Autism Confidential

Apr 22 2024 28
Autism Confidential Podcast artwork

Autism Confidential shines a light on the hottest issues in the world of autism, including topics often shunned by conventional media. Who cares for autistic adults after their parents die? How can we fix our broken care system? What interventions help, or hurt? Join hosts Jill Escher, Amy Lutz and others from the National Council on Severe Autism as they take on the hardest questions of autism with leading thinkers and doers.

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Episode #056 - Sounding Off About Autism Month

Apr 22 2024 59 mins  
Autism Confidential returns to its usual podcast format for a discussion about April, Autism Month featuring host Jill Escher and guest Thomas McKean, a pioneering autism self-advocate. Jill and Tom discuss: Biden's signing of a proclamation declaring April "Autism Acceptance Month," historical background about Autism Month, some op-eds offering a dissenting view from

Episode #055 - Karen Fessel: Insurance Coverage for Severe Autism

Apr 21 2024 77 mins  
Karen Fessel, executive director of the Mental Health and Autism Insurance Project, returns to our National Council on Severe Autism webinar series to explain how insurance coverage works for children and adults with severe autism. She goes into detail about the governing laws and about how you can fight at several levels to obtain the coverage your child needs. Followed by Q&A

Episode #054 - Discrimination by Design: How Policies Threaten the Most Severely Disabled

Mar 04 2024 83 mins  
Featuring: Ashley Kim, Together for Choice Jackie Ceonzo, SNACK* NYC Note: For a video recording with slides, please see NCSAutism.org/webinars. There is a nationwide shortage of long term supports and services available and it disproportionately affects adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities in need of 24/7 support. The need for such housing has been ignored and gon

Episode #053 - Seizures and Epilepsy in Severe and Profound Autism

Mar 01 2024 82 mins  
This episode features Stephanie M. Morris , MD, is Medical Director, Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI) At Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore. She is a neurologist with special qualifications in child neurology, and is also an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She works with kids with aut

Episode #052 - National Council on Severe Autism Webinar, February 15, 2024

Feb 19 2024 101 mins  
National Council on Severe Autism Webinar, February 15, 2024, featuring: Jill Escher, Escher Fund for Autism Walter Zahorodny, PhD, Rutgers University This webinar examines the most important and poorly understood phenomenon in autism — the sharply escalating rates over the past several decades. The speakers explain: • The overwhelming evidence for a true increase in autism in

Episode #051 - The Reauthorization of the Autism CARES Act

Feb 12 2024 78 mins  
This episode features Alison Singer, president of Autism Science Foundation, and Craig Snyder of IKON Consulting, discussing why the Autism CARES Act should be reformed before it is re-authorized. This federal legislation sunsets on September 30, 2024 and efforts are underway to continue it with another budget authorization. But the CARES Act has glaring shortcomings: it has turned

Episode #050 - Girl Storm: A Stunning New Memoir of Profound Autism

Nov 20 2023 45 mins  
We interview Peg Kerswell, the author of a bold new book chronicling her experiences raising a daughter with extremely severe autism. Ellie is nonverbal and self-injurious, she requires 24/7 care with intensive supervision. The grueling, nonstop cycle of care wears Peg down to the bone, but after Ellie is placed in a treatment facility, Peg finally has the chance to breathe, and ta

Episode #049 - A Musical Mind: The Story of Adam Mandela Walden, a Cellist with Severe Autism

Nov 13 2023 49 mins  
We interview Rosanne Katon Walden, the mother of Adam Mandela Walden, a young man with autism with remarkable musical talent. At the age of 2 he taught himself harmonica, and to sign opera phonetically. Rosanne nurtured this budding talent and at age 6 bought Adam a thrift store cello, and Adam fell in love with it. Now after years of training and performance, Adam is a student at

Episode #048 - Richard Edley, The Need for Reality-Based Programs for Adults with Severe Autism

Oct 30 2023 46 mins  
Richard Edley, PhD is President/CEO of Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) of Pennsylvania, and a nationally recognized leader pushing for care options for adults with autism and I/DD. He is also the father of an adult son with profound autism. In this episode he and Jill discuss:— The scope of the I/DD system in PA and the lengthy waitlists— The pressure

Episode #047 - Open the Floodgates! Mary Ogle of A New Leaf in Oklahoma

Oct 23 2023 49 mins  
This interview will blow your mind. You will have just one thought: "We need a thousand more Mary Ogles!" Mary is a force of nature and CEO of A New Leaf near Tulsa, Oklahoma, which serves 500 clients with I/DD in vocational, transition and residential programs. When Mary sees a need she goes for it and has vastly expanded their operations, including development of a resi