While the podcast is on a brief hiatus as I finish my book (yay!), I’m sharing this interview that Shawn Pickard hosted with me for Voices for Abilities radio. We discussed how Canadian autis…| Noncompliant - the podcast
In this, the final episode of Noncompliant, I spoke with Shannon Rosa, editor of Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism. She shared her memories of her good friend Steve Silberman, author of the groundbreaking history of autism & the neurodiversity movement, Neurotribes, which featured Shannon and her family. We talked about Steve and his legacy for … Continue reading Remembering Steve Silberman: A conversation with Shannon Rosa| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had an amazing conversation with Nancy Marshall, a therapist and researcher, who previously worked as Child and Youth Counselor in Toronto public schools. We discussed her new, qualitative research on autistic people’s experiences with and perception of ABA. We also talked about the impact of the neurodiversity movement on autism services, and the evolution … Continue reading Transforming schools and autism therapy: A conversation with therapist & researcher Nancy Marshall| Noncompliant – the podcast
This is a fascinating interview with Alfie Kohn, who has been researching and writing about education, parenting, authority and co-operative learning for years, driving home a simple fact: rewards and punishment are two sides of the same coin –and they’re not helping us to raise the kind of children we say we want to raise. … Continue reading “Punishments and rewards can get one thing, under certain conditions – temporary compliance” Interview with Alfie Kohn| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this podcast, Gaby and I discussed racism in the education system, the disability hierarchy, media bias and representations of the self-advocacy movement, eye contact and cultural norms, the power of social media, the situation in Ontario and more! Listen to the podcast at the audio link below. Listen to this episode on Stitcher here … Continue reading “Neurodivergent individuals challenge society to question exactly what normalcy is, if it even exists to begin with” –Interview wit...| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this broad-ranging interview, Dr. Damian Milton & I discuss the theory of the “double empathy problem”; hyperfocus/flow state; autistic parenting; the medical versus social model of disability; the subjectivity of outcome measures; and the diverse ways in which autism itself is framed and defined. Listen to the interview at the audio link below or … Continue reading “We need much better standards of research in autism intervention”: An interview with Dr. Damian Milton| Noncompliant – the podcast
“”There’s a lot of people out there who are going to try and tell you what your kid needs, but really, autistic people are the ones who actually do know.” I had a fascinating conversation with Shannon Rosa, co-founder and editor of The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, about parenting, autism pseudoscience and autistic acceptance. … Continue reading “Creating a home environment that works for everybody”: Interview with Shannon Rosa| Noncompliant – the podcast
I recently talked with Sam Himelstein, the president of the Center for Adolescent Studies , about the pitfalls of pop-culture “mindfulness” and the importance of trauma-informed care. We also talked about the problems with behaviourist approaches that focus only on measuring outcomes for compliance rather than quality of life. Listen to the podcast on audio … Continue reading Trauma-informed Mindfulness, Teaching & Care: Interview with Dr Sam Himelstein| Noncompliant – the podcast
I was honoured to speak with the amazing Guy Stephens, founder of the Alliance Against Seclusion & Restraint about what’s new in human rights advocacy for autistic & developmentally disabled students. AASR has a groundbreaking new program, Reframing Behaviour, in partnership with the Crisis Prevention Institute, rolling out across America–neuroscience-based training for educators to eliminate … Continue reading A journey to transform special education: Catching up with Guy Stephens at...| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this episode we spoke with Julie Roberts, the founder of the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective. We discussed her new book, The Gold Standard Fallacy, a critique of the ABA industry, as well as…| Noncompliant - the podcast
I was so excited to speak with Dr. Ryan, a trailblazer in Canadian autism research! Her work was the first participatory autism research in Canada and it has inspired more. We talk about inclusion,…| Noncompliant - the podcast
Professor Carl Elliott’s new book The Occasional Human Sacrifice, is about whistleblowers in medicine. In this episode, we discuss the whistleblowers at Willowbrook, a residential institution for a…| Noncompliant - the podcast
I was thrilled to talk with Tony Spiridakis and Alex Plank about the new film Ezra, which Tony wrote and produced alongside director Tony Goldwyn, and which Alex associate produced, acted and consulted on. Ezra is a comedic drama starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne and introducing William Fitzgerald as the 11-year … Continue reading Filmmakers Tony Spiridakis & Alex Plank on the new film “Ezra”, autism and representation| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had such a great conversation with artist and teacher Stephane Hartl about parenting autistic children in a world that wasn’t built for them. How do parents manage a new diagnosis, advocate at school and navigate the transition to adulthood? What needs to shift in our society—and how can we help to shift it? Listen … Continue reading “If it feels like too much for you, then it’s probably too much for your kid” Talking about parenting with Stephane Hartl| Noncompliant – the podcast
I spoke with Dr. Molly Colvin and Dr. Tannahill Glen about their new book, Altered Trajectories: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Children’s Education, Mental Health and Neurodevelopment, co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Linton Reesman. We discussed the educational impact of school closures, as well as the mental health impact on kids. A crucial topic as we … Continue reading The impact of pandemic-related school closures: A conversation with Molly Colvin & Tannahill Glen| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had the honour of speaking with Keenan Wellar, founder of LiveWorkPlay about the organization’s work helping the community welcome and include people with intellectual disabilities, autistic persons, and those with a dual diagnosis in housing, work and leisure. LiveWorkPlay is a model for the paradigm shift that is needed in developmental services! Listen to … Continue reading Keenan Wellar from LiveWorkPlay: Transforming Canada’s housing & programs for intellectually disabled Canad...| Noncompliant – the podcast
I spoke with Dr. Andrew Whitehouse from the University of Western Australia about autistic life, gut hype, same-foods, the problem of pseudoscience and the shifting nature of autism research. Listen to the podcast by playing the audio file below, or on streaming sites like Spotify, Stitcher or ApplePodcasts. Transcript: NoncompliantPodcast_trscrt_Whitehouse Bio Dr. Whitehouse is the … Continue reading “What outcomes are we looking at?” Talking with Dr. Andrew Whitehouse about the shifti...| Noncompliant – the podcast
I spoke with vaccine researcher and expert Dr. Paul Offit, whose book Autism’s False Prophets explores false narratives about autism, including the myth that the MMR vaccine causes autism. We talked about that history, as well as the present challenge of the current anti-vaccine movement and the need to speak the truth, even when it’s … Continue reading “It’s hard to un-ring the bell”: Talking about the vaccine-autism myth (& more) with Dr. Paul Offit| Noncompliant – the podcast
I wrote this poem about the summer and our beautiful earth| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had a fascinating conversation with Finn Gardiner, Director of Policy & Advocacy for the Autistic People of Color Fund about the incredible work of the Fund’s mutual aid project that positively impacts so many individuals’ lives. We also discussed institutional ableism, racism and “nice white lady syndrome”, as well as the troubling problems with … Continue reading “A Catalyst for Activism”: Talking with Finn Gardiner from the Autistic People of Color Fund| Noncompliant – the podcast
. In this episode, I spoke with health historian Matthew Smith from the University of Strathclyde. We discussed his new book, The First Resort: The History of Social Psychiatry in the United States, as well as neurodiversity, the promise of Universal Basic Income and more. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below … Continue reading What happened to social psychiatry? A conversation with Professor Matthew Smith| Noncompliant – the podcast
I spoke with Guy Stephens, executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) and Chantelle Hyde, lead Canadian Volunteer with The Alliance Against Restraint and Seclusion and co-founder of the Canadian Coalition Against Seclusion and Restraint in Schools, founded early in 2023. We discussed the high prevalence of the use of seclusion rooms (isolation … Continue reading “Compliance is the wrong goal…we need connection and compassion”: Guy Stephens & Chantelle H...| Noncompliant – the podcast
Today I spoke with Julie Roberts, founder of Therapist Neurodiversity Collective (TNDC). We talked about the ABA industry’s troubling attempts to dominate autism services and funding, as well as the culture shift needed to increase support for neurodiversity-affirming autism supports and services. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, … Continue reading The shifting landscape of autism services: Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Julie Roberts| Noncompliant – the podcast
I wrote this short spoken word about the experience of grief after all we’ve been through in the pandemic. It’s really just a story, without a message except: we need to talk about our feelings, perhaps now more than ever.| Noncompliant – the podcast
Today I spoke with Professor Alan Levinovitz, author of Natural: How Faith in Nature’s Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science. We talked about the myth of the natural, pseudoscience, neurodiversity and post-pandemic life. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes. . Bio … Continue reading Talking with professor Alan Levinovitz about pseudoscience and the myth of “natural”| Noncompliant – the podcast
“Basically they’re slowly being poisoned with a corrosive agent.” It is difficult to hear about what happens to children who are trapped by the so-called bleach cult, a multi-level marketing scheme that has spread across the continents, promising “cures” for everything from broken bones and cancer to Covid-19 and autism. The 4 leaders of a … Continue reading The Genesis 2 “bleach cult,” past and present : A conversation with pseudoscience de-bunker Melissa Eaton| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had a fascinating conversation with AutCollab co-founder Jorn Bettin about new approaches to autism; namely, thinking outside the box of the pathologizing approach of the DSM and moving towards a…| Noncompliant - the podcast
I had an amazing conversation with University of Washington virologist Dr Alex Greninger, whose team innovated one of the earliest Covid tests. We talked about how they developed the test; public health policy; the current monkeypox crisis; other viruses & “the 2022 effect”; and the virological and sociological implications of the pandemic since 2020. Listen … Continue reading Talking about Covid, monkeypox, health disinfo & “the 2022 effect” with virologist Alex Greninger| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this episode I speak with the amazing Lei Wiley Mydske, founder of the neurodiversity library movement and creator of the Neurodivergent Narwals. We talk about neurodiversity libraries (including how to start one!), community-building, disability justice, activism, hope and more. Listen to the podcast at the link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes. … Continue reading Neurodiversity Libraries, activism & community-building: Interview with Lei Wiley Mydske| Noncompliant – the podcast
The Noncompliant podcast came out of hiatus this week to talk with autistic advocate Ryan Hendry about Spectrum10K, a currently-proposed project by UK business interests to collect DNA data on autistic children and adults for a database to sell to companies for commercial ventures. Ryan and I discussed the ethical implications of the project and … Continue reading “The most effective way to stop it is public pressure”: Talking about Spectrum10K with Irish autistic activist Ryan Hendry| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had an amazing conversation with Drs Anila D’Mello and Liron Rozenkrantz from MIT about their research review and other work about autism, rationality and cognition! Listen to the episode by clicking the audio file below or on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes here. Read the transcript below the audio file. . . Transcript by Julie-Ann … Continue reading “There are a lot of areas autism researchers have viewed as deficits that can actually confer advantages”: Talking with MIT researchers...| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had such a great conversation with autistic lawyer Haley Moss about her book Great Minds Think Differently. In this episode, we discuss neurodiversity in law and the workplace, autistic hyperfocus and Haley’s upcoming book, The Young Autistic Adult’s Independence Handbook (launching November 2021 & available by preorder)! Listen to the episode at the audio … Continue reading “If you look at how much has changed in the last 5 years, we’ve definitely made progress”: A conversation...| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this episode, I talk with Professors Kristen Bottema-Beutel and Micheal Sandbank, who have done a systematic review and meta-analysis of 151 group design studies of interventions for young autistic children. For this work, Dr. Sandbank was awarded the Young Investigator Award in 2021 from the International Society of Autism Research. Drs Bottema-Beutel and Sandbank … Continue reading On conflicts of interest in autism research: Interview with Kristen Bottema-Beutel and Micheal Sandbank| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this episode, I talk with Occupational Therapist Greg Santucci about the problems with ABA from his perspective as a practitioner, as well as new and better approaches in schools and the challenges of the post-pandemic period in education. An interesting and inspiring conversation! Listen to the podcast at the audio link below or on … Continue reading “Co-Regulation is Key”: A Conversation with Occupational Therapist Greg Santucci| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this episode, we discuss the basics of stem cells, medical tourism, false claims about stem cells as an autism treatment, bioethical issues within the field of stem cells and methodological issues in autism research—with discussion of Duke University’s Marcus Center for Autism and The Stem Cell Institute of Panama among others. This is such … Continue reading “I worry FDA Expanded Access will become a new way of bringing products to market”: Talking with Jeremy Snyder and Leigh T...| Noncompliant – the podcast
John Summers’ recent expose in The Nation looks at the relationship between private equity companies and the autism service Applied Behaviour Analytics (or ABA) in Massachusetts, where he lives. In this episode, John and I talk about the business of ABA and the problematic industries built around autism. His analysis is incredibly key to understanding … Continue reading The role of private equity and lobbying in ABA funding: Talking with investigative journalist John Summers| Noncompliant – the podcast
I wrote this recently, about radiation treatment for cancer. To listen, click the audio file below. .| Noncompliant – the podcast
. I wrote this after my recent surgery. Audio here, transcript below. . . Transcript: Transcript_Half a Woman_2020| Noncompliant – the podcast
I had a very informative and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Marc D. Feldman, an expert on medical child abuse and factitious disorder. We talked about medical child abuse, including “Munchausen-by-proxy” and the abuse of autistic children through autism pseudoscience. We also talked about supports for survivors and what we all can do to stop the … Continue reading “Most of the victims have to move on from these pathological relations”: Interview with Dr. Marc D. Feldman abo...| Noncompliant – the podcast
A poem I wrote about having cancer treatments| Noncompliant – the podcast
In this podcast, I interviewed Melissa Eaton, one of the first (and most effective) campaigners against autism pseudoscience. We talked about phony autism cures and what we can all do to stop the people selling them. Listen to the podcast right here by clicking the audio link below. Listen to this episode on Stitcher here … Continue reading “Everyone Can Do Something to Stop Autism Pseudoscience”: Interview with Melissa Eaton| Noncompliant – the podcast
My guest this episode is Alicia Broderick, author of the new book The Autism Industrial Complex: How Branding, Marketing, and Capital Investment Turned Autism Into Big Business. Her book traces …| Noncompliant - the podcast
