Advertise on podcast: The Understanding Autism Podcast

Dealing with our own personal finances can be stressful, especially to those on the spectrum. But are we thinking about money in a way that supports our mental health? In this episode, we discuss four books that explore the connection between money and mindfulness.

The lure of using a credit card is strong when you’re first living on your own; it’s like free money! Or is it? In this episode we tackle the sticky problem of using credit cards and the advantages and disadvantages they offer us in purchasing the things we need.

In our second of two episodes on taking charge of your own personal finance, we continue the conversation around basic budgeting practices through Simon Ray’s book, How to Budget For Beginners: A Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting, Saving Money, and Managing Expenses on a Low Income. We also reflect on how budgeting can be especially challenging for neurodiverse people.

A big challenge in transitioning to living alone is the experience of managing a budget. This can be especially difficult if you are neurodiverse and have no previous experience in running your own household. Dealing with limited income, bills, taxes, unexpected events; it all adds up. In this first of two episodes, we explore basic budgeting practices and reflect on our own experiences as we tried to manage our own debt as young adults.

As young autistic adults prepare for living independently, it’s important to have a good grasp of money management. But how do schools prepare their neurodiverse students for the economic pitfalls that come with living on their own? We discuss this topic with Zach Nuttall, a life skills specialist at Scenic View Academy, about the unique challenges that his autistic students face when learning about personal finance.

We know transitions can be difficult for those on the spectrum, but what if you are transitioning from high school to college and you just discovered you are autistic? In today’s episode, we interview Adam, a college student at Colorado School of Mines about his journey in navigating college life while discovering his true self.

With autism awareness surging online, more adults than ever are seeking answers. But is the current assessment process actually helping them, or just ticking a box? This week, we dive into the recommendations from The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook to find out what a truly supportive evaluation looks like.

As parents of autistic children who have moderate to severe needs, we worry about how our children can protect themselves legally as they become adults. In our second of two episodes on protecting our adult children, we interview Lila Kimel, of Kimel Psychological Services who specializes in psychological evaluations for medical and forensic determinations. She also offers her expertise in legal situations when neurodiverse people get into legal trouble. We hear Lila offer frank discussions of common situations those on the spectrum get into legal trouble and ways they can protect themselves. (Explicit Warning: Adult Sexual Content)

One instinct that all parents share is the desire to keep their children safe. But what if you are the parent of a neurodiverse adolescent or young adult? How can you teach them how to be safe and have appropriate behaviors when you’re not around? What should they do if they encounter police? In today’s episode, we interview Ali Thompson, former police officer and CEO of Pulse Line Collaborative Training, an organization that trains law enforcement on how to safely manage their interactions with neurodiverse people with patience and understanding.

In this episode, we continue our conversation about accessing government disability benefits. In today’s interview, we talk with Maureen Welch, founder of Navigating Disability Colorado. Together we examine the complex process of accessing Medicaid waivers.

With the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act, it can be difficult to plan for health care costs when you have a disability. In our interview with Richard Burk and Amy Woszczynski, Social Security Disability Determination Examiners for the State of Colorado, we explore the different aspects of accessing Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

In our second of two episodes focusing on innovative schools that support life after high school for neurodiverse students, we interview Lindsay Wagner and Amy Faraone about the League School for Autism in Walpole, Massachusetts. They explain how they prepare students for independent living by helping students build self-advocacy strategies and through their innovative community-based vocational program.

There are several schools across the nation that are dedicated to educating neurodiverse students; a few of them address life after high school. One such innovative program in Utah is Scenic View Academy. This on-campus school creates living and working environments that supports students in developing life skills and executive functioning skills that will help them to live independently as adults.

As we continue to explore the connections between ADHD and autism, we interview Kara Fenton, Clinical Research Coordinator, at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She describes her own significant struggles and strategies with living independently given her ADHD diagnosis as an adult. In our post interview reflection, we talk about the parallels between the executive functioning challenges for those with ADHD and those with autism.

Many people with autism struggle with executive functioning throughout their lives. Today we interview Brandon Slade, founder of Untapped Learning, as he describes how those with ADHD and autism can manage their executive functioning challenges. Brandon shares his firm belief that neurodiversity is a gift rather than as an obstacle to success.