Episode 19: Making Friends on the Spectrum

Chris welcomes Brandon Moffitt—executive director of Black Mountain Academy and Intrepid Young Adults—to talk about the importance of connection for autistic youth. They discuss the repeated struggles many autistic individuals face when trying to form relationships—and how these setbacks can take a toll on self- esteem. Brandon offers guidance to parents on how to support their children in navigating social experiences, emphasizing the power of affirmation, encouragement, and helping kids find their “tribe.” He also addresses the impact of growing up in a digital world with fewer face-to-face interactions, and why creating real- life opportunities for connection is more important than ever.

Links:
Black Mountain Academy:
https://theblackmountainacademy.com/
Intrepid: https://intrepidyoungadults.com/

Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: chris@autismlearninglab.com

Quotes:
[13:55-14:09] Brandon: “But we don't want to miss the fact that failure has a tremendous impact on self-esteem and social resilience and self-advocacy and all of these things are so critical to becoming a successful young adult.”

[15:15-15:35] Brandon: “Starting with affirmation and support, seeing the best in your child and seeing the best in who they are becoming, their most wonderful qualities. Always speaking to the best of who they are, the best of who they can be, the best of who they want to be, is really a critical part of this.”

[19:48-20:14] Brandon: “And I think for all young people, not just people in the spectrum, who are very accustomed, this generation is very accustomed to being online. And again, in and of itself, it's not a bad thing. But it means there's less time, less practice, less face-to-face interaction. And so we just really want to find out meaningful ways, thoughtful ways, enjoyable ways to have that practice, to have those connections, to foster those.”

[33:27-33:54] Brandon: “And I want to be that voice of, you matter, what you care about matters. And there’s people out there who will love what you love and will celebrate who you are and keep looking and keep searching for that because it's out there and I love that I get to be a part of finding that sense of a tribe and building social community.”