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Inside Autism

Inside Autism is a series of interviews featuring individuals with autism and their family members, teachers, therapists, job coaches, medical professionals, and others. Each interview sheds light on the challenges of autism and gives us a glimpse into the world of autism from the perspective of folks who have “been there.” The conversations also help listeners take a step toward unraveling the complex maze of autism.

Talented Musician
The music for our podcasts is composed and performed by a good friend, Bill Clark. Bill is a musician, a poet, a disciple, and a philosopher. Bill also views the world through the lens of Asperger syndrome, You can listen to an interview with Bill in the “Bill’s View” section below. But first, click on the link below to listen to Bill playing one of his musical arrangements.

Click here to listen! (2 minutes mp3 2.1MB)

Talented Artist
Paul, one of my high school students, is an interesting young man with a great sense of humor who is a gifted artist and who is diagnosed with autism. I asked him how he would describe autism. He said, “People with autism think a little different, so they have lots of ideas floating around in their heads.” Then I asked him to draw some people on our logo to illustrate different aspects of autism. Without pausing, he sketched the interesting figures you see here.

Jake’s Mom
Lola Carr’s son Jake just graduated from high school, so Lola and Jake are at a “hinge” point in their lives. Jake is diagnosed with autism and is an insulin-dependent diabetic. Although he is verbal, relatively compliant, sociable, and literate, Jake’s options are limited because of some behavior issues and because he lives in a town with a population of 2,000 people. But, Jake also has a mom who is persistent and optimistic, while at the same time, realistic. So, they will get through this transition period. Listen in while Lola shares some insights about autism from the parent’s perspective.

Click here to listen! (13 minutes mp3 9.3MB)

Bill’s View
Bill lives daily with many of the challenges associated with Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) characterized by “impaired social relationships and restricted or unusual behaviors or activities, but without the language delays associated with autism and usually with IQ scores within the average range” (Durand and Barlow, 2003, p. 488). Bill observed, “Having autism is like a being a tapestry. You’re really just lots of different threads woven together. Some people don’t like the looks of the tapestry, and they notice all the holes and imperfections and bumps – they like everything to be perfect and smooth. Other people look at the whole thing and see a beautiful tapestry.” Listen to Bill’s perspectives about life and the challenges encountered by individuals with autism.

Click here to listen! (34 minutes mp3 16.6MB)

Listen to Tyler Talk
Click below to hear a recent conversation I had with my friend Tyler, a seventeen year old with autism. He made a visit to the emergency room several days prior to our talk because he became dehydrated due to the flu. From his perspective, it was a great adventure because he had a chance to see the CareFlight helicopter during his visit. Tyler has an obsessive interest in helicopters. As you listen to this conversation, remember that it has taken many years for his language to emerge and for him to develop the skills necessary to carry on this conversation. I met my buddy Tyler when he was three years old. He seemed to view people as objects that dispensed food, music, and car rides. He expressed his opinion by yelling and throwing. It took years for Tyler to move through the stages of random babbling, then some purposeful sounds and words, then echolaia, and then some purposeful phrases. Needless to say, everyone is thrilled to hear conversations like that you are about to hear.

Click here to listen! (7.5 minutes mp3 6.8MB)

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