundreds of people from all over the world come together to support each other and know that they’re not alone.

Join us today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey

Discover what’s possible when you love yourself first.

Do you struggle with expressing love for others, whether in friendships or romantic relationships? Do you ever feel pressure to live up to unrealistic ideas of love as represented in the media? How would you describe your own relationship with yourself?

If you’d like to hear about the many facets of love, particularly in the context of autism and neurodiversity, stick around for today’s episode. The following roundtable about Defining Love was facilitated by Global Autism Community moderator Bob Schmus, and it features Autistic Self-Advocates Hattie-Angelys Fox and Adrian Sanchez, as well as community member Danielle Terrell.

Among other things, they discuss:

• Personal definitions of love and its various forms
• Challenges of expressing love
• The impact of media on perceptions of love
• Self-love as a foundation for healthy relationships
• The complexities of love in neurodivergent communities
• Wanting vs. needing someone
• Respecting differences in relationships
• Accepting one’s own autism
• Love from parents to children

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Are you a self-advocate willing to share your story and educate others? Or a professional seeking to hear directly from autistic voices and improve your practice? Or maybe you’re a family member hoping to support and empower your loved one?

Whatever your connection to autism is, we’d love to hear your takeaways from this episode in our online Global Autism Community, where hundreds of people from all over the world come together to support each other and know that they’re not alone.

Join us today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey

*THROWBACK EPISODE*

This episode with Nora Alharbi was originally released on May 20, 2021. ----more----

Discover what’s possible when a mother learns her child’s language.

Nora Alharbi is a teacher and a mother to four children in Saudi Arabia. Her second child, Fares, is autistic. Fares receives services at Namaee Center, our partner site in Riyadh.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The level of autism awareness in Saudi Arabia and what services are available for families there
• How Nora came to accept her son’s autism
• Fares’ autistic strengths and relationship with his siblings
• How his communication skills have developed since attending Namaee Center
• Advice for other parents who may be struggling with accepting their child’s diagnosis

Are you a parent wanting to connect with other parents who may be going through similar experiences? You can find support and resources in our Global Autism Community.

Just a reminder, our community is open to anyone related to autism. Whether you’re a self-advocate, a family member, or a professional in the field, you can participate in these important conversations on our platform.

Sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

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We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey.

*THROWBACK EPISODE*

This episode with Jeff Snyder was originally released on February 11, 2021. ----more----

Discover what’s possible when fiction comes to life.

Jeff Snyder is an autism self-advocate from Massachusetts. As a public speaker, he is passionate about bringing awareness to special education and employment support. In 2020, Jeff contributed to This is Autism, a book by Jessica Leictweisz and Aidan Allman Cooper in which he gave his account of growing up with autism. Jeff is also a moderator of our Autism Knows No Borders Facebook group.

Some of the topics we discuss in today’s conversation include neurodiversity in movie characters, dealing with sensory issues, and accommodations during school safety drills. Jeff also offers advice about how to respond to someone experiencing a sensory overload.

For more information about Jeff Snyder, please visit:

Jeff Snyder, Disabilities Self-Advocate

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We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.

Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast

Join our Facebook group: Autism Knows No Borders

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project

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We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey.