From the Spectrum: Finding Superpowers with Autism

From the Spectrum: Finding Superpowers with Autism

I'm Ryan, and I have Autism. From the Spectrum is a podcast about Autism. I am on a mission to explain a likely cause of Autism. Autism suddenly shows up in human evolution, and it seems to be a biological adaption (neuroplasticity) to an environmental change used by living organisms for life- light. Maybe, people fail to understand how living organisms use the energy from light to drive biochemistry. In addition, I want to explain Autism. I use various scientific literature, personal experiences, and opinion. With opinion, I will explain why I feel the way I do, and give examples. I will provide links to various references for each episode. For each episode, we will discuss various aspects of Autism. Lastly, thank you for listening to From the Spectrum podcast. X: https://twitter.com/rps47586 Hopp: https://www.hopp.bio/fromthespectrum email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

Episodes

July 14, 2025 78 mins

My guest today is Samantha Fox. Sam is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a Master’s from Kent State University and the founder of, Beyond Speech Therapy Center, where they focus on personalized therapy and building meaningful connections with clients. As a registered Spelling to Communicate practitioner with deep expertise in Early Intervention, Sam brings a unique perspective to supporting non-speaking and minimally speaking indi...

Mark as Played

For today's episode, we will expand on Autism & Relationships and introduce a very fascinating phenomena of "Supplementing" relationships. We will cover what Autism means, intense, "dream" like states, visual thinking & seeing movies. This might be hard for you to understand and you cannot verify any of this. In addition, you cannot see this thinking style, you can only guess.

See previous episodes:

Autism and Relationships

...

Mark as Played
June 30, 2025 33 mins

Relationships are challenging.

In this episode, we explore some of the Autistic phenotype challenges in relationships. We discuss symptoms from criteria A are external and criteria B are internal, and how criteria B complicates the symptoms in criteria A. In addition, Autism is a comparison to social-norms, and this is a problem. Some environments/relationships discussed include peer-to-peer, romantic, and parent-child. To begin, we...

Mark as Played

For today's episode, John Coates from RF Safe returns to provide valuable and needed information about the harms of Radio Frequency Radiation and our modern environments.

John Coates Episode 1 https://youtu.be/KgLj0X4AJh4?si=QS8KM6FUfASqpzTs

RF Safe https://www.rfsafe.com

John's X https://x.com/rfsafe

Section 704 https://www.rfsafe.com/section-704-and-fcc-guidelines-cemented-a-dangerous-wireless-monopoly-at-the-expense-of-health-and-in...

Mark as Played

In this episode we explore spindle neurons, also known as von Economo neurons (VENs), discovered by Constantine von Economo in the 1920s. These large, cylinder-shaped cells, found in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), anterior (or called frontoinsula) insula, and rarely the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), are crucial for rapid communication in social behaviors. Three key points stand out: first, spindle neurons are locate...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we discuss Autism with Dr. Catherine Lord. Dr. Lord is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Education at UCLA and one of the foremost researchers in Autism. Dr. Lord provides tremendous insights into her roles in Autism and Autism Assessment.

Dr. Lord discusses her journey into Autism, the evolution of the Assessment including the ADOS growing from her basement and being overran by demand to the Gold Standard...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we explore the impact of tech use and blue light on circadian biology, exploring how melanopsin and chromophores regulate physiology, mood, and cell functioning. The discussion highlights the leptin-melanocortin pathway, its role in placental physiology, and how ultra-weak biophotons from placental mitochondrial DNA influence fetal development, emphasizing the critical interplay of light and dark cycles in health.

W...

Mark as Played

My guest today is a special Mother's Day edition with Katie Asher. Katie is a devoted mother of five and founder of Asher House, who shares her inspiring journey of raising her son Houston, who has severe autism. Katie discusses the challenges of navigating trauma, loss, and an abusive past, all while advocating for Houston’s voice through groundbreaking communication methods like letter boards. She recounts the transformative mome...

Mark as Played

My guest today is John Coates. John is the founder of RFsafe, and he is on a mission from a personal commitment to understand and educate the harms of non-native Electromagnetic Fields. John takes us through a passionate and personal story and educates us on many topics around these modern products. We explore cell phones, microwaves, routers, WIFI, computers, towers, and more. John also educates us about regulation changes such as...

Mark as Played

For today's episode we learn about the cerebellum with Dr. Reza Shadmehr. Dr. Shadmehr is a trailblazing neuroscientist whose groundbreaking work has reshaped our understanding of how the brain controls movement. With a rich academic journey—from a bachelor’s in electrical engineering to a PhD in robotics and computer science, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT—Dr. Shadmehr now leads the Shadmehr Lab at Johns Hopkins Univ...

Mark as Played
April 21, 2025 31 mins

In this episode, we explore the critical role of serotonin in shaping sensory maps within the brain, a process vital for interpreting sensory input and navigating the world. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator synthesized from the aromatic amino acid tryptophan, influences brain development by fine-tuning sensory systems. It modulates neuronal growth, synaptic connections, and plasticity, which are essential for creati...

Mark as Played
April 17, 2025 40 mins

In this episode, we discuss Autism and Education. We explore some current condition within education and some personal experiences. Specifically, the school day is in complete conflict with Autism- both Criteria A and B. This is the primary factor with the challenges of Autism in Education. The classroom requires a Social Dynamic, a Speech and Language Dynamic, and Sensory-Processing Dynamic, which is 3 strikes against Autism. In a...

Mark as Played
April 14, 2025 38 mins

This episode explores the critical role of tryptophan, an aromatic amino acid, in forming tubulin—the key protein building microtubules, which act as cellular "train tracks" for structure and movement. We delve into how microtubules drive mitosis, the process of cell division essential for growth and repair, and discuss tryptophan’s unique biochemical significance, including its single codon (UGG) and contributions to DNA methylati...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we explore Oxytocin and Vasopressin's vast roles in Human Biology. We time travel to cover the evolution of the two molecules and learn about their functions with developing and socializing. Oxytocin and Vasopressin are dynamic molecules whereby they are Peptides and Hormones. In addition, we cover previously discussed brain regions and how the molecules work alongside key Neuromodulators like Serotonin and Dopamin...

Mark as Played
April 7, 2025 33 mins

In this episode, we navigate the fascinating world of circadian rhythms and their profound impact on our health. We cover essential biology and protocols for human health, Autism or not. We will discuss how these natural cycles of light and dark regulate our biology, from hormone production to mood and cellular function, and why disruptions—particularly from artificial light—are a growing concern in modern society. Highlighting the...

Mark as Played

For this episode, we discuss the roles and sensitivity of mitochondria with Dr. Richard Frye, MD, PhD. Dr. Frye received an MD and a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Neurology with special competence in Child Neurology, and as a Certified Principal Investigator. In addition, he has a Masters in Biomedical Sciences and Biostatistics from Drexel University. Dr. Frye has...

Mark as Played

Why doesn't the MESENCEPHALON further subdivide into larger regions of the brain?

In this episode, we will expand on the neurulation time and focus on the brain formation, spotlighting the proencephalon, mesencephalon, and rhombencephalon, which emerge around days 22–23 of embryonic life. The proencephalon (forebrain) splits into the telencephalon—think cerebral hemispheres for cognition—and the diencephalon, home to the thalamus an...

Mark as Played
March 10, 2025 39 mins

For today's episode, we go into the science of embryogenesis, focusing on neurulation—the critical process where the neural tube forms, laying the groundwork for the central, peripheral, and enteric nervous systems. We discuss how disruptions in this early developmental stage, influenced by factors like folic acid metabolism, the sonic hedgehog pathway, and genes such as PTEN (P10), could shape the autistic phenotype. From cell pro...

Mark as Played

For today's episode, we expand on Autism and Sensory Processing. We return to the mesencephalon—a brainstem region with superior and inferior colliculi—as a critical hub for sensory integration and attention bias. We cover four scientific articles, starting with Marco et al. (2011), which uses EEGs, MEGs, and fMRIs to reveal autism’s auditory processing inconsistencies (e.g., delayed N100/M100 cortical responses), tactile hypersens...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

    24/7 News: The Latest

    The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    Latino USA

    Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.