loss grief and autism lisa morgan ken doka

EPISODE 74
Loss, Grief, and Autism:
A Discussion with Lisa Morgan and Ken Doka

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Show Notes

The issue of loss and grief reactions of autistic people has only received serious consideration in recent years. Decades of behavioral perspectives about autism, which prohibited serious consideration of feelings and internalized relationships prevented crucial issues such as loss and grief from getting the attention needed to better understand and support people on the autism spectrum. Dr. Ken Doka, a recognized expert and authority on loss and grief, and Lisa Morgan, an autistic professional, take a deep dive into these issues, and how important it is for all of us to have deeper understandings to better support autistic children and adults and their families.

Visit Autism and Grief website, a site “(…) to validate the grief experiences of autistic adults while recognizing the many strengths and challenges of autism”

Featuring

Lisa Morgan Headshot

LISA MORGAN

Lisa Morgan is a consultant specializing in crisis supports and suicide prevention for autistic people. Lisa is founder and co-chair of the Autism and Suicide committee at the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and has developed several autism specific resources for communicating and supporting autistic people in crisis. A self-advocate with a passion for strengths-based solutions, Lisa has authored several books, articles, and resources all available on her website, www.autismcrisissupport.com. She is a community council member of AASET (Autistic Adults and other Stakeholders Engaged Together) a group of autistic adults informing autism research priorities. Lisa has a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching, is a certified autism specialist, and is a peer reviewer of the online journal, Autism in Adulthood. Lisa enjoys being outdoors, owls, and loves the color purple.

Lisa Morgan’s website
Lisa on Linked In
On Facebook
Life Through the Lens of Autism Facebook Page
On Instagram

ken doka

KEN DOKA

Dr. Kenneth J. Doka is a Professor Emeritus at the Graduate School of The College of New Rochelle and Senior Vice-President for the Hospice Foundation of America. A prolific author, Dr. Doka has authored or edited over 40 books and over 100 articles and book chapters. Dr. Doka is editor of both Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying and Journeys: A Newsletter to Help in Bereavement.

Visit Ken Dokas’s website

…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) Lisa and Ken discuss how reactions of autistic people to loss may be similar, but also, different from those of neurotypical people. What points of similarities and differences were particularly striking to you, and how might that change your reaction and understanding of how autistic people respond to loss?

2) The types of losses people think of most often result in grief reactions to the loss of a person in one’s life. However, other losses may go well beyond that and have more extreme consequences for autistic people. What other types of loss may be significant for all people, but particularly difficult for autistic people? Have you observed that in people you know?

3) In the discussion, Ken expressed concerns about the common notion of five stages of grief that people go through, based on the work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. What are some of the difficulties with this framework, and how do we need to think differently, and in a more individualized manner for all people?

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.