Noncompliant - the podcast

In this, the final episode of Noncompliant, I spoke with Shannon Rosa, editor of Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism. She shared her memories of her good friend Steve Silberman, author of the groundbreaking history of autism & the neurodiversity movement, Neurotribes, which featured Shannon and her family. We talked about Steve and his legacy for … Continue reading Remembering Steve Silberman: A conversation with Shannon Rosa

I had an amazing conversation with Nancy Marshall, a therapist and researcher, who previously worked as Child and Youth Counselor in Toronto public schools. We discussed her new, qualitative research on autistic people’s experiences with and perception of ABA. We also talked about the impact of the neurodiversity movement on autism services, and the evolution … Continue reading Transforming schools and autism therapy: A conversation with therapist & researcher Nancy Marshall

I was honoured to speak with the amazing Guy Stephens, founder of the Alliance Against Seclusion & Restraint about what’s new in human rights advocacy for autistic &  developmentally disabled students. AASR has a groundbreaking new program, Reframing Behaviour, in partnership with the Crisis Prevention Institute, rolling out across America–neuroscience-based training for educators to eliminate … Continue reading A journey to transform special education: Catching up with Guy Stephens at Alliance Against Seclusion & Restraint

I was so excited to speak with Dr. Ryan, a trailblazer in Canadian autism research! Her work was the first participatory autism research in Canada and it has inspired more. We talk about inclusion, autonomy, research methods, our collaborative work and how to improve services for intellectually disabled people in Canada's west and throughout the … Continue reading Dr. Jackie Ryan on inclusive research & service models for intellectually disabled Canadians

Professor Carl Elliott's new book The Occasional Human Sacrifice, is about whistleblowers in medicine. In this episode, we discuss the whistleblowers at Willowbrook, a residential institution for autistic and developmentally disabled people that was exposed for human rights abuses in 1972. We also talk about the experience of being a whistleblower and its impact on … Continue reading Willowbrook, whistleblowers & human rights: Carl Elliott on his new book, The Occasional Human Sacrifice

I was thrilled to talk with Tony Spiridakis and Alex Plank about the new film Ezra, which Tony wrote and produced alongside director Tony Goldwyn, and which Alex associate produced, acted and consulted on.  Ezra is a comedic drama starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne and introducing William Fitzgerald as the 11-year … Continue reading Filmmakers Tony Spiridakis & Alex Plank on the new film “Ezra”, autism and representation

While the podcast is on a brief hiatus as I finish my book (yay!), I’m sharing this interview that Shawn Pickard hosted with me for Voices for Abilities radio. We discussed how Canadian autism policy needs to move from a charity perspective to a rights perspective and how the inclusion and neurodiversity movements are working … Continue reading “How do we break down the barriers?” Anne Borden King, interviewed by Sean Pickard on Voices for Abilities

I spoke with Dr. Molly Colvin and Dr. Tannahill Glen about their new book, Altered Trajectories: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Children's Education, Mental Health and Neurodevelopment, co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Linton Reesman. We discussed the educational impact of school closures, as well as the mental health impact on kids. A crucial topic as we … Continue reading The impact of pandemic-related school closures: A conversation with Molly Colvin & Tannahill Glen

I had the honour of speaking with Keenan Wellar, founder of LiveWorkPlay about the organization’s work helping the community welcome and include people with intellectual disabilities, autistic persons, and those with a dual diagnosis in housing, work and leisure.  LiveWorkPlay is a model for the paradigm shift that is needed in developmental services! Listen to … Continue reading Keenan Wellar from LiveWorkPlay: Transforming Canada’s housing & programs for intellectually disabled Canadians

I spoke with Dr. Andrew Whitehouse from the University of Western Australia about autistic life, gut hype, same-foods, the problem of pseudoscience and the shifting nature of autism research. Listen to the podcast by playing the audio file below, or on streaming sites like Spotify, Stitcher or ApplePodcasts. Transcript: NoncompliantPodcast_trscrt_Whitehouse Bio Dr. Whitehouse is the … Continue reading “What outcomes are we looking at?” Talking with Dr. Andrew Whitehouse about the shifting course of autism research & services

I spoke with vaccine researcher and expert Dr. Paul Offit, whose book Autism's False Prophets explores false narratives about autism, including the myth that the MMR vaccine causes autism. We talked about that history, as well as the present challenge of the current anti-vaccine movement and the need to speak the truth, even when it's … Continue reading “It’s hard to un-ring the bell”: Talking about the vaccine-autism myth (& more) with Dr. Paul Offit

I talked with Dr. Lucy McBride about Covid anxiety, how it's impacted us all and what we can do about it. We also talked about how family practitioners can make their practices more accessible for autistic patients–and all patients–by thinking outside the box. #AutisticHealthAccessProject Listen to the podcast by playing the audio file below, or … Continue reading Coping with Covid anxiety in a post-pandemic world: A conversation with Dr. Lucy McBride

I had a great conversation with Dr. Lucy McBride about Covid anxiety, how it's impacted us all and what we can do about it. We also talked about how family practitioners can make their practices more accessible for autistic patients–and all patients–by thinking outside the box. #AutisticHealthAccessProject. Listen to the podcast by playing the audio … Continue reading Coping with Covid anxiety in a post-pandemic world: A conversation with Dr. Lucy McBride

I wrote this poem about the summer and our beautiful earth

I had an amazing conversation with Fergus Murray, a Scottish science educator, writer, autistic advocate and author of the Monotropism.org website. We talked about the concept of monotropism, which was co-founded by Murray's late mother, Dr. Dinah Murray, as well as Fergus’s experiences growing up in a neurodivergent household and the joys of Autscape! We … Continue reading Talking about neurodiversity, monotropism & more with Scottish activist Fergus Murray

 I had a fascinating conversation with Finn Gardiner, Director of Policy & Advocacy for the Autistic People of Color Fund about the incredible work of the Fund's mutual aid project that positively impacts so many individuals' lives. We also discussed institutional ableism, racism and “nice white lady syndrome”, as well as the troubling problems with … Continue reading “A Catalyst for Activism”: Talking with Finn Gardiner from the Autistic People of Color Fund

. In this episode, I spoke with health historian Matthew Smith from the University of Strathclyde. We discussed his new book, The First Resort: The History of Social Psychiatry in the United States, as well as neurodiversity, the promise of Universal Basic Income and more.   Listen to the podcast on the audio link below … Continue reading What happened to social psychiatry? A conversation with Professor Matthew Smith

I spoke with Guy Stephens, executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) and Chantelle Hyde, lead Canadian Volunteer with The Alliance Against Restraint and Seclusion and co-founder of the Canadian Coalition Against Seclusion and Restraint in Schools, founded early in 2023. We discussed the high prevalence of the use of seclusion rooms (isolation … Continue reading “Compliance is the wrong goal…we need connection and compassion”: Guy Stephens & Chantelle Hyde from the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint

Today I spoke with Julie Roberts, founder of Therapist Neurodiversity Collective (TNDC). We talked about the ABA industry's troubling attempts to dominate autism services and funding, as well as the culture shift needed to increase support for neurodiversity-affirming autism supports and services. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, … Continue reading The shifting landscape of autism services: Therapist Neurodiversity Collective's Julie Roberts

I wrote this short spoken word about the experience of grief after all we’ve been through in the pandemic. It’s really just a story, without a message except: we need to talk about our feelings, perhaps now more than ever. 

Today I spoke with Professor Alan Levinovitz, author of Natural: How Faith in Nature’s Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science. We talked about the myth of the natural, pseudoscience, neurodiversity and post-pandemic life. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes. . Bio … Continue reading Talking with professor Alan Levinovitz about pseudoscience and the myth of “natural”

I spoke with professor Alan Levinovitz, author of the new book, Natural, about the myth of “natural.” We also talked about neurodiversity, science, the limits of quantification and the project of healing the cultural divides that arose during the pandemic.  Listen to the episode at the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or … Continue reading Talking about the myth of “natural” with Prof. Alan Levinovitz

“Basically they're slowly being poisoned with a corrosive agent.” It is difficult to hear about what happens to children who are trapped by the so-called bleach cult, a multi-level marketing scheme that has spread across the continents, promising “cures” for everything from broken bones and cancer to Covid-19 and autism. The 4 leaders of a … Continue reading The Genesis 2 “bleach cult,” past and present : A conversation with pseudoscience de-bunker Melissa Eaton

Most of us don't even need to be on social media. So why does it feel like it's our job? In this episode I talk with journalist Brennan Doherty about how we've both left Twitter and the impact it's had on us. We also discuss the shifting landscape of social media platforms, disinformation and the … Continue reading “Reducing the signal to noise ratio”: Talking with journalist Brennan Doherty about quitting Twitter

I had such an inspiring conversation with Kristina House, who's co-founded Passages, an experimental hybrid learning space for neurodivergent students and other students, in Toronto! Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes. Read the transcript (available soon) below audio link. Bio Kristina House has been as … Continue reading Inclusive learning spaces for neurodivergent teens: Talking with Passages Centre founder Kristina House

I had a fascinating conversation with AutCollab co-founder Jorn Bettin about new approaches to autism; namely, thinking outside the box of the pathologizing approach of the DSM and moving towards a collaborative, de-colonizing, grassroots approach to autistic liberation—one that also helps to heal our broken world. (Just some light, chatty conversation amongst autists!) Listen to … Continue reading The power of international neurodivergent collaborations: Interview with AutCollab's Jorn Bettin

This is pt 1 of 2 special podcasts about monkeypox, Covid-19 and science communication. I had an amazing conversation with University of Washington virologist Dr Alex Greninger, whose team innovated one of the earliest Covid tests. We talked about how they developed the test; public health policy; the current monkeypox crisis; other viruses & “the … Continue reading Talking about Covid, monkeypox, health disinfo & “the 2022 effect” with virologist Alex Greninger

  My guest this episode is Alicia Broderick, author of the new book The Autism Industrial Complex:  How Branding, Marketing, and Capital Investment Turned Autism Into Big Business. Her book traces the cultural, political, and economic history of autism. We talk about the history of autism services, how industry greed often gets in the way … Continue reading Is there an Autism Industrial Complex? Interview with Professor Alicia Broderick

In this episode I speak with the amazing Lei Wiley Mydske, founder of the neurodiversity library movement and creator of the Neurodivergent Narwals. We talk about neurodiversity libraries (including how to start one!), community-building, disability justice, activism, hope and more. Listen to the podcast at the link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes. … Continue reading Neurodiversity Libraries, activism & community-building: Interview with Lei Wiley Mydske

In this episode, I interview Charles Arthur, the author of Social Warming: the dangerous and polarising effects of social media. We discuss the history of social media and current problems with social media, particularly disinformation on a global scale, as well as what we can do to combat this crisis. Listen to the podcast via … Continue reading Algorithms and Outrage: Talking social media with Charles Arthur, author of Social Warming

Podcast recorded on December 9, 2021. In this episode I spoke with suicidologist Dr. Tyler Black, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the Medical Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency Department at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. Tyler and I discussed the pandemic, suicide rates during the pandemic, schools and mental health and … Continue reading “Kids need to play”: Talking about the pandemic and kids' mental health with suicidologist Tyler Black

The Noncompliant podcast came out of hiatus this week to talk with autistic advocate Ryan Hendry about Spectrum10K, a currently-proposed project by UK business interests to collect DNA data on autistic children and adults for a database to sell to companies for commercial ventures. Our conversation  happens as protests and advocacy to #StopSpectrum10K continues across … Continue reading “The most effective way to stop it is public pressure”: Talking about Spectrum10K with Irish autistic activist Ryan Hendry

I had an amazing conversation with Drs Anila D'Mello and Liron Rozenkrantz from MIT about their research review and other work about autism, rationality and cognition! Listen to the episode by clicking the audio file below or on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes here. Read the transcript below the audio file. . . Transcript available soon. … Continue reading “There are a lot of areas autism researchers have viewed as deficits that can actually confer advantages”: Talking with MIT researchers Anila D'Mello and Liron Rozenkrantz

I had such a great conversation with autistic lawyer Haley Moss about her book Great Minds Think Differently. In this episode, we discuss neurodiversity in law and the workplace, autistic hyperfocus and Haley’s upcoming book, The Young Autistic Adult's Independence Handbook (launching November 2021 & available by preorder)! Listen to the episode at the audio … Continue reading “If you look at how much has changed in the last 5 years, we’ve definitely made progress”: A conversation with autistic lawyer Haley Moss

In this episode, I talk with Professors Kristen Bottema-Beutel and Micheal Sandbank, who have done a systematic review and meta-analysis of 151 group design studies of interventions for young autistic children. For this work, Dr. Sandbank was awarded the Young Investigator Award in 2021 from the International Society of Autism Research. Drs Bottema-Beutel and Sandbank … Continue reading On conflicts of interest in autism research: Interview with Kristen Bottema-Beutel and Micheal Sandbank

  In this episode, I talk with Occupational Therapist Greg Santucci about the problems with ABA from his perspective as a practitioner, as well as new and better approaches in schools and the challenges of the post-pandemic period in education. An interesting and inspiring conversation! Listen to the podcast at the audio link below or … Continue reading “Co-Regulation is Key”: A Conversation with Occupational Therapist Greg Santucci

In this episode, we discuss the basics of stem cells, medical tourism, false claims about stem cells as an autism treatment, bioethical issues within the field of stem cells and methodological issues in autism research—with discussion of Duke University's Marcus Center for Autism and The Stem Cell Institute of Panama among others. This is such … Continue reading “I worry FDA Expanded Access will become a new way of bringing products to market”: Talking with Jeremy Snyder and Leigh Turner about “stem cells for autism”

John Summers’ recent expose in The Nation looks at the relationship between private equity companies and the autism service Applied Behaviour Analytics (or ABA) in Massachusetts, where he lives. In this episode, John and I talk about the business of ABA and the problematic industries built around autism. His analysis is incredibly key to understanding … Continue reading The role of private equity and lobbying in ABA funding: Talking with investigative journalist John Summers

  I had such a heartfelt and illuminating conversation with Melanie, first about autistic online communities, then about combating sexism in the world of breast cancer care. Listen to the audio by clicking the audio link below or on Stitcher here or  iTunes here Read the transcript by lcicking the file below the audio. . … Continue reading “Letting people know that it’s ok to be your original self”: Talking about breast cancer & autistic community with Melanie Keiling

I wrote this about my year fighting cancer during the pandemic. Listen to the audio file below to listen. Read the transcript below the audio file.   . Transcript: Pandemiversary .

This is part 2 of my interview with Amanda Seigler, a children’s rights advocate and autistic activist, about university studies on autism that have questionable ethics. We talk about Duke University’s experiments where autistic preschoolers are being restrained and injected with stem cells to see if it will change them. There are many risks involved … Continue reading “They prey on unsuspecting parents who think they’re helping their child”: Interview with Amanda Seigler about bogus autism research at universities, Part 2

 I spoke with Amanda Seigler, a children’s rights advocate and autistic activist about two studies at Yale which raise serious ethical issues about their use of human subjects. Audio below. Also on iTunes & other podcast platforms. Transcript available soon. . . One study frightened autistic toddlers (and a non-diagnosed control group) in various ways, … Continue reading “There must be some sort of echo chamber that this is all coming out of” Interview with Amanda Seigler about bogus autism research at universities: Part 1

I wrote this recently. To listen, click the audio file below. Transcript below that.   . Transcript: A Neurodivergent Guide to Cancer Treatments

I had a really interesting conversation with journalist Eric Garcia about his upcoming book, We’re Not Broken, which focuses on the social and policy gaps that exist in supporting autistic people. We talked about the current policy landscape, media bias and the challenges and recent triumphs of the autistic rights movement. Listen to the podcast … Continue reading “Often, autistic people are seen as inspiring for overcoming ‘autism,’ not for overcoming the obstacles that the world puts around them”: Interview with journalist Eric Garcia

. I had a very interesting conversation with psychologist Simon Baron Cohen, whose new book The Pattern Seekers, discusses the history of invention, the importance of recognizing and valuing neurodiversity, and the challenges of bringing change to institutions such as schools and the workplace to create better working and learning environments for autistic people. Listen … Continue reading “The goal of autism research should be to improve the quality of life for autistic people” Interview with Simon Baron Cohen

I wrote this about the pandemic, cancer and what’s happened to time. Audio below, transcript below that. . Transcript: Transcript_Time to breathe  

I had the great pleasure and honour of talking with Shabaaz and Pete from CripChat UK, on their podcast. We discussed autism pseudoscience, the Sia film controversy and much more. Listen to the podcast right here by clicking the audio link below or on Stitcher here or on iTunes here . Transcript: Transcript_CripChatUK_1 . . … Continue reading “The things we don’t talk about”: A Cross-Interview with CripChat UK!

. I wrote this after my recent surgery. Audio here, transcript below.   . Half a Woman You have to take off your wedding ring before surgery. I remembered that as we were rushing around at 6am, trying to get out of the house on time for me to check in at the hospital. There … Continue reading Half a Woman

 I had a very informative and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Marc D. Feldman, an expert on medical child abuse and factitious disorder. We talked about medical child abuse, including Munchausen-by-proxy and the abuse of autistic children through autism pseudoscience. We also talked about interventions and supports, the need for education and what we all can … Continue reading “Most of the victims have to move on from these pathological relations”: Interview with Dr. Marc D. Feldman about medical child abuse

  I wrote this piece about the pandemic while I was having chemo (which I finished a couple weeks ago). It provides a first-person look at cancer care in Toronto during the pandemic. The piece runs the range of emotions and that was a conscious decision…because one thing I’ve noticed is that in Canada we’ve … Continue reading Summer Haircuts

In this episode, I talk to scholar Megan Linton about the history and current status of residential institutions for autistic and neurodiverse youth in Canada. Content warning: Discussion of sexual assault, institutional abuse. Click to hear the audio below or find the podcast on  Stitcher here and  iTunes here Bio: Megan Linton is a disabled … Continue reading “Remove and normalize”: Discussing Canada’s residential institution history with Megan Linton