Autism Empowerment Radio

Autism Empowerment Radio welcomes Jack Ori, FTM Motivational Speaker, Freelance Writer and owner of SJA Advocacy - Changing the World One Word At A Time. Jack Ori has earned a living as a freelance author since 2009 and has written over 5,000 articles on financial, legal and self-help topics as well as 2 young adult novels. He draws on his personal experiences as a transgender person with autism to inspire others who are facing significant obstacles to a fulfilling life to find ways to succeed. Jack wants to demonstrate to Autism Empowerment Radio listeners that Autism / Aspergers doesn't have to be a barrier  to living a successful life. Jack will be talking about tips for individuals with Autism / Asperger Syndrome to Enable Their Inner Entrepreneur and will share ideas from his article, Top Five Networking Tips for People with Aspergers. http://www.sja-advocacy.com http://thesjadvocate.wordpress.com  

Ladies, listen in! Karen with Autism Empowerment Radio talks about one of her recent blog entries written specifically for females with autism and Asperger's and the loved ones who support them. Karen doesn't want listeners to get hung up on labels. So whether you consider yourself a gal with Asperger's or Autism, an Aspergirl, autistic, Aspie, autie or whatever term you find most applicable or personally appealing, be sure to tune in. This radio show episode is meant to be loving and inspirational and to let you know that you are not alone in navigating the road less traveled on the autism spectrum. Karen is the Executive Director of Autism Empowerment, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. She is also an Aspie, a mom to two sons who have been diagnosed with autism and Asperger's respectively and she was recently honored in New York City in May with the 2012 GRASP (Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership) Distingued Spectrumite Medal. Karen is a former touring professional bowler with the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour, having been nominated for both the Robby Sportsmanship award as well as the Rookie of the Year Awards. She is also an online retail businesswoman with over 13 years experience in sales and marketing and an eBay PowerSeller with over 20,000 positive feedbacks. She co-founded Autism Empowerment in June of 2011 with her husband John and shortly thereafter coined the four foundational pillars of the organization, Accept, Enrich, Inspire and Empower.  She appreciates neurodiversity and believes in promoting Acceptance, Enrichment, Inspiration and Empowerment for all those within the Autism and Asperger communities.  http://www.autismempowerment.org http://www.facebook.com/autismempowerment

Going back to school for children and teens on the autism spectrum can be both stressful and laden with anxiety. It can also be positive, inspiring and enriching, especially if you're using strategies and tools that help empower your children. Get prepared for success! Join in as Karen Krejcha with Autism Empowerment Radio chats with Jennifer Cook O'Toole, Disney Teacher of the Year nominee and author of Asperkids, An Insider's Guide to Loving, Understanding and Teaching Children with Asperger Syndrome. Jennifer will be sharing skills for success to help you and your child(ren) on the autism spectrum start the school year off right. Although Jennifer's writing is geared toward families impacted by Asperger's (she is an Aspie herself and parent to 3 Asperkids), the concepts she talks about should be of interest to all parents and teachers of autistic / autism spectrum students. O’Toole graduated with honors from Brown University and has since studied at the Graduate School of Social Work at Columbia University and Graduate School of Education at Queens University. Subsequent initiatives with young people garnered her an invitation to serve on North Carolina’s Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence, and a nomination for Disney’s American Teacher of the Year Award in her first year of teaching. She is the 2012 Temple Grandin Award winner as well as a 2012 GRASP DSM Award Winner. Her enthusiam and passion for helping other families speak Aspie speaks volumes. Be sure to tune in! Author. Advocate. Aspie. Mom. http://www.asperkids.com 

Tiger Cub Ryan is our featured guest today at Autism Empowerment Radio. This exuberant 6 year old boy (first diagnosed with autism at age 2) loves cars, Google maps, Cub Scouts, legos, computers, the iPad, the Wii, all things orange, M & M's, his mommy, his daddy, his brother, his grandparents and entire family, the world and God. Ryan, a previous guest on Autism and Scouting Radio personally requested this interview and we're happy to grant his request. Ryan will be sharing his unique perspective about a recent Autism on the Seas experience. He also wants to share his knowledge of maps, global positioning systems and the importance of children getting involved worldwide in scouting because it is so fun (his words).  Ryan will be joined by his Dad and Tiger Cub Den Leader, John. Should be a delightful conversation!

THRILLING interview alert! Karen with Autism Empowerment Radio will be chatting with Michaelbrent Collings, author of The Meridians, a horror / suspense novel featuring a young boy on the autism spectrum. Michaelbrent Collings is a novelist and screenwriter. He has written numerous bestsellers, including Apparition, The Haunted, Rising Fears, and the #1 horror and sci-fi novel RUN. He also writes YA fiction, including the bestselling Billy: Messenger of Powers. He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm. Michaelbrent has a wife and several kids, all of whom are much better looking than he is (though he admits that's a low bar to set), and also cooler than he is. Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentCollings and can be followed on twitter through his username @mbcollings. Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins!

Special guest Brian Tashima returns to Autism Empowerment Radio and shares what has been happening since the recent release of his YA Science Fiction / Fantasy book, Secret of the Songshell. We’ll explore Brian’s love for music (he sings and plays guitar in 3 bands), his passion for writing and his dedication to parenting. We also talk more about Secret of the Songshell, a book written to provide kids on the autism spectrum with a fictional hero that they can call their own - a character that saves the day with his special qualities, not despite them. Sure to be a great interview! www.thespectralandsaga.com

  Tune in as Karen with Autism Empowerment Radio interviews the dynamic and delightful Dr. Liane Holliday Willey, author of Safety Skills for Asperger Women - How To Save a Perfectly Good Female Life. Dr. Willey is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, author and doctor of education specializing in neurolinguistics and learning style differences.  Her first book, Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome is a bestseller in the field as well as a memoir of Liane's life. Her books "Asperger Syndrome in the Family: Redefining Normal" and "Adolescents and Asperger Syndrome in the Adolescent Years: Living With the Ups and Downs and Things in Between" are also on their way to becoming bestsellers in the field. All books are published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and are available at Amazon.com and various bookstores worldwide. Liane's website is at www.aspie.com. Her personal interests include reading, writing, riding, all things related to Asperger syndrome but especially female Asperger syndrome issues.  Connect with Liane on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Liane-Holliday-Willey-EdD-Pretending-to-be-Normal/120472248009507?sk=info

Call in or tune in to learn strategies about how to effectively teach children and teens with Asperger's as Karen with Autism Empowerment Radio brings back recurring guest and award-winning teacher, parent, author, Aspie and Mom, Jennifer Cook O'Toole who will be talking about her different Asperkids series books and strategy tools (many of which Karen has used with her two sons, one with an autism diagnosis and one with an Asperger's diagnosis).   Jennifer Cook O'Toole is the winner of the 2012 Temple Grandin Award, GRASP's 2012 DSM Medal, is an Expert Columnist for Modern Parent Magazine and was nominated for Disney's American Teacher of the Year. Asperkids, Jennifer's first book was recently named "One of the Top 12 Books to Read if a Loved One is Diagnosed with ASD" by Autism Asperger Digest.  http://www.asperkids.comhttp://www.facebook.com/asperkids

Learn strategies on how to teach to your child's special interest as Karen with Autism Empowerment Radio interviews award-winning teacher, parent, author and mom, Jennifer Cook O'Toole about her book, Asperkids - An Insider's Guide to Loving, Understanding and Teaching Children with Asperger Syndrome.   Jennifer wholeheartedly believes and teaches that there is no more effective way to bond with an Aspie child or to support the acquisition of functional living and learning skills than through the almost magical portal of special interests. It encourages interdisciplinary learning, improves frustration tolerance, facilitates social interaction and helps establish an emotional connection with precious Aspie kids.  Jennifer Cook O'Toole is the winner of the 2012 Temple Grandin Award, GRASP's 2012 DSM Medal, is an Expert Columnist for Modern Parent Magazine and was nominated for Disney's American Teacher of the Year. Asperkids was recently named, "One of the Top 12 Books to Read if a Loved One is Diagnosed with ASD" by Autism Asperger Digest.  http://www.asperkids.comhttp://www.facebook.com/asperkids

Come listen in as Karen with Autism Empowerment Radio interviews award-winning teacher, parent, author and mom, Jennifer Cook O'Toole about her book, Asperkids - An Insider's Guide to Loving, Understanding and Teaching Children with Asperger Syndrome. This exciting book is full of effective and fun ways of engaging with children with Asperger's Syndrome. With originality and insight, Jennifer explains how theory of mind difficulties in autism create the need for concrete forms of communication, and she provides a treasure trove of ways to inspire imagination through sensory experience. In particular, she reveals the untapped power of special interests, showing how to harness them to ensure academic, social and emotional growth. Jennifer Cook O'Toole is the winner of the 2012 Temple Grandin Award, GRASP's 2012 DSM Medal, is an Expert Columnist for Modern Parent Magazine and was nominated for Disney's American Teacher of the Year. Author. Advocate. Aspie. Mom. http://www.asperkids.com http://www.facebook.com/asperkids Find Asperkids Here!

Autism Empowerment Radio is pleased to announce a new recurring show on our station: Snippets from the Spectrum. Snippets from the Autism Spectrum provides listeners a chance to hear what autism and Asperger's sounds like from the perspective of individuals living life on the spectrum. What does autism sound like, look like and feel like? What are the challenges? What the blessings? What are the triumphs? What are strategies use to enrich one's life? Our goal is to provide motivational and inspirational stories, real, raw broadcasting and to help listeners plug into Autism Empowerment's 4 foundational pillars of Accept, Enrich, Inspire, Empower.  http://www.autismempowerment.org http://www.facebook.com/autismempowerment  

Karen with Autism Empowerment will be interviewing Autism and Scouting Program founder, John Krejcha for an overview look at Autism Empowerment's Autism and Scouting Program, Facebook page, blog, upcoming book and new radio station. Autism and Scouting on Facebook is an online support group that currently has over 600 members worldwide from over 30 countries and is free to join. John will also talk about the co-founding and success of Cub Scout Pack 2, Vancouver & Washington's first registered Sensory Friendly scouting pack and a group that has received national recognition. http://www.autismempowerment.org http://www.facebook.com/autismandscouting http://www.autismandscouting.blogspot.com

Autism Empowerment Radio is excited to interview Brian Tashima, author of SECRET OF THE SONGSHELL, a book about a teenage guitarist with Aspergers Syndrome who travels to an alternate world where his unique brain waves are combined with the sound waves of music to create magical effects. This compelling Science Fiction / Fantasy tale will be released July 17th, 2012 through Amazon.com and Spectralandsaga.com and is the first release in the Spectraland Saga series. http://www.thespectralandsaga.com - Launch Parties in Vancouver, WA 7/21 and Portland, OR 7/25. Tashima originally wrote the story for his son who has Aspergers, but says, “My main goal with this book now is to provide kids on the autism spectrum with a fictional hero that they can call their own - a character that saves the day with his special qualities, not despite them.”   Tashima was born and raised in Hawaii and has been a resident of Vancouver, Washington since 2000. He is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who has won a Hoku award (Hawaii’s version of the Grammys) and has had his music featured in short films, international compilations and numerous other forms of media. He is currently a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), Willamette Writers, and three Vancouver/Portland-based rock bands.

Welcome to Autism Empowerment Radio! Listen and learn about our non-profit organization and get connected with our worldwide mission! Find out why our four foundational pillars are Accept, Enrich, Inspire and Empower and learn about the programs, services, events and resources we provide to individuals and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger's Syndrome. We believe individuals on the autism spectrum are not a 1 in "X" statistic. Each person is 1 in 1, a unique individual with positive attributes to contribute to society. We serve the 1 in 1, locally in Southwest Washington, regionally, nationally and worldwide. http://www.autismempowerment.org http://www.facebook.com/autismempowerment