Episode #60: MP - On the Wrong Side of the Law Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #60: MP - On the wrong side of the law I feel the need to do a podcast on a very important and tough topic today. I'm going to talk about autistic individuals committing crimes. "WHAT!?" you may ask.. People with autism commit crimes? Or, you may be terrified knowing your child, client, or yourself. could end up committing a crime. There are some great websites, trainings, and supports available and I will be sure to share those. This podcast is not meant to replace those excellent resources. I am just an autism specialist who has sadly now seen the inside of jails, juvenile corrections facilities, courtrooms, and the Oregon State Hospital.  It seems there are a few things at play that are landing autistic people on the wrong side of the law. I have now been involve din two sexual assault cases, numerous aggravated assault cases, and two theft cases.  Families experiencing challenges with th...

 Episode #59: MP - Perception Chaos Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #59: MP - Perception Chaos Hello Synergy Autism Podcast Listeners. My name is Barb Avila and this is one of my mini-podcasts for you for 2021.  Today, I want to share a bit about what I have learned happens for many autistic individuals and some ideas for alleviating it. This is the experience of what I am calling "perception - chaos."  You've heard me share and discuss that autistic people often feel flooded and are riding high or are hyper-vigilant much of the time. This is along those lines. Imagine for a moment (or if you are autistic, this may describe your experience) that you are sitting in a crowded room with little to no ability to distinguish between or prioritize sensations coming from both outside and inside your body. You are experiencing a rumbling stomach perhaps while someone is talking next to you. Your emotions are all over the place from sad to hopeful to nervous or anxious. The light...

  Episode # 58: MP - The Trouble with Favorites Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #58: MP - The Trouble with Favorites Hello and welcome to another episode of the Synergy Autism Podcast. I am Barbara Avila and this is one of my 2021 mini podcasts which I produce almost every weekend based on some of the conversations I have in my work with individuals,  families, and professionals. I do want to mention, of course, that my book is out! You can find it anywhere  you purchase your books. It only  currently out in paperback but soon to be out as an ebook.  Today, I thought I’d return to a common dilemma faced by parents and professionals supporting autistic individuals and that is the concept of favorites. Most of us neuro-typicals have lots of favorites like favorite colors and favorite foods. But many autistic individuals struggle with the concept of favorites and may be unable to answer the question “which one is your favorite?” when presented with 2 or 3 nice ...

Episode #57: Interview with Yasmine White, CEO & Founder of Voices Together Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #57: Interview with Yasmine White, CEO & Founder of Voices Together I had a very special guest join us, her name is Yasmine White and she is the founder and CEO of Voices Together which is the largest music therapy organization in North Carolina. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Yasmine by my good friend and colleague, Jonathan Chase who some of you may be familiar with from previous podcasts. Yasmine and I had a lovely conversation where she described music therapy and her curriculum specifically. She inspires the audience to understand that music lives within all  of us and calls parents to share music with children of all ages and abilities. Here are two articles that Yasmine mentioned in this podcast and that she has shared with our listeners: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BpLKfmZL52I8FO69rL3VEhDJ3iMdQBVm/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d...

Episode #56: MP - Paralyzed by The Ripple Effect Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #56: MP - Ripple Effect I have such a deep respect for so many of my adult clients and how they think about things. Over the last couple of weeks, I have spoken to at least 3 different adults about this one concept that just blows my mind. Let me try to explain. As humans, each of us has a different level of awareness of our personal impact on the world. You might have seen sweet memes about how sharing your smile can impact others - as you never know who needs it. Or you might be concerned about using plastic straws due to the photos of affected turtles in the vast ocean. But for some autistic people, this very concept of realizing one's impact - that their actions have ripple effects into the world can actually be paralyzing. What we may observe as inaction (and term incorrectly laziness), we tend to interpret as selfish but it may. actually be paralysis due to extreme selfLESSness. Let me go a lit...

Get Rid of “Wait & See” Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #55: MP - Get Rid of Wait and Ssee I used to think the “wait and see” approach only affected little ones before the age of 2 or 3. Parents bringing their children in with concerns about social engagement and medical professionals stating that the child is still within normal limits so let’s “wait & see.” The hope being that the child would outgrow the lack of engagement, not yet saying words, or having what seemed like extreme reactions to sensory information.  I did think it was tragic that children were then hitting preschools and kindergarten with pretty significant delays and undue stress that may have been alleviated by being served earlier with appropriate interventions. However, the longer I have now been in the field., the more I see the long term effects of the “wait and see” approach. The hesitancy to diagnose autism affects teens and adults later and we really need to be attending to those downstream issue...

Episode #54: MP - Who's Running The Show? Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #54: MP - Who's Running The Show? Hello and welcome to another episode of my Synergy Autism Podcast. I am a family and individual autism coach and consultant. I feel incredibly lucky to have listeners now from all over the world who subscribe to this low tech series. Each week I share thoughts and ideas from my work with the autistic community in the hopes that you may benefit from the information with someone you know and love with autism. Today, I’d like to talk about balancing who is running the show. I have many client children of all ages who will either lead or follow but the in between is challenging. Sharing the lead or switching it up is essential for full well rounded development and well being. Say you have a 5 year old who won’t allow you to join them in play or allow you to introduce new additions or silliness to their play or engagements. You may kindly offer “ do you want to do thi...