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EPISODE 3
Steve Silberman on Neurodiversity; A First Look at Enthusiasms

Play the Episode…

…and Continue the Discussion

Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.

1. Why does Steve Silberman (and Dave) see Neurotribes and Uniquely Human as “companion” volumes?  If you have read these books, do you agree with this description?

2. Steve talks about how he came to know about autism by “hanging out” with autistic people. How did these experiences influence Steve’s motivation to write Neurotribes. What was he trying to accomplish as an author of Neurotribes? If you have had the opportunity to “hang out” with autistic people as a professional or family member, what have you learned that you could not have learned in other ways?

3. There are “two sides to the coin” of enthusiasms, one side offers many opportunities and possibilities, but the other may present challenges to service providers and family members. Discuss specifics about these two sides, and strategies you use to honor the individual’s enthusiasm but address also some of the issues concerns that may arise.

Featuring

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Steve Silberman

Steve Silberman is an award-winning science writer whose articles have appeared in Wired, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, Shambhala Sun, and many other publications. He is the author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity (Avery 2015), which Oliver Sacks called a “sweeping and penetrating history…presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity.”

Steve loves music, especially jazz. As a science writer – and, indeed, as a person – he is focused on helping to build a more humane, respectful, and accessible world for people on the spectrum while trying to be a good ally in their fight for accommodations and civil rights.

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Show Notes

We welcome bestselling science writer Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, to discuss building bridges of understanding between autistic and neurotypical people.

Afterwards, we discuss the significance and value of autistic enthusiasms, and we present our first-ever Enthusiasm of the Week! award to fans Latrice and Terrence Hamilton.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Music

Matt Savage, courtesy of Savage Records

Matt Savage is an autistic jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Matt has collaborated with jazz greats like Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi. Donny McCaslin, and more. He has recorded more than a dozen records and graciously contributes the music for Uniquely Human.

Production and Sound Design

ELEVATEDSTUDIO

Uniquely Human: The Podcast is produced, engineered, and edited by Elevated Studio in Denver, Colorado. Owned and operated by co-host Dave Finch, Elevated Studio produces digital media assets and content strategies for the electronics, entertainment, and lifestyle industries.