After five years of production, I will be shutting down this podcast. I have no regrets - it's been a journey of creativity, advocacy, and discovery, exploring various topics and individuals all along the way. I kept my word that the content would be freely available, and tried to ensure it was accessible within my limited means. Most importantly, I answered and realized my utmost question - is this, for me, even possible? And, for 5 years, it was.

However, all things must come to an end. Everything, eventually, must cease. Neurologic is no exception. While I am contemplating and considering future prospects for audio-visual advocacy, at this moment I am taking a sabbatical of indeterminate time. Hopefully, I can start something new - and with some luck and perserverance, invite other autistics and/or neurodivergent folks to join me. As the profound baseball player Yogi Berra once said, it ain't over ‘til it’s over.

I also want to thank you for listening; words cannot convey how important, how crucial it is to know that someone, somewhere is listening. It expresses value and importance, that you're not just shouting into the void, that someone does understand - or, at the very least, wants to understand. I'm glad you're here, and I hope I was able to articulate our struggles - not with being autistic per se, but with the systems and societies that we are required to navigate; challenging obstacles that rarely come with any kind of guidance or instruction. I hope the insight I provided was useful, boosted your confidence and resolve, and, perhaps, was also amusing and fun at certain moments.

I hope that all of your dreams are beautiful, and that you find your Neurotribe, no matter who you are or where you are - and that you are able to trust in those around you to genuinely and authentically accept, include and welcome you....not in spite of being neurodivergent, but as a unique and joyful part of your whole identity.

But before I finish packing up this podcast, I wanted to discuss...Trust.

Over the past few years, the notoriety of the term Neurodiversity, as well as its siblings - Neurodiverse, Neurotypical, Neurodivergent, among others - expanded and transformed what it means to have a mind that differs from the subjective sociocultural norm. Yet despite a rise in adoption, many both inside and outside autistic spaces are unable to accurately define Neurodiversity, leading to confusion and misunderstanding.

In her latest book, Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes On The Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, And Postnormal Possibilities, Dr. Nick Walker explains the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Neurocosmopolitanism, Neuroqueer Theory, and so much more. She joins Leo Jones on this episode to discuss why she wrote this book, how it came to be, how she came up with the name, and what possibilities await in a future that recognizes and accepts the Neurodiversity Paradigm.

For more information about Dr. Walker, visit their website: https://neuroqueer.com

You can find their book through the Autonomous Press website: https://autonomous-press.myshopify.com/products/neuroqueer-heresies

Or at IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781945955266

Also, check out their work on the fantastic urban fantasy webcomic Weird Luck: https://weirdluck.net

What's “next” for autism seems to be a rising trend in the autism community: removing potentially problematic content, connections to extreme organizations, and giving painfully vague explanations while passively denying such actions - and even the very existence of what is being erased in the first place.

In this episode, Leo Jones highlights clandestine efforts by prominent autism charities, events and even researchers to wipe away a divisive past, putting us in danger of repeat it.

After covering the controversy over the movie ‘Music’, watching the movie itself and posting a real-time review it, Leo Jones finalizes the last word on Sia and her movie ‘Music’.

Discussing Sia's apology - and how she failed to live up to her post-apology promises - this episode tries to explain why neurotypical people in the autism community (like her) have a difficult and painful time accepting the unpleasant consequences of their actions, especially when their intentions are supposedly good.

Good-intention gaslighting has been used frequently - regardless of intention - against autistic self-advocates and activists for decades. It's a way of deflecting fair and valid criticism of neurotypical-led autism charities, segregative housing, stigmatizing symbolism, and more.

But what, exactly, is good-intention gaslighting, and why is it so pervasive among supposed neurotypical autism advocates?

Earlier this month, the social media app TikTok was host to the ‘autism challenge’,which encouraged people to display mocking autism behavior, including stimming and seizure-like movements on video, which was then shared with the hashtag autismchallenge. It's obvious that this was a hateful trend, and while TikTok as a platform has since appeared to have deleted the hashtag and condemned the challenge, there are significant numbers of people that are stymied, shocked and in disbelief that this happened.

But haven't we seen this before? Are the people creating these videos and perpetuating the challenge, the ones at fault? The ones to blame?

In this episode, Leo Jones discusses the origins of these disparaging and bigoted trends, the continued impact of them, and how to make it stop.

In this episode, Leo gets a bit personal, talking about how he's managing during the COVID-19 pandemic - discussing hobbies, games and coping strategies during this time.

In this episode, Leo finds out about the Autism Industry, a healthcare sector that has seen significant private equity financial investment - and is stunned at what he discovers.

CONTENT WARNING: this episode begins with a parody that may include words or phrases that some may find offensive and/or traumatizing. To skip the parody, please jump ahead to the 3 minute 15 second mark to listen to the episode.