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Voices of Community: Neurodiversity in Life and at Work
Meristem is a nonprofit program that supports young adults on the autism spectrum to develop greater independence. Our podcast will be talking about our program and interviewing people dealing with challenges of integrating into the workforce. Meristem's Breaking Barriers Transformative Autism Program has worked with hundreds of employers and job seekers to hire, train, and retain neurodivergent people.
Join hosts Erin Schirm and Harrison Lane for real stories of "the messy middle" from people breaking workforce barriers and building real equity and inclusion.
#inclusion #equity #autism #actuallyautistic #disability #neurodivergent #ADHD
#awakenthepossible #breakingworkforcebarriers #training #work #stories #DEI #inclusion #diversity #job #jobs #jobreadiness
Voices of Community: Neurodiversity in Life and at Work
Navigating Autism: Science, Family, and the Messy Middle with Theresa Lyons
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What do you do when your child receives an autism diagnosis and the doctor's answer is essentially "good luck"? For Theresa Lyons, a Yale-trained scientist and parent of a non-speaking autistic daughter, that moment became the beginning of a decade-long mission to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and the real-life decisions families have to make every day.
In this episode of Voices of the Community, host Harry Lane sits down with Theresa to explore what she calls "the messy middle" -- that space between diagnosis and clarity, between overwhelm and empowerment. Theresa brings both scientific expertise and lived experience to a wide-ranging conversation that covers:
- Why getting the right autism diagnosis matters, and who is actually qualified to make one
- The "top three" framework for families who feel overwhelmed by too many priorities at once
- What the research actually says about gluten, gut health, and sensory sensitivity in autistic individuals
- How grandparents can play a meaningful role in early identification and long-term support
- Medication, executive function, and habit-chaining strategies for young adults living more independently
- What early family support has to do with long-term workforce readiness
- How Theresa's platform, Navigating Awetism, supports families in over 20 countries
Theresa's closing message: the person with autism has dreams and goals. Understanding what they are, and how they want you involved in creating that reality, is where everything starts.
Learn more about Theresa's work at https://awetism.net/.
Learn more about Meristem at https://meristem.pro.
Share your questions and learn more about us at meristem.pro and tapautism.org
