The Life Autistic with Ryan Somers

Episode 31: Zoh is 29 years old and lives in Indiana. She is self-diagnosed Autistic, and is a creative musician, photographer and jewellery maker. In this conversation, we discuss how Autistics kids are often misdiagnosed growing up, comorbidities, the legitimacy of self-diagnosis in the Autistic community, the barriers to late-diagnosis, therapy, Beastie Boys, discovering being Autistic, famous Autistic people (Elon Musk, Dan Aykroyd), Autism in media and movies, Sia, Atypical, stimming, support systems for Autistic people, creative expression, playing music, and we end it with a terrible joke. Zoh can be foud on instagram at @Kueen.ZohIf you would like to become a supporter of The Life Autistic podcast, you can sign up at Patreon.com/TheLifeAutistic The Life Autistic Podcast w/ Ryan Somers can be found on Instagram and Facebook at @TheLifeAutistic and Twitter at @LifeAutisticPodThanks for listening and for your support.

Episode 30 -- Julie (Austria)This week, we welcome Julia, 27, from Austria, for a conversation touching on a variety of things, including moving from the Dominican Republic to Austria at the age of 5, the differences between living in a city and a small town, travelling, special interests, self-diagnosing with Autism at the age of 20, job interviews, working with a job coach, family dynamic, "coming out" as Autistic to family and friends, support networks, support groups, starting a local support group, masking, how Autism is viewed culturally in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, versus England, the USA, and Canada, Autism awareness and acceptance, viewing Autism as an illness, Autistic people in history, and if you were a fruit or vegetable, what kind of fruit or vegetable would you be? (Ha! Ha!) This is the link to the study on Autistics and job interviews that Julia mentioned in the show:https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10114129/1/Job%20interview%20paper_FINAL%20ACCEPTED%20AUTHORS%20VERSION.pdfThank you for listening. If you would like to contact us to appear on the show or to ask any questions or suggest topics, please email us at: thelifeautisticpodcast@gmail.com or find us on instagram @thelifeautistic, twitter @lifeautisticpod, and facebook @thelifeautistic.Please support this show by subscribing, leaving a rating and review, and sharing on your own social media.If you would like to support our show further, you can find us at patreon.com/thelifeautistic and buymeacoffe.com/ryansomersThank you,Ryan and DrewThe Life Autistic Podcast

Episode 29 -- Michael Tanzer (Ontario, Canada)This week, Ryan and Drew have a chat with Michael, who is 29, and was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. We talk about his self-published book "Michaelism: My POV on Life with Autism," his childhood development, therapy, special interests, learning Japanese, independence, social media, not giving up, how Autistic people are portrayed in movies and television, and the Beastie Boys.Michael's book can be found here: https://www.amazon.ca/Michaelism-My-POV-Life-Autism/dp/1777146909He can also be found on Instagram at @michaeltanzerThanks for listening, and if you'd like to support this podcast, please find us at https://www.patreon.com/TheLifeAutistic or https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ryansomers

In this episode, we have a pleasant chat with Dave, age 45, who lives in San Diego, California, USA.Dave was late-diagnosed Autistic, has an Autistic spouse, and an Autistic son. In this conversation, we discuss a number of things, including ABA Therapy, Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), the Love & Autism Conference, "famous" people in the Autistic space (such as John Elder Robison, Barry Prizant, David Finch, Anita Lesko, Amy Sequenzia), driving white Autistic, eye contact, sensory input, parenting with Autism, masking, "unlearning" patterns of thinking and behaviour, growing up as an undiagnosed Autistic, family dynamics, Dyspraxia, ignorance about Autism, and more.We enjoyed this conversation very much, and look forward to having Dave back on the show.Dave can be found on Instagram at @drivingwhileautistic and also has a great video here: https://youtu.be/eTG-6DKRmBo

Well, as you all surely know, it's AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH! Our friend Rose returns (third time!) to discuss some of the things that she thinks are important, for Autistic people to guide the conversation about us! We talk about what it takes for Autistic people to find happiness, be seen and heard, and to feel safe! What kind of therapies are out there for Autistic people, both the good (mindfulness, occupational, speech/communication) and the bad (ABA, shock, seclusion, etc.), and the necessary (nurturing, options in communication, autonomy). We also discuss support, parental/caregiver training, self-advocating, and adjusting the overall view of Autism in the medical and educational community. Rose is an absolute pro at distilling these ideas down to their essence, communicating them in a way that can be understood by all, and doing it all with a big open heart and a sense of humour. We hope you enjoy this episode! #AutismAwarenessMonth #TheLifeAutistic Thanks for listening to The Life Autistic Podcast with Ryan Somers. If you would like to support the show, you can make donation or become a monthly supporter at BuyMeACoffee.com/TheLifeAutistic

I grew up in a family of racecar drivers -- both my mom and dad (that's how they met!) and all of my uncles raced cars. When I heard about an Autistic racecar driver named Armani Williams, I knew I simply had to have him on the show! Armani is awesome! He's 20 years old, diagnosed Autistic at the age of 2, and lives in Grosse Point, Michigan. He knew he wanted to be a racecar driver since the age of 8, and he was not going to let Autism get in the way. In this conversation, we talk about racing and Autism, family support, the Autistic Community, being "open" about being Autistic, and so much more! This conversation was so much fun, and by the end of it, Drew and Ryan had decided that once Covid is over, we are going to plan a road trip to Michigan to see Armani race in person!Check him out at: TeamArmaniRacing.com and @TeamArmaniRacing!

On this episode, Rose is back for another round! This time, the focus is on Autism Myths! Are Autism cases on the rise? Do people outgrow Autism? Is there for a cure for Autism? Do vaccines cause Autism? Are there differences in Autism between males and females? Do we prefer to say "Autistic people" or "people with Autism?" Is Autism a form of brain damage? Can Autistic people make friends? Can Autism people express themselves? Is everyone a little bit Autistic? We love Rose. She is brilliant, articulate, and a ton of fun to hang out with and discuss these topics!Thanks for listening, and, as always, if you'd like to support the podcast, you can make a donation at: BuyMeACoffee.com/TheLifeAutisticWe would also appreciate it if you give us a rating and a review on your podcast app, and share the podcast on social media.The show is hosted by Ryan Somers, produced by Drew Skitt. Reach us at: @TheLifeAutistic or thelifeautisticpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, we chat with Hunter Hansen, who was diagnosed Autistic at the age of 16, is a husband and father, works at a large tech company, and is also an Autism advocate, posing videos to Instagram at the account @The_Life_Autistic, which is how we first discovered each other last year! We enjoy a fun and insightful conversation, sharing our experiences as "Public Autistics" in the social media space, and talking about work life, writing about Autistic experiences, connecting with other Autistic people, challenges, supports, masking, job interviews, disclosure in the workplace, accommodations, marriage, small talk, friendships, the different mannerisms and social customs in Canada and the USA and how Hunter is living THE LIFE AUTISTIC.As always, thanks for listening. If you'd like to support this show, you can BuyMeACoffee.com/TheLifeAutistic

Sam is an awesome dude, in his early 30s, who was diagnosed with Aspergers (ASD) at the age of 14. In this conversation, we talk about all kinds of things, like The Beatles, the prevalence of Autistic minds in technology and the arts, Autism as a gift, positive energy, socializing, stimming, masking, meditation, working with Autistic children, Autistic humour, Autism myths, empathy, religion, and the question we've all been wondering for the longest time: was Jesus Autistic?The Life Autistic Podcast with Ryan Somers is a weekly podcast featuring long-form conversations with Autistic adults.The show is created and hosted by Ryan Somers, and produced by Drew Skitt.If you would like to support this show, we appreciate donations at BuyMeACoffee.com/TheLifeAutisticPlease also like, share, and leave a 5-star rating and a review on whatever podcast app you use to listen to the show.