Chelsea's Vocation
Chelsea's neurodivergent offspring are the reason her heart and mind have grown year after year for two decades. As a neuromajority human caring for and about autistic humans, she has learned to apply a thing or two about brain wiring and wants to share that learning with other people so they can know better and do better, too. These 20-minute long shows will be released every two weeks (two per month max), feature occasional guests, have a neuroaffirming focus, and highlight autistic experiences.
Chelsea's Vocation
Dadding Autistic Humans
Chelsea is delighted to welcome “autism dads” Nick Backes and Justin Sneesby to this Father’s Day episode of the podcast.
Nick is husband and father of three children. Born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, he is an autism advocate and a stay-at-home dad.
Justin has been a husband to his wife for over 15 years, and they have two children. Their oldest son, Ronnie, is 9, while their other son, Chandler, is 5. They all live in Greenfield, Wis. Currently, Justin is a full-time student pursuing a career as a special education teacher and is also a stay-at-home father, while his wife is a K-4 teacher. He has worked in various aspects of special education and has decided to make this his career and passion.
After Nick and Justin introduce themselves and their families, we dive into autism interventions including ABA, what’s different between the “autism dad” and “autism mom” experience, and how parenting has changed them as humans.
The following topics and terms, in order of their appearance in the podcast, might evoke some curiosity:
- Autism United of Wisconsin (f/k/a Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin)
- SHAW Pirates Special Hockey (Milwaukee, WI)
- Little to no eye contact was a key benchmark in screenings for autism in the early 2000s. See this 2013 NIH article.
- ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)
- “allistic”: someone who is not autistic
- Ivar Lovaas, aversives (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2021)
- Stanley Greenspan, DIRFloortime model
- apraxia of speech (Mayo Clinic)
- occupational therapy (OT): with emphasis on sensory integration, including vestibular and proprioceptive systems (Autism Research Institute)
- learned helplessness (Jaime Hoerricks, The AutSide)
- One of Chelsea's favorite "autism dads" on social media is Rob Gorski, The Autism Dad. Check him out on Instagram or Facebook.
- dyslexia (Cleveland Clinic)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and how it’s funded
- Autistics’ difficulty with figurative language, metaphors - as explained by Stephen McHugh (Stephen’s Evolution)
Next episode: Gender Identity & Autism
Podcast includes an introduction for episodes 6 and following at the beginning. Transition music, "Taking a Vocation", by Noey Budde.
Closing narration for episodes 6 and following.
