Autism Annex: The STAR Autism Support Podcast STAR Autism Support

Part 1 of a two-part series on international special education and support for children with autism.  Fernando Barbosa—parent, educator, and founder of the non-profit FOCUS CRL in Porto and Vale de Cambra—tells the story from Portugal. 

Adria Nassim was diagnosed with autism in her mid-teens, and is now a prolific author, speaker, and advocate for children and adults with disabilities. She reflects on her writing and advocacy, her diagnosis, and the gifts of self-knowledge and self-acceptance.

Michael Jacques is an author and an advocate for people with disabilities regionally and nationally throughout Canada. He wrote his first book, Can’t Read, Can’t Write, Here’s My Book, entirely through speech-to-text technology. In this episode Michael shares his journey with autism and disability, his personal challenges and successes, and the power of perseverance. Michael is a popular guest speaker with over 400 presentations; visit heresmybook.com for more information.

Dr. Daniel Geschwind is a distinguished professor of neurology, psychiatry, and human genetics at UCLA, and one of the world’s leading experts in autism science.  In this episode he explains what we can learn about autism and the brain through cutting-edge neuroscience and genetic research. 

Generalization is the ability to use skills in a variety of situations—a tricky proposition for children on the autism spectrum.  Misten Daniels is an educator, a contributor to the SOLER curriculum, and a proud parent of neurodiverse children; she brings all three perspectives into focus in a conversation with Johnandrew Slominski.

This month we revisit a favorite episode from last season.  Licensed psychologist Dr. Matt Lundeberg discusses autism diagnoses, mental health, and the connections that matter for life.