Autistics Transitioning to Adulthood

Segment 1

 

Transcript

 

Autistics Transitioning to Adulthood

 

August 20^th, 2023

 

Welcome everyone to Today’s Autistic Moment: A Podcast for Autistic Adults by an Autistic Adult.  My name is Philip King-Lowe. I am the owner, producer, and host; and I am an Autistic Adult. Thank you so much for listening.

 

Today’s Autistic Moment is a member of The Autistic Podcasters Network. Please consider joining the Autistic Podcasters Network on LinkedIn.

 

Today’s Autistic Moment is a free podcast that gives Autistic Adults access to important information, helps us learn about our barriers to discover the strengths and tools we already have to use for the work of self-advocacy. 

 

This first segment of Today’s Autistic Moment is sponsored by The Autism Society of Minnesota: Minnesota’s First Autism Resource.  For over 50 years The Autism Society of Minnesota has been honored to support Minnesota’s Autism Community. Visit them online at ausm.org.

 

Thank you for joining me for this episode Autistics Transitioning to Adulthood.  My guest for segments two and three will be Robert Schmus.  Emily Goldberg from The Autism Mentorship Program will be my guest for segment four.  

 

Please visit todaysautisticmoment.com where you can listen to the podcast, get transcripts, program updates, and read the guest bios pages.  Please visit the Future Shows Page with the titles, guests, and descriptions of all the shows coming up through November.  The transcripts are sponsored by Minnesota Independence College & Community. The transcripts can be read and followed from the website.  There is a link provided to get access to a document form of the transcript that you can print it, so it won’t use up the ink on your printer.  The document transcript has a font that is accessible for dyslexics.  While visiting the website, please consider supporting the work of Today’s Autistic Moment with a financial donation or purchase an item from the Logo Shop.

 

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Before I start talking about the topic for this show, I want to make something very clear. Today’s Autistic Moment will honor the diversity of the Adult Autistic Community.  I will have guests on my show that will speak eloquently with a lot of energy behind what they say.  Other guests may not talk in completed sentences and give shorter answers. My guests may have splinter skills through which they will circle back to what they have said a few times.  Some guests will speak loudly others more softly.  I will not tone police my guests or disqualify them because of their unique communications styles.  I am going to continue to work with the diversity that makes up the Autistic Adult Community and our many communication differences.  I ask that everyone who listens to the podcast keeps that in mind.

 

This episode is dedicated to the Autistics that are about to or are transitioning or have transitioned into adulthood.  There are many states across the country where 18 is the age of adulthood.  Other states it is the age of 21. Most neurotypicals transition is challenging because of graduating from high school, then attending a college or university, starting a job, or joining the military.  They will have developed friendships and contacts who encourage them to pursue a meaningful career.  Others are preparing to get married.  The sky is the limit for what they can do.  They have energy, excitement, some fear, and anxiety about their future.  Given that they have reached the age of adulthood, they will have many resources that can help them achieve their dreams.

 

Many Autistics might have had teachers in school who predetermined that their future will be very limiting.  Their social supports will be smaller.  Their special interests are boring to most of their peers, and pursuing a career in any of them is either impossible, or they do not know where to begin.  Many Autistics will discover that their parents and/or guardians will have lost the legal standing to help them with applying for a job or a college, find a place to live, and get the resources they need to get the basic necessities of life.  Autistics are part of a culture that thinks and responds to the world around them differently, but the world of higher education and the work force are often not adequately informed about Autistic people.  Many employers do not make the efforts to focus on the skills and talents Autistics can bring to a work place.  While the Americans with Disabilities Act helps protect the rights of disabled people, there are still too many loopholes that employers can use to get around hiring a disabled person for a job. 

 

My first guest today is Robert Schmus who is a licensed social worker. Robert serves as a mental health professional and an Autistic self-advocate.  In his practice, Robert supports adolescents with developmental disabilities, including Autism by using a variety of therapy options.  Robert’s experience as a clinical professional on Autistic people places him in a unique role.  As a self-advocate, Robert has experience with educating communities about Autism Advocacy throughout podcast interviews and speaking at conferences.

 

After this first commercial break Robert will join me to talk about what can happen when an Autistic turns 21, the challenges of finding helpful resources including disability waivers.   

 

 

Commercial Break I

 

Segment 2

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Robert Schmus, thank you so much for being on this episode of Today's Autistic Moment. It has been my pleasure to interact with you in emails and another conversations. So welcome to the show, sir.

 

Robert Schmus 

Thank you, sir. Glad to be here.

 

Philip King-Lowe

Yeah, okay. Well, I've asked you to come today because of a very sensitive topic that needs attention, like what we're giving it today. And that is the topic of Autistics Transitioning to Adulthood. And any conversations I have had before up to this point, that that transition is really complicated and presents a lot of challenges to both caregivers, and the Autistic individuals. And so, it is so important that we have this conversation. Because also there's a lot of information out there that says that a lot of programs that are supposed to assist Autistics with that transition are just not working. So, let's begin as I always do, what important information do Autistics adults and adolescents need to know about and their caregivers, of course, when we talk about Autistics transitioning to adulthood?

 

Robert Schmus 

Well, I think one thing they definitely need is like, is to is how to lmake a plan. What I mean by this is that we've all known that like before you turn 21, you have like an IEP, you have all these different services. However, when you turn 21, things get more difficult, it's called falling off of the cliff. Which means like, once you're 21, all the services you had beforehand, were basically gone. And, and no longer can provide by for the person or the Autistic person. So, one thing that they need is really just a number of resources that fit their goals. Like for instance, if you have like an education, like you want to go to college, like they should, services needs to be in place for them to be successful with that. And same goes if he goes into for instance, you want to get employment, you know, there should be your services, like readily available, readily able to read, to obtain to, to get that goal.

 

 

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah, and actually, depending on what state you're in, many for many states, the age of 18 is the age that says that we're adults. And we know that during that time, there are a lot of Autistics who are getting ready to graduate from high school will be into some kind of college education of some kind or move into the workforce. And of course, part of the issue for anybody once we reach adulthood, we want to get a job but of course, they're gonna say you don't really have a whole lot of experience. I know that happened to me when I was that age. But also, I mean you know, a lot of those programs are supposed to assist and the process in many states for parents to gain guardianship for their Autistic loved one that can be such a challenge and not to mention expensive. So maybe let's shine some light upon that that particular subject to go ahead.

 

 

Robert Schmus

Yeah. And this is what goes back to what I was saying my falling off a cliff. Because yeah, for many years, people wouldn't focus. When it came to Autism, they focus on children, which is needed, of course, our when you grow once you turn 21. Like, it seems like the obtainment of those services is like, non-tangible, but you can't go like it's all. Like, it's all good. It's all, it's all good and happy one before at 21. But it becomes stressful afterwards. Because you're not given like a plan you're not given, depends, of course, depending on where you live in, you're not giving that type of plan, you're not. Here, you have this goal, let's go here, like you have employment goal we go there. And that really, like makes it so difficult and stressful for not just the parent, but for the Autistic individual. And that, like I can tell from my experience, you know, when I was about turn like 18, like, even in high school was hard for me to find a job because I didn't receive any like job coaching at the time. Of course, this had to be like, this was like 2006 2007, but still like things like that are mostly needed. And not mostly but are greatly needed. It's only that like, there's just not many resources like that. So, I think that's the major stressing point.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah. Tell us a little bit about your work with adolescents as they reach this age point, you know, because you do you do therapy. What have you found as you've been working with them? And what have you found in terms of the things I talked about the thing, the effects that these lack of resources are having on the on the ones that are transitioning to adulthood? What are some common things that you have seen that you can talk about?

 

Robert Schmus

One common thing that I've seen is that, you know, it's just in the state of New Jersey, where I work and live by live in New Jersey, thing that I noticed is that once like a you turn. like 20 It seems like there's all these obstacles that the parent would have to go so comparing a guardian we had to go through in order to get like, what we call like, DD developmental disability services, such as in you have to go and the parents have to apply, they have to obtain certain guardianship. Whether or not guardianship is needed. Something extra but and we had to have to have a roundtable and I just think it's kind of like, it's like, and it always takes so much time for like those services come into play because all these obstacles that go in. When in reality, they should really just, you know, know, based on the diagnosis that we should start the services and not have a lot of this like red tape that goes into it.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah. And finding higher education options that suit them. Here in Minnesota, we have Minnesota Independence College and Community, which works with Autistic individuals. And others with various learning differences, as they call them, that they actually take them on, and give them some kind of education so that they can prepare them to work and make some kind of living. But we know that in various states, those programs are not so readily available. And, you know, once again, finding, finding the ones that really understand what it is to be Autistic, and be able to address the needs they have. Those are not, those are not so many in, in other areas.

 

Robert Schmus 

Yeah, you know, that's, and what you said right there, right, what Minnesota does it's good. That's, that's perfect, you know, that took gives them like a step, step forward. You know, some states might not have had, like, it was well served as how some states might have them. For it could take a long time, for instance, in the state of New Jersey wear I work, like, we have, like DD services. But you know, the types, the there's a lot of the bureaucratic process that goes into it, it's just very, very tedious, you know, towards the individual and the family, I get, like I said before, take some time, it always depends. Also, what type of services for Autistic Adults are out there for the state of Pennsylvania where I live, you know, they have like an Autism waiver, they have like, the Bureau Autism Services in PA, and they, and when, and when it comes to social service. So, like, so services regarding social skills that Pennsylvania has a bit better advantage with that compared to New Jersey, because they use a lot of like small social groups for Autistic adults. For example, my wife and I, we were in. We're in this group called JCHAI. And it's a social service program for Autistics and other Neurodivergents, and they offer like social skills training, there's like events that her and I go to, as well as also, they offer services like health services, you know, how to live in, in independent living program., like things like that to really help adults achieve the goal of independence. Now, something like that is great. And like, that really helps towards the goal of independence. And it's something I feel other states should have as well. Yeah. It always depends on the state.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah, yeah, it really does. And I mean, Looking Forward Life Coaching here in Minnesota and several other life coaching can help some, some of them with the transition process. Because life coaches are trained often to basically guide people, guide them through the steps they need to take. And, you know, Sara Swan, my good friend, that Looking Forward Life Coaching among the things, they, you know, their slogan is, we help turn the stepping stones of life, I'm sorry that they help people take those stepping stones towards a more active life, a more independent life. But again, those programs are not always that easy to find. And even once you find them, they're not always there are people who are not always really trained to understand Autistic people. So that too remains one of the one of the bigger barriers What do you think?

 

Robert Schmus 

I think definitely true. Like I agree, you're gonna have some services that really are good in one end, but not going the other end. Like I've seen, like, you know, there could be like important for may have like employment services for Autistic and Neurodivergents. However, they might have like lacking with other independent living skills, such as social skills and, and financial aid.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Right. Yeah, and a lot of these programs are dependent upon, you know, income. You know, what their income is, and it's one of those you're damned if you do and damned if you don't out. I mean, if you're making a decent living to support somebody just barely getting over the mark, well, then, in some cases, you make too much money to qualify for services. And in some cases, if they don't make enough, well, then they don't make enough to pay the extra co pays or whatever is involved. Sure. That that's, I'm sure that's a story that's told everywhere. Go ahead.

 

Robert Schmus 

Oh, yeah, definitely. I definitely agree here that there's just all these services out there, however, like, obtaining them is so difficult.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah, yeah. And it’s as stressful on the caregivers as it is on the Autistic individuals, you know, a while back, and this is something a little a little different. But I had someone who sent me an email because they there was these parents that are getting into their 60s reaching into their 70s. And they've got an Autistic son who's in his 30s. And they're so worried about what happens to him if anything happens to them? Where are they going to do? What are they going to do for him? You know, because, again, a lot of times they're left to their own devices. And, you know, there are Autistics they just don't have the information, and/or training and/or services, they need to be able to take care of themselves in the event of a parent. And I think things like that are why so many wind up in either group homes, or they wind up in, you know, homeless and without resources, and obviously, you know, information that they need to survive.

 

 

 

Robert Schmus 

Like, this is not just for the Autistic individual, also family as well. Like, I always want to be like, the Autistic person first. But that doesn't mean you don't deserve any like support. Right. Like it really needs to get beyond this bureaucratic tape and just have like the services that see the big picture? Say this is your consumer, this is someone you need to need to work with someone you need the help and reach circles. Yeah.

 

After this next commercial break, Robert and I will talk about the challenges of many organizations not listening to Autistics transitioning to adulthood, with some ideas to help with advocacy.

 

Commercial Break II

 

 

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Segment 3

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Well, let's move into my final question. We've already been addressing information and barriers here. But I like to talk about what important steps should Autistic Adults and/or Autistics transitioning into adulthood and our supporters take to advocate for our needs. And this is where I want to talk a little bit about something that I'm involved with, with The Autism Society, Minnesota. The Autism Society Minnesota puts on an Autistic Community Summit, every Fall. This year, it's going to be on October 14th. And I happen to be working with the planning committee and it was said by members of that committee, that what can we do at the summit to, you know, to talk about these programs that just are not working? And what we came up with is that maybe instead of having a session with, say, a legal expert, or even, you know, even you know, folks who work with such programs, why don't we have a listening session? Where we have some people, some of those people I can professional situations to come, but they're not going to talk they're not going to give reasons, excuses or whatever, when there's you're going to listen to several people talk about what's happening, and why these situations are not working. To try to, you know, help them hear about what the issues are. And I feel like one of those pieces of self-advocacy that we're not seeing so much of is those situations where, where, where caregivers can come before those who are who are said to be working to advance these programs, to actually hear what the concerns of the Autistic individuals and their caregivers, you know, their concerns they have. And I feel like getting again, getting them to listen to those things is more than half the battle. So, I'd like to just point out there if we can only get a few more of those sessions where people are just listening and not necessarily advising, but listening and taking it into, into their, their thought process, and then you know, trying to, you know, do some searching for what can we do? So, I'm gonna let you comment on that, and then give us some of your ideas as to what can be done for advocacy. Go ahead Robert.

 

Robert Schmus 

Wow, amazing, I think we should just, you know, really worked with towards that goal and not the tyranny or trauma. Because they're like, what's happening in Pennsylvania is the big rolling from what I can say. Because it's not perfect, but it's really like going towards a new direction in turn going towards you obtain your goal. And I think the collaboration with the case manager, the doctors would have you should all be in on that process.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah, what's going on there in Pennsylvania? That's, that's working towards making these things better. Tell us what's going on there?

 

Robert Schmus

Well, there's a thing called a, as I said, the waiver and that waiver is very good. It help someone with like games, finding a childhood gain to and from work or school. And I think those ideas like that to be implemented would be great for all states. Yeah.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah. Yeah. Well, here in Minnesota, we have, we have a, it's a CADI waiver. And sorry, I'm not going to be able to give you all what the word CADI means, but we do have certain waivered services here by which they can help. We also have many states have a Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services in them. I will tell you that I worked with one to help start the podcast here. And you know, but there can also be those issues with finding people who understand working with Autistic adults, I had to work with somebody, actually, there's somebody at The Autism Society of Minnesota that works on intakes, and basically helps us find somebody we can work with. But again, there are there are other situations where they don't have those. Have those advocate those advocates, you know, we really do need the advocates in a lot of these agencies in these programs, so that we can actually see that we're working to addressing these problems. So, I feel like one of the things we need to advocate for is that these agencies, these places, these waiver services that are out there to help Autistics transition, we need to insist that there are people in those positions that have some kind of working knowledge of Autistic people.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Well, I guess I want to say that you most likely work with not only the adolescents, but you also probably work with their caregivers, too. Um, what are some ways that? Are there any ways that you may have helped them to do some advocacy that that has worked well, that you can talk about?

 

Robert Schmus

Well, the thing I've also done is I've worked with them on help on finding these resources, like there's a family who might need resources on financial skills, I would, I can't even like, look for them reach out, and kind of broker them towards us towards those resources.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Do you have any thoughts on anything that I haven't even asked questions about? I mean, in terms of advocacy, and or, you know, just some things to help anybody out there in my audience, there may there is probably an Autistic out there that's making that transition. And they're completely lost. They don't know what to do. They don't know who to ask. And then, of course, there may be a caregiver who's trying to say, how do I how do I do what's best for, for my Autistic? You know, transition into adulthood? Do you have anything you can add to anything we said that maybe we haven't talked about yet?

 

Robert Schmus

Well, definitely, one thing I'd say is, listen to the Autistic person. Like understand like, what they want, like, what do you want out? Like, what are some, what's something that you want to do, that you feel make you independent, like, we'll be working in this type of job or working like getting your own places to live? And also, like what, like, which one of those goals be like, the top priority. So, I've always believed in meeting the person where they're at. And I feel that I can be that type that is very vital. So really, meeting the person where they are at is something that I hold on to and let them also lead those goals. Like there's an interest out there that they have, maybe that can be one of the things that they can work on, to incorporate into their adulthood. And also, I think what states need to do is they need to really be understand, really listen to the Autistic person what they want, and let there be resources readily able for them to research, like a click away.

 

 

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Oh okay. Well, Robert, I want to thank you so much for this conversation. I think there are, we've, we've talked about a lot of things, do you have any resources, websites, other information that you can think of, that you might encourage some people to reach out for?

 

Robert Schmus 

Well, I know in the state of Pennsylvania, whereas in around the Philadelphia region, there is JCHAI and then something that is an organization that helps Autistic and intellectually disabled adults obtain services, especially social skills services, employment and utilizing daily activities. Yes, you can go on www.jchai.org

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Thank you so much for that. And I will be adding that to my Adult Autism Resources Links page so that people can access that information. And any my listeners if you know of, any other organizations or other resources that perhaps can be added to these please, by all means, send an email to todayautisticmoment@gmail.com. Okay, Robert, well, thank you for being here today. And, you know, this has been a great conversation and I hope that you've enjoyed it and that we'll be talking to you again soon.

 

Robert Schmus 

Absolutely. Thank you.

 

Philip King-Lowe

You're welcome.

 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

 

After this final commercial break, Emily Goldberg the founder of The Autism Mentorship Program will join me to talk about the program and how Autistics mentoring Autistic teens helps with the transition to adulthood.

 

Future Shows

 

The Fall season begins with Lisa Morgan returning to Today’s Autistic Moment on September 3^rd, to talk about Suicide Prevention for Autistic Adults. According to a study by Cassidy et al in 2018, 66% of newly diagnosed Autistic Adults experienced suicidal ideation. That is 17% higher than the general population. Lisa has first-hand experience of what being in a state of crisis is for Autistics. Lisa is an Autistic Adult and a life coach for Autistics who find themselves in crisis situations.  It is so important for Autistic Adults and their caregivers to listen this episode.  You just might save someone’s life.

 

Dr. Devon Price comes back on September 17^th to talk about Conflict Resolution. Autistic Adults face more conflict than just about any group of people.  Our challenges with verbal and nonverbal communications, finding our social support networks that understand us, and dealing daily with our disabilities can burn us out.  Autistics need strategies for conflict resolution.  Join my guest Dr. Devon Price as he helps us understand where our conflicts come from, and how we can work towards resolving them.

 

On October 1^st Nick Walker will be my special guest for Neuroqueer: Another Coming Out.  October 11^th is National Coming Out Day for LGBTQIA+ people.  There is another group of people coming out that needs to be recognized for who we are and celebrated.  Nick Walker is the author of Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities.  According to Nick Walker being Neurodivergent, “means having a mind that functions in ways which diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of normal.” It is from definitions like this that we get the word, Neuroqueer.  Nick Walker will talk about what Neuroqueer is and why it is important that we be recognized as coming out as our own unique people.

 

Check out the Future Shows page on todaysautisticmoment.com for all shows coming up through November.

 

Do you have any topic ideas for future episodes of Today’s Autistic Moment?  Go to the Contact Us page on todaysautisticmoment.com and submit your topic suggestions.  Go to the page for Be My Guest to submit a Guest Intake Form if you would like to be a guest.

 

Thank you for listening to Today’s Autistic Moment.

 

 

Segment 3

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Emily, thank you so much for being here on this episode of Today's Autistic Moment. I have been so pleased to have you as a sponsor. And given that I've just been talking to Robert Schmus about Autistics Transitioning to Adulthood, I feel that you have a lot of information that could be very helpful. So, thank you for coming here today.

 

Emily Goldberg

Thank you for having me. I'm delighted to be here.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Thank you. Yeah. So, as I just mentioned, us, Robert and I have been talking about Autistics transitioning to adulthood. We've spoken about many programs that just are not working and also programs that are designed by Autistics for Autistics. And of course, those are not really as numerous as we'd like them to be. So, um, as part of this show that I've done that I'm doing here today, I want to ask you to talk about the Autistic Mentorship Program. And, and how you feel that it assists Autistics transitioning to adulthood. Talk a little bit about that if you will.

 

Emily Goldberg

Sure. Yeah, and it's The Autism Mentorship Program. I just want to clarify that. Yeah. So, The Autism Mentorship Program was designed by Autistic people and neurotypical people together. It was really important to me that Autistic people be a behind the design of this because it is for Autistic people. So, I just want to make that clear. And the way it works is that an Autistic mentor and Autistic mentee get together, and we're doing it on Zoom. Currently, we started in person. And we've during the pandemic we shifted to online, which has been working really well. And we can engage more people in a in a broader area than when we first started. And we serve the right now the Twin Cities metro area. And the way it works is groups of mentors and mentees get together in a Zoom meeting. And then they spend 10 minutes just kind of talking about themes you might want to talk about this week, whether it's you know, high school graduation coming up, or friend issues or work, or you know, how your weekend went. And then we send people into their breakout rooms, one to one, where each mentor and mentee meet for 45 minutes to talk about and do whatever they want. And it's really directed by the young person. So, these are young people ages 14 to 18. And many times, they are on that cusp of thinking what comes next? High school is maybe hard for me or challenging for me, or maybe it's great, but I'm nervous about what comes next. So, they can bring up whatever they want to bring up in that 45 minutes and talk about it with someone who has been there. Someone who is Autistic, and someone who has, you know, maybe been to through a couple of college experiences, maybe opted not to go to college, maybe has a job, maybe is still in school, and so they can bounce those ideas off someone who has already been there and who is Autistic. And I think I think and sometimes there are those conversations definitely happen. Also, sometimes it's just enough to be in a virtual room with someone else who's Autistic and let your hair down and just be yourself not have to worry about trying to fit in or mask or do all those other things. energy during the day. Just to be with another person like you who's older, who cares about you, I think is the magic and the power of the program no matter what they do during those 45 minutes. Sometimes it might be just playing an online game together. You know, other times it's going to be talking about heavy stuff, you know, some tough friendship issues or parental issues or those kinds of things.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah, well, I think this is a wonderful idea. And to your knowledge is Minnesota the only state that has something like this?

 

 

Emily Goldberg

Yeah, when I originally started this program because my then seven-year-old son came home from school. Autistic had two Autistic sons twins, and one of them came home from school very upset. And he said, “Mom, nobody understands me, not even you, because your brain works different than mine.” And it really struck me at that time that he didn't have any Autistic role models in his life. And that was necessary, like how do you go through life without role models who look good, and process the world like yourself, you know? And so, I looked, and I looked, I, you know, I called locally figuring I could find an Autic mentor for him here in the Twin Cities. And I, you know, I called Big Brothers Big Sisters, I called all kinds of places, and they're like, no, no, no, no, and I looked online, and I didn't find anything. And this is like, 2015. And, as far as I know, I don't think there's still anything going on, at least in this country that I'm aware of. There may be something in Canada for I remember, right. And I get calls and emails, almost daily, from people around the country and around the world. You know, they obviously they Google autism and mentorship. And this is what comes up asking, you know, is there something like this where I live?

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah. Um, can you share any examples, if you will, of how this program that you've worked on, has helped some Autistic teens to make that transition? Are you able to tell me anything about that?

 

Emily Goldberg 

I don't know, if it's gonna be like a concrete story about, you know, someone decided to apply to go to college. Right? I understand. I think it's much more about, you know, hearing from parents, especially, now, my son or daughter had so much more confidence about themselves, after going through this program. Or I notice, I always know when it's a Tuesday, after they've met with their mentor, because there's so much more comfortable communicating with the family. You know, we saw people's grades go up as a result of being in this program. So, I think it's more developing that confidence, self-assurance, comfort with Autistic identity, those kinds of things that I think are more internal, that I'm sure there are external examples. I don't have any on hand, right. But I think it's much more of an internal thing about just kind of building that strength and belief in yourself in a way that's so important. And realizing that Autistic people can be leaders, you know, yeah, can be people we look up to right, in our society. Imagine that.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah, that is so awesome, you know, because, wow, I mean, there's so much going on with questioning our ability to know ourselves take care of ourselves, and that sort of thing. And we know that's not true because of programs like this. Um, let's say I've got someone in my audience who, who needs a mentorship program or wants to begin a mentorship program, like what you're doing just some thoughts to how they might maybe get that sort of thing kicked off.

 

Emily Goldberg

Yeah, I mean, we've, since the beginning, when we as a collective started this group, you know, as a group of Autistic individuals, parents, people from, you know, professional people who were in the Autism world, for whatever reason, from the very beginning, we really wanted to make this something replicable. And so, we are where we have lots of pieces, you know, we have a Policies and Procedures Manual. We have trainings that we've created that are specific for, you know, artistic group, right. And ideally, we would love to get a grant to be able to put together a kind of how to book you know, that sort of says, Hear, hear, hear you out from A to Z, you know, you want to start your own program do this. So, you know, I'm already sending people pieces of that if they're interested so people can contact me at Emily.Goldberg@autismmentorshipprogram.org. The longest email address in history. And I can help with some of that stuff. I think it's essentially you need people who are really passionate about doing this. You need to raise some money to make it happen. And not a ton of money, but some, and I think, you know, with those the right people and some money and some time, it shouldn't be that hard to make it happen in your community.

 

Philip King-Lowe 

Yeah, yeah. Well, to wrap this up for a second, I mean, this is one of those things where a lot of what I say on Today's Autistic Moment, about Autistics telling their stories and being heard. And I feel like one of the strengths of a mentorship program like this is that Autistics get to tell stories with each other. And they also get a chance to actually be heard and tell their stories and actually get people to, to listen to what being Autistic means for them. What do you think of that?

 

Emily Goldberg 

Absolutely. I mean, I feel like, you know, when I started this program, I just, you know, I, I went to some Autistic support groups just to see if people would be interested in these mentors. And my first reaction was, there's so much untapped knowledge and experience here, you know, that that just needs to be listened to and used, and, you know, for the betterment of all of us. And so, I see that every day, we have a within our program, we have a mentoring the mentor’s program, where one of our Autistic staff member leads the mentors in talking about all different kinds of topics, like, when did you when should you? Or did you first disclosed that you're Autistic at work? Or, you know, what are some of your artists, your executive function challenges and hacks, stuff like that. And I get to sit in and listen to those conversations. And I learn so much about the wisdom that's out there. And so, the fact that that wisdom is shared every week with young Autistic people, just makes my heart sing. It's a beautiful, and I you know, I hope we see more of this, you know, I am getting I am getting interestingly, also, you know, inquiries from people who work with programs that don't specifically aren't specifically designed for Autistic youth, you know, other mentorship programs that say, Hey, you know, I've got some neurodivergent youth, can you give me some tips? You know, and my first tip is, you know, get some neurodivergent mentors. Right? Yeah. Right. But you know, but I mean, so I think people are starting to get that, you know, that there is this, this wisdom to be tapped into? And, you know, and I'm hoping that the world is slowly changing in that way, in that awareness, and that sense of "Oh, yeah, that is a resource that we hadn't really thought about."

 

Philip King-Lowe 

You know, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Well, Emily, thank you for stopping by today and having this conversation with me. I feel like the work that the Autism Mentorship Program does is so very, very important. And especially where a lot of us Autistics we need that positive energy. And I feel like this is one of those programs that can definitely help do that. So, thank you so much for being on today. And we look forward to talking with you again soon.

 

Emily Goldberg 

Thank you and thank you for highlighting our program. I really appreciate it and anyone who wants to join and be a mentor mentee. I hope they'll look us up at www.autismmentorshipprogram.org.

 

Philip King-Lowe

Thank you.

 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Today’s Autistic Community Bulletin Board

All of these events with their links can be found at todaysautisticmoment.com/bulletinboard

Join The Autism Society of Minnesota for their Adult Coffee Club.  The next Coffee Clubs will be on Tuesday nights from 5pm to 7pm at Dogwood Coffee in St. Paul on August 22^nd, September 12^th, September 26^th, October 10^th, October 24^th, and November 21st.  Coffee Club meetings will be at the Milkweed Café in Minneapolis on September 18^th, October 16^th, and November 13^th from 5pm to 7pm. Please RSVP at ausm.org.

 

Understanding Autism virtual classes will be offered by The Autism Society of Minnesota. These classes are perfect for Autistic individuals, caregivers, those who want to understand the basics of Autism and support Autistic people. Classes will be on October 23^rd, 6-8pm and December 18^th, 10am-12pm.  Classes are free of charge, but you must register to attend.

 

Registration is now open for the Autistic Community Summit that will be on October 14^th beginning at 9am to 4pm at the Lionsgate Academy in Shoreview, Minnesota.  There will be a full hybrid of in person and virtual options, integrated social opportunities, half hour and full hour breakout sessions, and discussion groups.  The cost to attend is $35.00 and scholarships are available.  Click on the link to register on the bulletin board page for todaysautisticmoment.com or go to ausm.org.   

 

For more information about activities, education, and training opportunities at The Autism Society of Minnesota go to ausm.org

 

MNeurodivergent is a Minnesota organization that offers social events for Neurodivergents.  Join them on Friday, August 25^th from 5:00pm to 7:30pm for an evening at the State Fair.  Go to the bulletin board at todaysautisticmoment.com and click on the Meet Up link to become a member and attend their events.

 

You are invited to Minnesota Independence College & Communities’ 6^th Annual Independence 5K Run/1 Mile Walk on Saturday, October 1^st at Donaldson Park in Richfield, Minnesota.  Check in/Registration will be at 9:00am. The race/walk will begin at 10:00am.  Go to miccommunity.org for more information.

 

Matthew the #ActuallyAutistic Coach has room in his Finding Your Autistic Self Group Coaching Groups. In the groups, participants learn about unmasking strategies, coping tools, burnout & post-burnout support and much more. Go to autisticcoach.com and click on Autism Groups for more information. While visiting Matthew’s website, be sure to check out the Free Autistic Discussion Circles for Autistics of various age groups, careers, students, and ethnic groups. 

 

Today’s Autistic Moment is sponsored in part by Looking Forward Life Coaching.  Looking Forward turns stumbling blocks into stepping stones towards success.  Go to lookingforwardlc.org for more information.

 

Today’s Autistic Moment is here because of the generosity of the supporters and sponsors.  Please join the supporters by clicking on Support Today’s Autistic Moment on todaysautisticmoment.com.  If you work for a company and/or organization that supports Autistic Adults and the movement for Neurodiversity, I would love to have you sponsor ads on the show.

 

If you would like to sponsor an ad and/or have questions about Today’s Autistic Moment, please send an email to todaysautisticmoment@gmail.com.

 

Thank you for listening to Today’s Autistic Moment: A Podcast for Autistic Adults by An Autistic Adult.

 

May you have an Autistically Amazing day.