What is Speech and Language Pathology? How does teaching shift your opinion of common teaching methods? Can the autistic experience be used for this role? Are autism-related professions accommodating of autistic people? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to @AllisonNV - An Autism advocate with a strong background in Speech & Language Pathology They start by discussing Ally's recent diagnosis, and going into her recent battle with chronic health conditions Soon ...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 24
What are the stages of processing a diagnosis? What are common mistakes parents make with autistic children? How can a parent be their child's advocate? Is there a 'one size fits all' approach to teaching autistic children? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Michelle Rogers - A parent advocate with an online support service for NEW autistic parents They start by discussing how Michelles own child was diagnosed, highlighting the common pitfalls of being an 'autis...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 23
Should you get an autism diagnosis as soon as possible? What are the benefits and disadvantages of SEN schools Vs Mainstream? How do you ensure your child develops socially and confident? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Luis Oddy - A documentary creator and Radio Host! They start by discussing the creation of Luis's documentary 'Luis Oddy - Autism Meets Autism [https://www.mixcloud.com/luis-oddy/luis-oddy-autism-meets-autism/]' and how his diagnosis has influenced t...
Sep 18, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 22
Is there a link between Autism and OCD? What is relationship OCD? What sort of strategies and treatments are there to treat OCD sufferers? Is early diagnosis best? How can we better represent autistic people in the media? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to an openly gay and autistic BBC producer, Nick Ransom! To kickstart the episode they both reflect on the many projects they've worked on together, starting with the BBC Radio Manchester short video, to Nick's intervie...
Sep 05, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 21
What is Neurodiversity? How can one 'survive' school? Do we need Neurodiversity in the workplace? What are the barriers to promoting Neurodiversity? How can we change the world? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to the multi-award winning public speaker, the author of 'The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide', and creator of the Neurodiversity Celebration Week... the one and only, Siena Castellon! They kick off the episode talking about how Siena first started out with public...
Aug 22, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 20
What autistic traits can and can't you work on? How can an autistic person become sociable? What is the University party experience like? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to his good friend Adam Mohamed about their days of parties and social events at University... highlighting some of the ways they overcame the social deficits of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). At first, they talk about Adams experience on the hit autism documentary 'Aspergers In Society' as well as...
Aug 08, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 19
What is Demisexuality? Is it just a low sex drive? Are autistic people more likely to fall on the asexuality spectrum? What challenges does being Demisexual present during dating? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to the popular autistic YouTuber Sam (@Yo Samdy Sam) about Demisexuality and how it ties in with autism. They chat about the experience of being a YouTuber at first, but soon dive into the research behind autism and asexuality, their experiences being autistic ...
Jul 25, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 18
What is it like to bi-racial AND autistic? How can you make transitions easier? Which are easier for an autistic person to deal with: Big or Small transitions? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to the half British, half Taiwanese autistic blogger, and writer Grace Liu (@UnwrittenGraceBlogs). They focus their conversation around the topic of transitioning and why it's difficult for autistic people, her experience emigrating from Taiwan to the UK... but also all about what...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 17
What gender stereotypes surround autism? What can we do help represent ALL autistic people? What is it like to work for the National Autistic Society? In this episode, Thomas talks to an award-winning poet and Content Officer at the National Autistic Society... Hermione Cameron (@Hermirony1). They focus their conversation around the importance of expressive arts, the depression metaphor of the Dementors in Harry Potter, but mainly on their opinions on gender stereotypes around autism. We talk ab...
Jun 27, 2020•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 16
What is it like being disabled AND autistic? Is Team GB friendly for disabled people? What goes on in the life of a Paralympic athlete? In this episode, Thomas talks to a professional wheelchair basketball player Sarah Hope from the Great Britain Squad about the strengths and difficulties of being both autistic and physically disabled in sport. Late-diagnosed with autism, Sarah fell injured during her running... she thought it was tendonitis, but it turned out that she a very rare condition call...
Jun 13, 2020•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 15
What is it like inside a psychiatric hospital!? How bad can misdiagnosis go? What are some flaws in way we deal with mental health? In this episode, Thomas talks to Lottie (@lottsvoicingautism) about her experience with being a misdiagnosed autistic. She was sent to a psychiatric hospital with multiple psychotic and mood disorders, living life under lockdown even before COVID-19... Within the topic, we chat about the reasons why she was admitted to hospital, the grounds to which she was misdiagn...
May 30, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 14
Is autism represented realistically in mainstream media? What celebrities are autistic? What are the barriers to promoting autism awareness and acceptance? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Esme Hayes about the portrayal of autism in TV, Film, and the mainstream media, but also her experiences speaking on the new independent documentary about autism 'Aspergers in Society'. Within the topic, we critically analyse popular shows/films such as: The Big Bang Theory, Atypic...
May 16, 2020•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 13
What common issues occur for autistic people in the workplace? What mindsets help during workplace problems? How can society better accommodate autistic people? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Barry Aldridge (@barryaldridge1983) about his experiences in the workplace and some of the benefits and difficulties of being autistic in those settings. What common issues arise in the workplace or learning environments? In what ways can you cope with these problems, and whic...
May 02, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 12
What is high school like for an autistic teenager? What are the differences between the neurotypical and autistic experience of puberty? Why are autistic people targets for bullying and isolation? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Victoria Ellen (@actuallyaspling) about her experiences at secondary school and how puberty influenced her life. We chat about our commonalities in tastes, our experiences with the various physical differences that occurred, the emotions, th...
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 11
What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? Is EDS linked to autism? What are the early signs of EDS? What difficulties does EDS present in later life? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to an autistic couple (Matt & Brandy) about what life is like with Ehler-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and the types of things they do to manage their individual symptoms. Is there a link between autism and EDS? What types of EDS are known about? Which medications and coping techniques help with EDS flar...
Mar 28, 2020•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 10
Does autism make you MORE creative? What is Synaesthesia? Are syntesthetes more creative than your average person? Can autistic people think outside the box? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to an autistic artist called Ina (@superspectrumgirl) about what it means to be creative and whether autism influences someone's creative abilities in a positive or negative way. Ina was the quiet, geeky girl with big glasses in her school library and has always had a strong passion...
Mar 15, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 9
What is masking as an autistic person? How do autistic and neurotypical differ in communication style? How do you improve your social communication skills? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to a librarian and Instagram spokesperson Lauren (@Autienelle) about what it means to be social on the autistic spectrum. Lauren has always been the type of person to mask at school and she tried her very best to fit in with society, it's only later in life that she realised just how ...
Feb 29, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 8
What is it like to date an autistic person? What is difference between an autistic-neurotypical relationship, and two autistic people dating? What are the common difficulties with dating an autistic? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to the autistic comedian Bibi (@aspergirl) about her experience of dating both autistic people and neurotypical individuals. Bibi reflects on her younger days wasn't aware of her own autism and her own sexuality, only coming out as gay and a...
Feb 15, 2020•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 7
Is anxiety common in autistic people? Why is anxiety co-morbid with autism? How can you overcome your own anxiety disorder? Do you suffer with a lot of panic attacks? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Christa (@neurodivergentrebel) about the struggles of anxiety disorders and how they tie into an autism diagnosis all too often. We explore the biological and social sides to anxiety, ways you notice your stress levels increasing, ways to prevent future panic attacks, an...
Feb 01, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 6
What is Sensory Processing Disorder? How do deal with sensory difficulties in your day-to-day? What challenges faces someone with SPD? Are you meeting your own sensory needs? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Emily (@21andsensory) about sensory needs/difficulties and the many reasons why having Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) can make life a little more difficult to navigate. We talk about the recent development of the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme, what individuals can ...
Jan 18, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 5
How can an autistic person deal with holidays? How can you organise festive periods that suit you? Are there too many expectations during Christmas? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Tyla from the @AutisticTyla Instagram page about the difficulties of festive periods and the ways an autistic individual can cope with them. Tyla is first and foremost a blogger with a passion for building communities and an intent to bring autistic individuals together. She makes content...
Jan 04, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 4
In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Züleyha about her experiences with multiple mental health conditions during her time at University. Züleyha originates from Holland but decided to travel up to Manchester to attend its world-renowned University, the University Of Manchester. ADHD, Dysthymia (Depression) and Anxiety... they all come with many difficulties and hurdles to overcome, but we are going to talk about just how my lovely guest dealt with these conditions under ...
Nov 02, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 3
What is sensory processing disorder? Are you meeting your child's sensory needs? What does Chewigem offer? Do your chewable products keep breaking? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Lorraine Young about her involvement in 'Chewigem' an organisation that offers chewable accessories and fidgety toys to satisfy your child's sensory needs. Lorraine heads the social media side of the company as a Brand Manager, and puts a strong emphasis on forming a supportive and helpful...
Oct 12, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 2
What is the Transforming Autism Project? Which style of parenting or teaching is BEST for autistic children? Have you found yourself with a later life autism diagnosis? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks Guy Shahar about his experience of taking his autistic son to the Mifne Centre in Israel. Guy recollects on the early signs of autism his son showed the difficulties of dealing with healthcare workers and the surprising news of his own diagnosis. In light of the positive ...
Sep 07, 2019•55 min•Ep. 1
