Two Sides of the Spectrum Meg Proctor

Kristy Forbes. Kristy is an autistic support specialist for neurodivergent people and their families and professionals. She is the Founding Director of both inTune Pathways and The Neurodivergent Co. Kristy is autistic with ADHD and a Pathological Demand Avoidant (PDA) profile. She is also the mother to 4 autistic kids. Tune into the episode where we dive deep into how we can support our PDA autistic clients within their family systems.

Harry Thompson is a UK-based public speaker and writer who is autistic with a Pathological Demand Avoidance profile. Through his work Harry aims to bring more acceptance and joy to the lives of people who are autistic and have a PDA profile. Join us in episode 23 as we explore the challenges and unique strengths of PDAers, and what those of us supporting autistic people should know about PDA.

Christa Holmans is an autistic self-advocate from Texas who runs the neurodiversity lifestyle blog Neurodivergent Rebel. In episode 22, you’ll learn about Christa’s own experience as a gender fluid autistic person. And we’ll tie this into authenticity in general, including what we can all be doing in our sessions to support positive identity around gender and sexuality.

Zosia Zaks is a certified rehabilitation counselor, author, and autistic self-advocate. He manages the Towson University's Hussman Center for Adults with Autism, where he teaches service-learning courses that examine autism through a social justice lens. In episode 21, Zosia talks about self-advocacy, attitudinal adjustments, how neurodiversity benefits everyone, and so much more.

Jacklyn Googins in the cofounder of OTs for Neurodiversity and the founder of B3 Coffee, an inclusive pop-up coffee stand in Chapel Hill, NC. Greg Boheler, who is autistic, is the cofounder of OTs for Neurodiversity and a board member for B3 Coffee. Listen to episode 21 where we explore how pro-neurodiversity practices and inclusive workplaces can truly benefit everyone.

Damian Milton is an autistic researcher whose idea spawned a huge shift in how we think about autism. In this episode, listen in as we explore:

- How Damian developed his hypothesis that the trouble with empathy and social skills is a two-way street between autistic and non-autistic people, not a deficit of autistic people

- What early research Damian did to confirm this hypothesis

- One thing Damian would love to see OTs stop doing with social stories and comic strip interventions with autistic clients

- A tip for how to better approach sensory processing challenges with autistic kids, with a cautionary tale from his own life