April 29, 2025 • 40 mins
This podcast episode was recorded in April 2024. This conversation with the Autism Society of Maryland explores how neurodiversity presents uniquely in each individual and why the shift from merely "awareness" to genuine "acceptance" matters deeply.
Executive Director Melissa Rosenberg shares how their organization expanded from Howard County to now serve Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties, providing free resources, support groups, and community connections to families navigating an autism diagnosis. With autism affecting approximately 1 in 36 children nationally and 1 in 43 in Maryland, their work addresses a growing need for specialized support at every life stage.
The podcast takes a powerful turn when Resource Coordinator Kristen Letnick, who is autistic herself, offers insights from both professional expertise and lived experience. Listeners will discover the comprehensive resources available through the County's Autism Waiver Program and how the Autism Society helps families navigate complex support systems.
Connect with the Autism Society of Maryland at www.autismsocietymd.org or by phone at 410-290-3466 to access their multilingual resources and support services.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This episode of the what's Happening MoCo podcast
was recorded April of 2024.
It is repeated to help raiseawareness of Autism and Autism
Awareness Month.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco, a
podcast from your award-winninggovernment television station,
county, cable Montgomery.
Now here's your host, derekKenney.
Good day and welcome to what'sHappening, moco.
Today we are talking about anawesome subject, about a great
(00:33):
people in our county, in ourcountry, in our world people
with autism.
And today, it's no doubt andthere's a reason why we're
saying awesome, because we'rewith the Autism Society of
Maryland, a group that'sdedicated to helping raise
awareness about resourcesavailable to people with autism
(00:54):
and their families.
How are you today?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I'm doing well, thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
All right, all right, please give us your name,
melissa Rosenberg.
Yes, and you're the executivedirector of the awesome
organization I am, the AutismSociety of Maryland.
Absolutely.
Tell us a little bit about whatyou do as executive director,
and what does the organizationdo for people with autism and
their families?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Sure, Well, we are a nonprofit organization.
We're part of the AutismSociety of America, which is
also located in MontgomeryCounty, right in Rockville.
We're part of a network of 70affiliates across the country,
various sizes, and so we arecurrently serving Howard,
montgomery and Anne Arundelcounties, and we were formerly
(01:38):
the Howard County Autism Society, but after a period of a lot of
growth, we expanded and addedthe two additional counties, so
we provide resources, support,information, social
opportunities for individualswith autism and their families.
We also work with providers,educators, government agencies,
(01:58):
anybody who would like to knowmore about autism or share
resources, anybody who needssupport.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Wonderful, wonderful, and I don't want to assume that
everyone knows what autism is.
Some people may refer to autismas on the spectrum.
Is that a proper term, and whywould someone use the term on
the spectrum when referring toautism?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Autism spectrum disorder is sort of a general
diagnosis and within that wetalk about autism and there are
different ways to describepeople and different ways that
people who are autistic like towords that they like to use,
whether they want to bedescribed as somebody with
(02:40):
autism spectrum disorder, ifthey are autistic, or a person
with autism, and so there aredifferent ways to use just to
use words.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
And what would be the preferred way to refer to a
person with autism these days?
You?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
know generally.
We just ask you know what arehow?
How do you like to be described?
But for our organization, whenwe're we're referring to the
community, we'll say on thefirst reference, a person with
autism, and after that we usethe word autism or autistic.
We also use words likeneurodiversity, which refers to
people with autism, but also ADD, adhd, mental health challenges
(03:21):
, learning differences, anythingwhere you're thinking and
learning in a different way.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Wow, and I think these days we have such
diversity of influences on ourlives that neurodiversity is
almost second nature.
Now, what are some of thecharacteristics that a person
might find in someone thatidentifies as autistic?
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Right?
Well, I think number one isthat everybody who has autism is
very different.
You're not going to find twopeople who are alike, and that's
sort of the interesting partabout it.
So, in general, it can impactthe way a person communicates,
the way they process information, the way they respond to
information.
The way a person communicates,the way they process information
, the way they respond toinformation, the way they
(04:07):
self-regulate.
You'll find people with autismwho are maybe non-speaking, some
may have also intellectualdisabilities not all.
Some may have very high IQs andjust everything in between, and
different areas are impacted indifferent ways, and so that's
(04:29):
why we say, if you meet oneperson with autism, you've met
one person with autism.
And that just to remember thateverybody's very different.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Wow.
And speaking of meeting oneperson with autism, I believe
there's a stat that says thatautism is one of the fastest
growing sections of neural.
I guess challenges ordistinctions.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Right, it is one of the fastest growing disabilities
around the world and certainlyin the United States.
The last numbers from the CDCwere 1 in 36 children estimated
in this country and 1 in 43 herein Maryland.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Okay, now, before we say, as we described as a
disability it's not youreveryday run of the mill
disability by virtue of the factthat there is a gradient of
ability that's associated withpeople with autism.
What are some of the popculture people that people
(05:33):
listening may gravitate towardright away?
Who are some people that,either historically or either in
secular media that would bediagnosed with having autism?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Well, I think that there are more and more media
portrayals of individuals withautism.
So you see shows like Love onthe Spectrum.
I'm trying to think of otherones.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Oh, the Good Doctor, the Good Doctor, the Good Doctor
, the Good Doctor about afantastic young doctor who has
an uncanny knack for literallyassessing a situation, searching
his memory, which I believe hehas, a photographic memory for
facts and figures and diagrams.
That helps him to diagnose andsave lives as a doctor.
(06:25):
And then there's the genius, Ibelieve from the what's the name
of that show?
Rain man from many years ago,the movie.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
And I think one of the things we have to just be
cautious about.
While it raises awareness tosee more characters and more
stories about the autismcommunity on media, it also has
the potential to maybe givepeople an impression of one kind
of person.
And again we get back to.
Everybody's so very different.
So we just have to kind of keepthat in mind, that that's
(06:56):
you're seeing one individual andthat there are many, many, many
other ways that it impactssomebody's life.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And that's terribly important.
I'm glad you shared that Evenfor me, because I'm excited
because I've really come to lovethe Good Doctor as a show.
But there's a lot of work.
Even in the show they showed alot of the work that went into
shaping the young gentleman, theyoung doctor, into the man he
(07:25):
is today and the work hecontinues to do to become a
proficient and awell-acknowledged doctor.
What do people look to?
The Autism Society of Maryland.
For once they've gotten thediagnosis that they have a
person with autism in theirfamily.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Right.
So if somebody calls us, let'ssay if it's a parent with a
young child, they may have justreceived a diagnosis or are
awaiting a final diagnosis.
So we're going to be there andjust be sort of a warm place to
land and with information andresources we connect them to
(08:07):
other organizations that may behelpful, make sure that they're
aware of all of the things thatare available within the school
system, all the differenttherapies that are available.
It can be very overwhelming toparents who are just receiving
this diagnosis, but we want tomake sure that they get to all
the best information that theyknow, that they can call us,
(08:29):
educate themselves and alsoconnect with other parents.
That's very important too.
And at the same time we alsosee a lot of adults who are
looking for diagnosis or whohave received a diagnosis or
perhaps have sort ofself-diagnosed.
They don't have an officialdiagnosis, so they're looking
for resources as well and thatmay be for employment, for
(08:50):
mental health assistance, forjust anything else to help them
understand their diagnosis andconnect to the autism community.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Right Now in your position as executive director?
What in your diaspora ofexperience?
I think you've had more thanwhat 20 years experience close
there.
What is the perception or theenvironment surrounding even the
dialogue surrounding autism?
How has that changed over thelast few decades, then, as to
(09:22):
where we are now?
Right decades, then, as towhere we are now.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Right, well, I think what we started out with, and
this month used to be calledAutism Acceptance Month- I'm
sorry, Autism Awareness Month.
So I think there's been a lot ofwork to make people aware of
what autism is.
I think most people are awareof the term, at least, and
familiar with it somewhat, evenif it's just through media.
(09:46):
I think where we are now is tobring acceptance of individuals
with autism and their familiesto our community, and then the
next step is just inclusioninclusion in the classroom and
the employment in the communityand how we can tap into all
those great talents and be morewelcoming and understanding.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Wonderful, wonderful, and I think you illustrated
that fairly well, actually verywell.
But let's go back to the termacceptance as opposed to
awareness, and acceptance issomething a bit more active and
is asking you something more ofpeople than to be aware of
something.
(10:29):
They're asking.
We're asking people to acceptit.
Why is that change importantfor people with autism and their
families?
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I think it's all need to be aware, as you know,
whether you are an employer, ifyou are providing recreational
activities or community events,about autism.
We do a lot of training in thecommunity for swim instructors,
folks who do recreationalactivities, employers, employers
(11:07):
.
So one of the things that wetalk to employers about is how
you can be more accepting to acandidate who is neurodiverse
Everything from the interviewprocess and the onboarding to
making accommodations, which canbe very simple, and bringing
that person to be part of theteam in the workplace.
So that's acceptance, not justbeing aware.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Acceptance is important and getting accepted
into your program.
You mentioned earlier thatpeople can call on your
organization when they receivethe diagnosis or when they're
waiting for a diagnosis.
How do they contact yourorganization and what are the
first steps like?
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Sure, you can reach out by phone or email, and I
also have people who justmessage us through social media
all these ways and we will getback to you.
We have a resource coordinatorhere in Montgomery County that
will respond.
We also have a Spanish languagecoordinator.
We have a large Latinocommunity that has come together
(12:09):
and we're able to provideresources.
So we'll reach back out andwe'll get information and find
out exactly what the personneeds and then try to provide
the resources or connect them tothe next level, whether it's to
connect with somebody in theschool system, some kind of
advocate, anything at all.
(12:30):
That would be helpful.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And the services you describe are so diverse.
It seems that you're sharingthat, regardless of age, there's
a need, yes, and regardless ofage, there's a way to meet that
need through your organization.
In terms of resources.
What are some of the resourcesthat you'd or services that you
(12:53):
provide for, say, afive-year-old and their family
versus someone that's anadolescent or a bit older and
their diagnosis?
Sure someone that's anadolescent or a bit older in
their diagnosis?
Sure.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
We have basic sort of like introductory, a letter, a
checklist, if you will, forsomebody who just has a young
child that's been diagnosed,some of the things that you want
to get on your radar throughthe school system, through the
state, some national resources.
Just so that you're aware, wealso have that for transition
(13:27):
age youth, which would be 14 to21, as you're thinking about
your young person entering theadult world, and then we have
adult resources, so we wouldshare those with you.
Sometimes people just want totalk.
I think that's very important.
We also have a lot of socialevents picnics.
We have a big walk every everyfall.
(13:47):
We have swim parties, just sopeople can come and feel welcome
, meet other families, becausethe most important thing is that
connection and knowing that youare not alone.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
all right and not being alone.
And you're not alone today, no,I'm not.
So we're going to shift gears,uh and, and take a break,
because one thing we always loveto do on the what's Happening
MoCo podcast not only answerquestions like what's happening,
but provide residents withcounty resources.
So we'll take a break and hearabout the autism voucher program
that the county has forfamilies of people and people
(14:21):
with autism.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Good morning.
My name is Karen Gibson.
I'm an administrator here atDepartment of Health and Human
Services Aging and DisabilityAutism Waiver Program.
I am one of the administratorshere to talk about the Autism
Waiver Program and eligibility.
The Autism Waiver Program beganin 2001, and it has began as a
(14:42):
pilot but now it has grown toover 1,500 clients statewide in
the state of Maryland.
So the Autism Waiver Program isa home and community-based
1915C waiver where the federalgovernment funds a portion of
the waiver program and the stateof Maryland funds the other
(15:04):
portion of the waiver programand the state of Maryland funds
the other portion of the waiverprogram.
Each kid that is eligible has tocome in and meet certain
criteria in order to qualify.
But the first step into a childdiagnosed with autism being
(15:31):
eligible is that they have to beon the autism waiver registry
list and that registry listbegins with a parent calling in
to the number and registeringtheir child to be called at some
point to apply for the waiverand moving forward.
Once a child's name comes offtheir registry they will be sent
to their local school system.
For example, in MontgomeryCounty it's Montgomery County
Public School System.
(15:51):
We have a colleague there,daniel Hammond, who takes the
lead in initiating theenrollment and eligibility
process for each child comingoff of the waiver program.
There are certain eligibilityrequirements.
For example, you have to livein the state of Maryland, you
have to be enrolled inMontgomery County public school
(16:13):
system, you have to have an IEP.
The IEP has to have more than15 hours of special education
hours per week and you cannotlive in a different state and
receive these services.
Once we've established that,then it moves to the medical
eligibility.
The medical eligibilityrequirements is completed per an
(16:36):
assessment by the school systempsychologist dedicated to the
autism waiver program, autismWaiver Program.
Once that assessment is done,that assessment determines
whether the student is eligibleto come on to the waiver program
and then the next step in thatprocess is the enrollment.
So if a child is technicallyqualified and medically
(16:59):
qualified and eligible, then itmoves to the enrollment.
So one of our case managers onour service coordination team
here at HHS will do theenrollment process.
That means that yourapplication is sent off to
Maryland State Department ofEducation and the Maryland
Department of Health forprocessing that particular
student into the autism waiverprogram.
(17:20):
So there are many moving partsto becoming eligible but we all
work together to make sure thateach qualifying student will
become and receive those autismwaiver services, and I will pass
the baton to allow Ms MelindaBudu to explain the services
that a potential studenteligible will receive.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Good morning.
My name is Melinda Budu.
I am the Autism Waiver ProgramManager here from Montgomery
County Health and Human Services.
So under the Autism Waiver forChildren with Services the
services that they can receivethere are several different
services.
(18:02):
They have IISS, which standsfor intensive individual support
services.
This is a one-on-one,one-on-one service that they can
get with a technician to helpimproving their self-help,
socialization, communication,daily living function,
functional living management,adaptive skills to reside
(18:27):
successfully in the home and outin the community.
Another service that they canalso receive is called therapy
integration, ti, regular orintensive.
There's two different ones, justbased off of the child's needs.
They can either it's astructured after-school program
(18:48):
they can go on weekends, duringnon-school days, and it provides
therapeutic activities such asthey can do art, dance,
socialization, just to give thema little bit more activity
after school, them a little bitmore activity after school.
(19:10):
The next service that they canalso have is respite care.
Respite is provided inside thechild's home and we also do have
respite camps that they can goto, either respite weekends or
weekly during the summer thatsome of the camps provide, the
(19:32):
summer that some of the campsprovide, and that's respite.
Another service is familyconsultation, which is done in
person, and it's justindividualized consultation and
training provided to the child'sfamily.
Adult life planning is anotherservice which is family-centered
, focused on educating andsupporting the family, assessing
adult community services onbehalf of the participant.
This service usually startsaround age 16 through age 21
(19:54):
when the child ages out of thewaiver.
We also have EnvironmentalAccessibility Adaptations, eaa,
which is funds that the waiverprogram has that can actually
help make adaptations to thehome for health and safety
reasons.
And the last service isresidential habilitation,
(20:16):
regular or intensive, just basedon the child's needs.
It is just community-basedresidential placement for
children who cannot live in ahome because they require highly
supervised and supportiveenvironments with goals of
returning the child to the home.
So those are the services underthe autism waiver that each
child can have access to oncethey do come on to the waiver.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
And we're back.
We just learned about the VUTSAprogram from Montgomery County,
maryland, for people withautism, and we're still.
We just learned about theVulture Program from Montgomery
County, maryland, for peoplewith autism and we're still here
with Melissa and we have.
We're learning so much aboutthe Autism Society of Maryland
and their, their movement, fromjust being in Howard County but
now having a strong presence inMontgomery County.
(21:01):
Let's talk about that.
And then let's also take a stepback and talk about where
people can connect with yourorganization as well from
Montgomery County.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
There was an Autism Society of Montgomery County
here for many years and it wasall volunteer.
And as those parents got alittle older they decided they
(21:33):
wanted to sort of step back andasked if we would be interested
in merging our two organizations, which we did in the fall of
2023.
Oh, wow, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
That's right on the heels of COVID.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Wow, I have to ask the question.
I always ask the question.
Yes, how was it operatingduring COVID?
The needs didn't end becauseCOVID happened.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
No, the needs just just increased and and we're
still feeling that I thinkpeople are just still coming out
of some of that isolation andsome of the impact of lost
learning at school.
So it was not easy.
As with lots of nonprofits, wejust kind of pivoted and we made
it work.
(22:16):
We took everything online asmuch as we could.
We had extra grant funds forindividuals who were out of work
or had other struggles and wejust did whatever we could do in
partnership with the countieswhere we were working.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Oh, wonderful, wonderful.
So thanks for being here inMontgomery County, maryland.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Thank you we love additional resources.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Yes, and particular types of resources really gets
me excited and, I think, a lotof residents excited as well.
Let's talk about the cost foryour services in the county.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
There is no cost.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
We provide all these resources at no cost.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
We happily accept donations and support absolutely
, but we do make all of ourprograms and events available at
no cost.
Oh wow, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
That's amazing.
Now, as executive director,there's many things you do as
part of your job.
You coordinate efforts, youallocate resources.
What are some of the otherthings that you do behind the
scenes to help create anenvironment where you can offer
free services to people withautism and their families?
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Well, I have a terrific staff and I think
that's really important.
Most of our staff members areeither autism parents themselves
or they're autistic.
I think that gives you a reallygreat insight, and so it's kind
of bringing them all together.
Certainly some of thefundraising and grant writing
that goes on just theorganization, the day-to-day
(23:38):
operation and making sureeverything's running smoothly
and all of my wonderful staffmembers have what they need in
order to serve our families andadults.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
It takes a team.
It does take a team and then ittakes a community and it takes
a county to provide all thesupport needed, right, it does
All.
Right.
Now, you mentioned before thatthere's different ways to
contact your organization.
What is your website?
I think you may have mentionedit, but let's say it one more
time.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yes, it's autismsocietymdorg.
That's our website.
You can reach us through that.
Our email is info atautismsocietymdorg, at
autismsocietymdorg, and you canalso call our office at
410-290-3466.
(24:26):
The webpage has a Spanishlanguage page and also Google
Translate, so you can access itin over 120 languages.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Oh wow, 120.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
And with Montgomery County being one of the most
culturally diverse counties inthe country, not only Maryland.
That's very appropriate,Absolutely.
Oh wow, that's amazing, soamazing.
And for people like myself thatare not the best spelling aces
out there autism is spelled withA-U-T-I-S-M.
(24:57):
There's no Z in there, right?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
No, z no Zism Okay.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Autism.
All right, and you mentionedearlier that you have a full
team of people behind you.
I do.
We're going to talk to one ofthose team members in just a
moment, and it happens to be ateam member that is a person
with autism, correct?
What can you say about thisteam member, as if she's not in
the room?
And now I will allow you tointroduce your colleague, your
(25:28):
teammate, so I get to introduceher?
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Yes, please do.
Kristen Letnick is our resourcecoordinator in Montgomery
County.
She came to us end of lastsummer and it's been just a
privilege to have her with us.
Not only is she wonderfulworking with our families and
individuals with autism, butshe's just very eloquent in
expressing you know her personalexperience and sharing that, so
(25:53):
we're really lucky to have her.
We're using the magic of media,yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Listening to the podcast.
The next voice you'll hear,other than mine, will be Kristen
.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
All right.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
And the magic of media as well.
The next person you'll seetalking to me will be Kristen as
well.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Very good.
So, kristen, come on down.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
All right.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And we're back with Kristen of the Autism Society of
Maryland and, unlike some otherpeople that may be serving
people and residents ofMontgomery County with autism
and their families.
You have autism.
How does?
Speaker 5 (26:55):
that.
How does serving in your rolebeing a person with autism make
you feel it's rewarding?
Because I'm able to help peopleon the autism spectrum or like
the families that have people onthe autism spectrum, and help
them, help educate them inthings they might not know, and
(27:15):
it's kind of like every littlestep counts.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
All right Now.
What has your job been like sofar when you first came there,
and some of the duties you hadthen, and what are some of your
duties now?
Speaker 5 (27:26):
So I came from a clinical mental health
counseling background, so I wasa therapist and I did case
management and crisisintervention and things like
that and that actually helps alot in this job in ways I didn't
realize.
I did a lot of researchingresources, putting it out there,
(27:46):
because that's kind of part ofbeing a case manager too, and I
ended up doing that in this job.
It kind of taught me supportivelistening, active listening
skills that I might not haveotherwise had since I'm on the
spectrum.
It kind of like taught me moreabout communication.
So that helps me in this job.
Also.
It helps me with kind of likeboundaries in terms of knowing
(28:08):
where I can help and where Ineed to step back and kind of
refer people out and know thatyou know it doesn't take one
person to save everyone.
Like you need to have a team todo it.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Right.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
And you have to know, like when you have to put your
ego aside, kind of, and knowwhen this is too much for me, I
have to, but these people mightbe able to help you, that kind
of thing.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
How do?
How do young people?
Because you have a, you have ayouthful look.
I'm not sure how old you are.
Don't, don't, don't share yourage.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
I'm older than you, way older than you think.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
How do how do people that are people with autism
respond to you?
When they see this powerful,professional woman who also has
autism, how do they respond toyou?
Does that, does that affectthem at all?
Do you find that there's aspecial connection or are they
(29:00):
inspired?
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Well, I mean, I think if they are, they're not going
to just say that to my face uponmeeting me at first.
Like Kristen, you're veryinspiring, but I think I have
inspired people on the spectrum.
But I think I have inspiredpeople on the spectrum.
I can kind of just tell thatthey gravitate towards me.
(29:24):
I think, in a way, they see meas a role model, which is great.
Not something I was everexpecting, I think also because
I am pretty decent atcommunicating, so I can kind of
be like an advocate for them too.
Um so yeah, I think so.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah, and I will say you're very decent at
communicating, but you're alsovery personable, so you're
actually funny as well.
So offline, you guys missed afew, uh, very well-timed jokes.
Um, to help to ease thingsforward.
Um, you mentioned earlier thatyou have a background in
counseling.
Now what's special about thatand that it helps you?
(30:05):
I think you may have alluded toit a little bit earlier, but
how does that help you in someof the services that you provide
now?
Speaker 5 (30:13):
So crisis intervention is something I did
a lot in my past work and evendealing with people who are
suicidal just under crisis.
And while I don't havenecessarily that kind of crisis
I'm running into in this job,people tend to reach out for
(30:35):
help when they're kind offeeling in crisis right Like a
lot of people aren't going toreach out for help if they don't
need it right then.
And people on the autismspectrum and their families have
a lot of balls in the air tojuggle.
So it's kind of like once theyfeel so overwhelmed, that might
be when they reach out.
So it's kind of like being ableto help them not feel as
(31:00):
overwhelmed and help them knowthat support and services are
out there.
So there is some kind of somede-escalation a little bit
sometimes and it's just it'salso helpful in knowing kind of
crisis prevention in terms oflike looking at some flags in
terms of this might turn into acrisis if we don't act now, if
(31:22):
they don't have these services,even if it's not one right now,
if that makes sense.
And not not all the requests arelike that.
Some of them are just kind oflike uh, I'm looking for support
groups, but at the same time, Ifeel like when people are
looking for something like that,that means they need them for a
reason, and they're so.
They're just not expressing howstressed and overwhelmed they
(31:44):
are.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Right, and so it's not a one fits all, one size
fits all solution.
Yeah, definitely To people thatcome for services.
All right, Now you mentionedthat families are juggling a lot
of balls when it comes to thisparticular situation.
What are some of the thingsthat families are dealing with
(32:04):
and that some of the things thatpeople with autism are dealing
with when you first encounterthem at the autism society?
Speaker 5 (32:13):
So, like Melissa said before, it's kind of like a not
one size fits all thing.
You've met one person.
I mean it's the same withfamilies.
There are a lot of differentprograms and stuff that help,
but because every individual andevery child on the spectrum is
a little different, what worksfor one person might not work
for another, so you never reallyknow what you're going to get
(32:36):
in a way and I just forgot whatthe question was.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
You were, you were, you were actually, you were
answering the question.
Speaker 5 (32:44):
Yeah, and then I like forgot what it was.
I was just like wait, I wantedto go back to CSR.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
What are some of the the balls?
What are some of the thingsthat families are juggling on?
Different priorities, differentum things to learn that they
are coping with as they wait fora diagnosis or after they've
been diagnosed with autism.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
So one important thing just an example is it's a
lot of challenges to manage whenyou're not used to it.
It's connecting to differentservices.
There might be a financialaspect to that.
The waiting lists for servicescan be years, so you might be
going without services.
(33:31):
There are some people wherethey find, especially if you're
a single parent, that can bevery difficult in trying to take
care of your child but alsoneed to, you know, make money
and put food on a table, and sosometimes people can't work
while they're trying to balanceall this, and so the parent ends
up taking on all that stressthemselves.
(33:51):
And you know that's I meanthat's why we have the support
groups, but so they're just.
It's like.
So for single parenting it'skind of like everything's just
magnified because your child hasother needs that you need to
figure out how those are goingto be met, and it's hard to kind
of like take care of yourselfat the same time.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
But they don't have to do it alone, because they
have the Autism Society ofMaryland.
Speaker 5 (34:18):
Yeah, and one of our support groups that are online
is actually focused on self-careand run by a social worker, so
that's one I like to referpeople to.
A lot, a lot of these parentsthat are struggling, especially
when they're first-time parentsto kids on the spectrum.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
It seems like there's a lot to take on as a parent
when there's additional needsthat need to be met, aside from
some of the traditional thingsproviding and shelter and all
those things and it's good thatyour organization is there with
the understanding of wherethey're coming from and how to
meet them there, and you tailorsolutions and not provide a one
(34:58):
size fits all.
What do you want people andthis is your moment to share
whatever you believe you wantpeople to know about people with
autism.
Speaker 5 (35:16):
So that's a loaded question that would take a long
time to answer but I will justshare a few things.
Uh, so one thing is uh kind ofgoes back to what Melissa was
talking with you about, um,about the kind of the spectrum
and how everyone's a littledifferent and can have different
(35:36):
strengths and weaknesses andneeds.
A lot of people still kind ofuse the functioning labels like
that person is low functioningversus that person is high
functioning.
And so I think something that'simportant to know is if you
call somebody like highfunctioning, for example, that
can kind of cause a snapjudgment, especially with people
(35:59):
who aren't as familiar withautism, and they might just get
the impression that person hasno needs, they don't need any
support, that kind of thing.
And then vice versa, for thelow functioning, oh, they can't
handle anything themselves, theyneed all the supports, they're
completely incapable.
And neither of that is accurate.
The environment can cause peopleto suddenly become lower
(36:23):
functioning stressors, trauma,just different things, different
things in your life, so it'sjust it kind of waxes and wanes.
So I don't know what thesolution is exactly for that.
But I know the functioninglabel isn't, doesn't paint an
accurate picture.
Well, that's good to know.
Thank you for sharing that.
I know the functioning labeldoesn't paint an accurate
picture.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
Well, that's good to know.
Thank you for sharing that.
I really appreciate that.
And we have to go back fullcircle, because I don't think
you can say it enough times howdo people get resources and how
to get access to the resourcesavailable from the Autism
Society of Maryland?
So let's do the website onemore time, which is so that is
(37:00):
wwwautismsocietymdorg.
All right, and the phone numberto the call 410-290-3466.
All right, and they can accessthose at any time.
And, of course, the websitecomes in a variety of different
languages, so language is nobarrier to getting access to the
(37:22):
services available, and welearned so much today.
Thank you so much for sharingfrom a personal note and also
from a very qualifiedprofessional note as well.
Are there any things that youthink would benefit anyone that
may have the inkling that theirloved one has autism?
(37:44):
What's the first indicator thatsomeone might need to be
assessed?
Gosh, and it's okay if you'renot qualified to share it, but
what are some of the indicatorsthat, if you're not qualified to
share it, but what are some ofthe indicators that?
Speaker 5 (38:02):
So it just it kind of depends and women can present
differently from men.
Lack of eye contact tends to bea thing, having special
interests, but like really kindof obsessed with those special
interests.
One of the classic signs iskind of like hand flapping, but
not everyone does that.
But there can be other littleidiosyncrasies people have with
(38:24):
behaviors that seem a littlelike quirky.
A lot of times you meet someoneand they seem quirky or off
somehow and just not presentingas typical.
That person might be autisticor they just might be
neurodiverse.
So there can just be littlethings and the thing is you
(38:46):
might not see them all, becausesome people on the autism
spectrum know how to mask theirsymptoms, especially females,
because a lot of females havebeen conditioned to be more
nurturing and learn socialskills and things.
So that ends up impacting thembecause they kind of like it's
like being an actress then, butit's exhausting.
(39:07):
So you're putting on an act andthen you come home and you're
just like I'm so tired and Ijust want to be myself, you know
.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
Wow, that's amazing.
That's so interesting.
It's hard to imagine how muchenergy goes into and extra
effort goes into what's requiredto build up people with autism
from the family support as wellas the individual strength that
(39:34):
it takes.
So we're going to put someapplause in here for people with
autism right here, and thenalso for the Autism Society and
to you out there, the residentsof Montgomery County, maryland,
for asking the question what'shappening in MoCo, because you
deserve the answers.
If you like this podcast, ifyou find anything in this
valuable, please like, share and, of course, subscribe.
(39:58):
And don't forget to reach outto the Autism Society of
Maryland.
They have a lot of excitingthings coming up and they have a
lot of great people workingthere, so check them out.
Thank you, thanks for listeningand please subscribe.
This episode of the what's Happening MoCo podcast
was recorded April of 2024.
It is repeated to help raiseawareness of Autism and Autism
Awareness Month.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco, a
podcast from your award-winninggovernment television station,
county, cable Montgomery.
Now here's your host, derekKenney.
Good day and welcome to what'sHappening, moco.
Today we are talking about anawesome subject, about a great
(00:33):
people in our county, in ourcountry, in our world people
with autism.
And today, it's no doubt andthere's a reason why we're
saying awesome, because we'rewith the Autism Society of
Maryland, a group that'sdedicated to helping raise
awareness about resourcesavailable to people with autism
(00:54):
and their families.
How are you today?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I'm doing well, thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
All right, all right, please give us your name,
melissa Rosenberg.
Yes, and you're the executivedirector of the awesome
organization I am, the AutismSociety of Maryland.
Absolutely.
Tell us a little bit about whatyou do as executive director,
and what does the organizationdo for people with autism and
their families?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Sure, Well, we are a nonprofit organization.
We're part of the AutismSociety of America, which is
also located in MontgomeryCounty, right in Rockville.
We're part of a network of 70affiliates across the country,
various sizes, and so we arecurrently serving Howard,
montgomery and Anne Arundelcounties, and we were formerly
(01:38):
the Howard County Autism Society, but after a period of a lot of
growth, we expanded and addedthe two additional counties, so
we provide resources, support,information, social
opportunities for individualswith autism and their families.
We also work with providers,educators, government agencies,
(01:58):
anybody who would like to knowmore about autism or share
resources, anybody who needssupport.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Wonderful, wonderful, and I don't want to assume that
everyone knows what autism is.
Some people may refer to autismas on the spectrum.
Is that a proper term, and whywould someone use the term on
the spectrum when referring toautism?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Autism spectrum disorder is sort of a general
diagnosis and within that wetalk about autism and there are
different ways to describepeople and different ways that
people who are autistic like towords that they like to use,
whether they want to bedescribed as somebody with
(02:40):
autism spectrum disorder, ifthey are autistic, or a person
with autism, and so there aredifferent ways to use just to
use words.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
And what would be the preferred way to refer to a
person with autism these days?
You?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
know generally.
We just ask you know what arehow?
How do you like to be described?
But for our organization, whenwe're we're referring to the
community, we'll say on thefirst reference, a person with
autism, and after that we usethe word autism or autistic.
We also use words likeneurodiversity, which refers to
people with autism, but also ADD, adhd, mental health challenges
(03:21):
, learning differences, anythingwhere you're thinking and
learning in a different way.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Wow, and I think these days we have such
diversity of influences on ourlives that neurodiversity is
almost second nature.
Now, what are some of thecharacteristics that a person
might find in someone thatidentifies as autistic?
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Right?
Well, I think number one isthat everybody who has autism is
very different.
You're not going to find twopeople who are alike, and that's
sort of the interesting partabout it.
So, in general, it can impactthe way a person communicates,
the way they process information, the way they respond to
information.
The way a person communicates,the way they process information
, the way they respond toinformation, the way they
(04:07):
self-regulate.
You'll find people with autismwho are maybe non-speaking, some
may have also intellectualdisabilities not all.
Some may have very high IQs andjust everything in between, and
different areas are impacted indifferent ways, and so that's
(04:29):
why we say, if you meet oneperson with autism, you've met
one person with autism.
And that just to remember thateverybody's very different.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Wow.
And speaking of meeting oneperson with autism, I believe
there's a stat that says thatautism is one of the fastest
growing sections of neural.
I guess challenges ordistinctions.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Right, it is one of the fastest growing disabilities
around the world and certainlyin the United States.
The last numbers from the CDCwere 1 in 36 children estimated
in this country and 1 in 43 herein Maryland.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Okay, now, before we say, as we described as a
disability it's not youreveryday run of the mill
disability by virtue of the factthat there is a gradient of
ability that's associated withpeople with autism.
What are some of the popculture people that people
(05:33):
listening may gravitate towardright away?
Who are some people that,either historically or either in
secular media that would bediagnosed with having autism?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Well, I think that there are more and more media
portrayals of individuals withautism.
So you see shows like Love onthe Spectrum.
I'm trying to think of otherones.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Oh, the Good Doctor, the Good Doctor, the Good Doctor
, the Good Doctor about afantastic young doctor who has
an uncanny knack for literallyassessing a situation, searching
his memory, which I believe hehas, a photographic memory for
facts and figures and diagrams.
That helps him to diagnose andsave lives as a doctor.
(06:25):
And then there's the genius, Ibelieve from the what's the name
of that show?
Rain man from many years ago,the movie.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
And I think one of the things we have to just be
cautious about.
While it raises awareness tosee more characters and more
stories about the autismcommunity on media, it also has
the potential to maybe givepeople an impression of one kind
of person.
And again we get back to.
Everybody's so very different.
So we just have to kind of keepthat in mind, that that's
(06:56):
you're seeing one individual andthat there are many, many, many
other ways that it impactssomebody's life.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And that's terribly important.
I'm glad you shared that Evenfor me, because I'm excited
because I've really come to lovethe Good Doctor as a show.
But there's a lot of work.
Even in the show they showed alot of the work that went into
shaping the young gentleman, theyoung doctor, into the man he
(07:25):
is today and the work hecontinues to do to become a
proficient and awell-acknowledged doctor.
What do people look to?
The Autism Society of Maryland.
For once they've gotten thediagnosis that they have a
person with autism in theirfamily.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Right.
So if somebody calls us, let'ssay if it's a parent with a
young child, they may have justreceived a diagnosis or are
awaiting a final diagnosis.
So we're going to be there andjust be sort of a warm place to
land and with information andresources we connect them to
(08:07):
other organizations that may behelpful, make sure that they're
aware of all of the things thatare available within the school
system, all the differenttherapies that are available.
It can be very overwhelming toparents who are just receiving
this diagnosis, but we want tomake sure that they get to all
the best information that theyknow, that they can call us,
(08:29):
educate themselves and alsoconnect with other parents.
That's very important too.
And at the same time we alsosee a lot of adults who are
looking for diagnosis or whohave received a diagnosis or
perhaps have sort ofself-diagnosed.
They don't have an officialdiagnosis, so they're looking
for resources as well and thatmay be for employment, for
(08:50):
mental health assistance, forjust anything else to help them
understand their diagnosis andconnect to the autism community.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Right Now in your position as executive director?
What in your diaspora ofexperience?
I think you've had more thanwhat 20 years experience close
there.
What is the perception or theenvironment surrounding even the
dialogue surrounding autism?
How has that changed over thelast few decades, then, as to
(09:22):
where we are now?
Right decades, then, as towhere we are now.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Right, well, I think what we started out with, and
this month used to be calledAutism Acceptance Month- I'm
sorry, Autism Awareness Month.
So I think there's been a lot ofwork to make people aware of
what autism is.
I think most people are awareof the term, at least, and
familiar with it somewhat, evenif it's just through media.
(09:46):
I think where we are now is tobring acceptance of individuals
with autism and their familiesto our community, and then the
next step is just inclusioninclusion in the classroom and
the employment in the communityand how we can tap into all
those great talents and be morewelcoming and understanding.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Wonderful, wonderful, and I think you illustrated
that fairly well, actually verywell.
But let's go back to the termacceptance as opposed to
awareness, and acceptance issomething a bit more active and
is asking you something more ofpeople than to be aware of
something.
(10:29):
They're asking.
We're asking people to acceptit.
Why is that change importantfor people with autism and their
families?
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I think it's all need to be aware, as you know,
whether you are an employer, ifyou are providing recreational
activities or community events,about autism.
We do a lot of training in thecommunity for swim instructors,
folks who do recreationalactivities, employers, employers
(11:07):
.
So one of the things that wetalk to employers about is how
you can be more accepting to acandidate who is neurodiverse
Everything from the interviewprocess and the onboarding to
making accommodations, which canbe very simple, and bringing
that person to be part of theteam in the workplace.
So that's acceptance, not justbeing aware.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Acceptance is important and getting accepted
into your program.
You mentioned earlier thatpeople can call on your
organization when they receivethe diagnosis or when they're
waiting for a diagnosis.
How do they contact yourorganization and what are the
first steps like?
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Sure, you can reach out by phone or email, and I
also have people who justmessage us through social media
all these ways and we will getback to you.
We have a resource coordinatorhere in Montgomery County that
will respond.
We also have a Spanish languagecoordinator.
We have a large Latinocommunity that has come together
(12:09):
and we're able to provideresources.
So we'll reach back out andwe'll get information and find
out exactly what the personneeds and then try to provide
the resources or connect them tothe next level, whether it's to
connect with somebody in theschool system, some kind of
advocate, anything at all.
(12:30):
That would be helpful.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And the services you describe are so diverse.
It seems that you're sharingthat, regardless of age, there's
a need, yes, and regardless ofage, there's a way to meet that
need through your organization.
In terms of resources.
What are some of the resourcesthat you'd or services that you
(12:53):
provide for, say, afive-year-old and their family
versus someone that's anadolescent or a bit older and
their diagnosis?
Sure someone that's anadolescent or a bit older in
their diagnosis?
Sure.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
We have basic sort of like introductory, a letter, a
checklist, if you will, forsomebody who just has a young
child that's been diagnosed,some of the things that you want
to get on your radar throughthe school system, through the
state, some national resources.
Just so that you're aware, wealso have that for transition
(13:27):
age youth, which would be 14 to21, as you're thinking about
your young person entering theadult world, and then we have
adult resources, so we wouldshare those with you.
Sometimes people just want totalk.
I think that's very important.
We also have a lot of socialevents picnics.
We have a big walk every everyfall.
(13:47):
We have swim parties, just sopeople can come and feel welcome
, meet other families, becausethe most important thing is that
connection and knowing that youare not alone.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
all right and not being alone.
And you're not alone today, no,I'm not.
So we're going to shift gears,uh and, and take a break,
because one thing we always loveto do on the what's Happening
MoCo podcast not only answerquestions like what's happening,
but provide residents withcounty resources.
So we'll take a break and hearabout the autism voucher program
that the county has forfamilies of people and people
(14:21):
with autism.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Good morning.
My name is Karen Gibson.
I'm an administrator here atDepartment of Health and Human
Services Aging and DisabilityAutism Waiver Program.
I am one of the administratorshere to talk about the Autism
Waiver Program and eligibility.
The Autism Waiver Program beganin 2001, and it has began as a
(14:42):
pilot but now it has grown toover 1,500 clients statewide in
the state of Maryland.
So the Autism Waiver Program isa home and community-based
1915C waiver where the federalgovernment funds a portion of
the waiver program and the stateof Maryland funds the other
(15:04):
portion of the waiver programand the state of Maryland funds
the other portion of the waiverprogram.
Each kid that is eligible has tocome in and meet certain
criteria in order to qualify.
But the first step into a childdiagnosed with autism being
(15:31):
eligible is that they have to beon the autism waiver registry
list and that registry listbegins with a parent calling in
to the number and registeringtheir child to be called at some
point to apply for the waiverand moving forward.
Once a child's name comes offtheir registry they will be sent
to their local school system.
For example, in MontgomeryCounty it's Montgomery County
Public School System.
(15:51):
We have a colleague there,daniel Hammond, who takes the
lead in initiating theenrollment and eligibility
process for each child comingoff of the waiver program.
There are certain eligibilityrequirements.
For example, you have to livein the state of Maryland, you
have to be enrolled inMontgomery County public school
(16:13):
system, you have to have an IEP.
The IEP has to have more than15 hours of special education
hours per week and you cannotlive in a different state and
receive these services.
Once we've established that,then it moves to the medical
eligibility.
The medical eligibilityrequirements is completed per an
(16:36):
assessment by the school systempsychologist dedicated to the
autism waiver program, autismWaiver Program.
Once that assessment is done,that assessment determines
whether the student is eligibleto come on to the waiver program
and then the next step in thatprocess is the enrollment.
So if a child is technicallyqualified and medically
(16:59):
qualified and eligible, then itmoves to the enrollment.
So one of our case managers onour service coordination team
here at HHS will do theenrollment process.
That means that yourapplication is sent off to
Maryland State Department ofEducation and the Maryland
Department of Health forprocessing that particular
student into the autism waiverprogram.
(17:20):
So there are many moving partsto becoming eligible but we all
work together to make sure thateach qualifying student will
become and receive those autismwaiver services, and I will pass
the baton to allow Ms MelindaBudu to explain the services
that a potential studenteligible will receive.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Good morning.
My name is Melinda Budu.
I am the Autism Waiver ProgramManager here from Montgomery
County Health and Human Services.
So under the Autism Waiver forChildren with Services the
services that they can receivethere are several different
services.
(18:02):
They have IISS, which standsfor intensive individual support
services.
This is a one-on-one,one-on-one service that they can
get with a technician to helpimproving their self-help,
socialization, communication,daily living function,
functional living management,adaptive skills to reside
(18:27):
successfully in the home and outin the community.
Another service that they canalso receive is called therapy
integration, ti, regular orintensive.
There's two different ones, justbased off of the child's needs.
They can either it's astructured after-school program
(18:48):
they can go on weekends, duringnon-school days, and it provides
therapeutic activities such asthey can do art, dance,
socialization, just to give thema little bit more activity
after school, them a little bitmore activity after school.
(19:10):
The next service that they canalso have is respite care.
Respite is provided inside thechild's home and we also do have
respite camps that they can goto, either respite weekends or
weekly during the summer thatsome of the camps provide, the
(19:32):
summer that some of the campsprovide, and that's respite.
Another service is familyconsultation, which is done in
person, and it's justindividualized consultation and
training provided to the child'sfamily.
Adult life planning is anotherservice which is family-centered
, focused on educating andsupporting the family, assessing
adult community services onbehalf of the participant.
This service usually startsaround age 16 through age 21
(19:54):
when the child ages out of thewaiver.
We also have EnvironmentalAccessibility Adaptations, eaa,
which is funds that the waiverprogram has that can actually
help make adaptations to thehome for health and safety
reasons.
And the last service isresidential habilitation,
(20:16):
regular or intensive, just basedon the child's needs.
It is just community-basedresidential placement for
children who cannot live in ahome because they require highly
supervised and supportiveenvironments with goals of
returning the child to the home.
So those are the services underthe autism waiver that each
child can have access to oncethey do come on to the waiver.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
And we're back.
We just learned about the VUTSAprogram from Montgomery County,
maryland, for people withautism, and we're still.
We just learned about theVulture Program from Montgomery
County, maryland, for peoplewith autism and we're still here
with Melissa and we have.
We're learning so much aboutthe Autism Society of Maryland
and their, their movement, fromjust being in Howard County but
now having a strong presence inMontgomery County.
(21:01):
Let's talk about that.
And then let's also take a stepback and talk about where
people can connect with yourorganization as well from
Montgomery County.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
There was an Autism Society of Montgomery County
here for many years and it wasall volunteer.
And as those parents got alittle older they decided they
(21:33):
wanted to sort of step back andasked if we would be interested
in merging our two organizations, which we did in the fall of
2023.
Oh, wow, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
That's right on the heels of COVID.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Wow, I have to ask the question.
I always ask the question.
Yes, how was it operatingduring COVID?
The needs didn't end becauseCOVID happened.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
No, the needs just just increased and and we're
still feeling that I thinkpeople are just still coming out
of some of that isolation andsome of the impact of lost
learning at school.
So it was not easy.
As with lots of nonprofits, wejust kind of pivoted and we made
it work.
(22:16):
We took everything online asmuch as we could.
We had extra grant funds forindividuals who were out of work
or had other struggles and wejust did whatever we could do in
partnership with the countieswhere we were working.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Oh, wonderful, wonderful.
So thanks for being here inMontgomery County, maryland.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Thank you we love additional resources.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Yes, and particular types of resources really gets
me excited and, I think, a lotof residents excited as well.
Let's talk about the cost foryour services in the county.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
There is no cost.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
We provide all these resources at no cost.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
We happily accept donations and support absolutely
, but we do make all of ourprograms and events available at
no cost.
Oh wow, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
That's amazing.
Now, as executive director,there's many things you do as
part of your job.
You coordinate efforts, youallocate resources.
What are some of the otherthings that you do behind the
scenes to help create anenvironment where you can offer
free services to people withautism and their families?
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Well, I have a terrific staff and I think
that's really important.
Most of our staff members areeither autism parents themselves
or they're autistic.
I think that gives you a reallygreat insight, and so it's kind
of bringing them all together.
Certainly some of thefundraising and grant writing
that goes on just theorganization, the day-to-day
(23:38):
operation and making sureeverything's running smoothly
and all of my wonderful staffmembers have what they need in
order to serve our families andadults.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
It takes a team.
It does take a team and then ittakes a community and it takes
a county to provide all thesupport needed, right, it does
All.
Right.
Now, you mentioned before thatthere's different ways to
contact your organization.
What is your website?
I think you may have mentionedit, but let's say it one more
time.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yes, it's autismsocietymdorg.
That's our website.
You can reach us through that.
Our email is info atautismsocietymdorg, at
autismsocietymdorg, and you canalso call our office at
410-290-3466.
(24:26):
The webpage has a Spanishlanguage page and also Google
Translate, so you can access itin over 120 languages.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Oh wow, 120.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
And with Montgomery County being one of the most
culturally diverse counties inthe country, not only Maryland.
That's very appropriate,Absolutely.
Oh wow, that's amazing, soamazing.
And for people like myself thatare not the best spelling aces
out there autism is spelled withA-U-T-I-S-M.
(24:57):
There's no Z in there, right?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
No, z no Zism Okay.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Autism.
All right, and you mentionedearlier that you have a full
team of people behind you.
I do.
We're going to talk to one ofthose team members in just a
moment, and it happens to be ateam member that is a person
with autism, correct?
What can you say about thisteam member, as if she's not in
the room?
And now I will allow you tointroduce your colleague, your
(25:28):
teammate, so I get to introduceher?
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Yes, please do.
Kristen Letnick is our resourcecoordinator in Montgomery
County.
She came to us end of lastsummer and it's been just a
privilege to have her with us.
Not only is she wonderfulworking with our families and
individuals with autism, butshe's just very eloquent in
expressing you know her personalexperience and sharing that, so
(25:53):
we're really lucky to have her.
We're using the magic of media,yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Listening to the podcast.
The next voice you'll hear,other than mine, will be Kristen
.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
All right.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
And the magic of media as well.
The next person you'll seetalking to me will be Kristen as
well.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Very good.
So, kristen, come on down.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
All right.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And we're back with Kristen of the Autism Society of
Maryland and, unlike some otherpeople that may be serving
people and residents ofMontgomery County with autism
and their families.
You have autism.
How does?
Speaker 5 (26:55):
that.
How does serving in your rolebeing a person with autism make
you feel it's rewarding?
Because I'm able to help peopleon the autism spectrum or like
the families that have people onthe autism spectrum, and help
them, help educate them inthings they might not know, and
(27:15):
it's kind of like every littlestep counts.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
All right Now.
What has your job been like sofar when you first came there,
and some of the duties you hadthen, and what are some of your
duties now?
Speaker 5 (27:26):
So I came from a clinical mental health
counseling background, so I wasa therapist and I did case
management and crisisintervention and things like
that and that actually helps alot in this job in ways I didn't
realize.
I did a lot of researchingresources, putting it out there,
(27:46):
because that's kind of part ofbeing a case manager too, and I
ended up doing that in this job.
It kind of taught me supportivelistening, active listening
skills that I might not haveotherwise had since I'm on the
spectrum.
It kind of like taught me moreabout communication.
So that helps me in this job.
Also.
It helps me with kind of likeboundaries in terms of knowing
(28:08):
where I can help and where Ineed to step back and kind of
refer people out and know thatyou know it doesn't take one
person to save everyone.
Like you need to have a team todo it.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Right.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
And you have to know, like when you have to put your
ego aside, kind of, and knowwhen this is too much for me, I
have to, but these people mightbe able to help you, that kind
of thing.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
How do?
How do young people?
Because you have a, you have ayouthful look.
I'm not sure how old you are.
Don't, don't, don't share yourage.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
I'm older than you, way older than you think.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
How do how do people that are people with autism
respond to you?
When they see this powerful,professional woman who also has
autism, how do they respond toyou?
Does that, does that affectthem at all?
Do you find that there's aspecial connection or are they
(29:00):
inspired?
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Well, I mean, I think if they are, they're not going
to just say that to my face uponmeeting me at first.
Like Kristen, you're veryinspiring, but I think I have
inspired people on the spectrum.
But I think I have inspiredpeople on the spectrum.
I can kind of just tell thatthey gravitate towards me.
(29:24):
I think, in a way, they see meas a role model, which is great.
Not something I was everexpecting, I think also because
I am pretty decent atcommunicating, so I can kind of
be like an advocate for them too.
Um so yeah, I think so.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah, and I will say you're very decent at
communicating, but you're alsovery personable, so you're
actually funny as well.
So offline, you guys missed afew, uh, very well-timed jokes.
Um, to help to ease thingsforward.
Um, you mentioned earlier thatyou have a background in
counseling.
Now what's special about thatand that it helps you?
(30:05):
I think you may have alluded toit a little bit earlier, but
how does that help you in someof the services that you provide
now?
Speaker 5 (30:13):
So crisis intervention is something I did
a lot in my past work and evendealing with people who are
suicidal just under crisis.
And while I don't havenecessarily that kind of crisis
I'm running into in this job,people tend to reach out for
(30:35):
help when they're kind offeeling in crisis right Like a
lot of people aren't going toreach out for help if they don't
need it right then.
And people on the autismspectrum and their families have
a lot of balls in the air tojuggle.
So it's kind of like once theyfeel so overwhelmed, that might
be when they reach out.
So it's kind of like being ableto help them not feel as
(31:00):
overwhelmed and help them knowthat support and services are
out there.
So there is some kind of somede-escalation a little bit
sometimes and it's just it'salso helpful in knowing kind of
crisis prevention in terms oflike looking at some flags in
terms of this might turn into acrisis if we don't act now, if
(31:22):
they don't have these services,even if it's not one right now,
if that makes sense.
And not not all the requests arelike that.
Some of them are just kind oflike uh, I'm looking for support
groups, but at the same time, Ifeel like when people are
looking for something like that,that means they need them for a
reason, and they're so.
They're just not expressing howstressed and overwhelmed they
(31:44):
are.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Right, and so it's not a one fits all, one size
fits all solution.
Yeah, definitely To people thatcome for services.
All right, Now you mentionedthat families are juggling a lot
of balls when it comes to thisparticular situation.
What are some of the thingsthat families are dealing with
(32:04):
and that some of the things thatpeople with autism are dealing
with when you first encounterthem at the autism society?
Speaker 5 (32:13):
So, like Melissa said before, it's kind of like a not
one size fits all thing.
You've met one person.
I mean it's the same withfamilies.
There are a lot of differentprograms and stuff that help,
but because every individual andevery child on the spectrum is
a little different, what worksfor one person might not work
for another, so you never reallyknow what you're going to get
(32:36):
in a way and I just forgot whatthe question was.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
You were, you were, you were actually, you were
answering the question.
Speaker 5 (32:44):
Yeah, and then I like forgot what it was.
I was just like wait, I wantedto go back to CSR.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
What are some of the the balls?
What are some of the thingsthat families are juggling on?
Different priorities, differentum things to learn that they
are coping with as they wait fora diagnosis or after they've
been diagnosed with autism.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
So one important thing just an example is it's a
lot of challenges to manage whenyou're not used to it.
It's connecting to differentservices.
There might be a financialaspect to that.
The waiting lists for servicescan be years, so you might be
going without services.
(33:31):
There are some people wherethey find, especially if you're
a single parent, that can bevery difficult in trying to take
care of your child but alsoneed to, you know, make money
and put food on a table, and sosometimes people can't work
while they're trying to balanceall this, and so the parent ends
up taking on all that stressthemselves.
(33:51):
And you know that's I meanthat's why we have the support
groups, but so they're just.
It's like.
So for single parenting it'skind of like everything's just
magnified because your child hasother needs that you need to
figure out how those are goingto be met, and it's hard to kind
of like take care of yourselfat the same time.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
But they don't have to do it alone, because they
have the Autism Society ofMaryland.
Speaker 5 (34:18):
Yeah, and one of our support groups that are online
is actually focused on self-careand run by a social worker, so
that's one I like to referpeople to.
A lot, a lot of these parentsthat are struggling, especially
when they're first-time parentsto kids on the spectrum.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
It seems like there's a lot to take on as a parent
when there's additional needsthat need to be met, aside from
some of the traditional thingsproviding and shelter and all
those things and it's good thatyour organization is there with
the understanding of wherethey're coming from and how to
meet them there, and you tailorsolutions and not provide a one
(34:58):
size fits all.
What do you want people andthis is your moment to share
whatever you believe you wantpeople to know about people with
autism.
Speaker 5 (35:16):
So that's a loaded question that would take a long
time to answer but I will justshare a few things.
Uh, so one thing is uh kind ofgoes back to what Melissa was
talking with you about, um,about the kind of the spectrum
and how everyone's a littledifferent and can have different
(35:36):
strengths and weaknesses andneeds.
A lot of people still kind ofuse the functioning labels like
that person is low functioningversus that person is high
functioning.
And so I think something that'simportant to know is if you
call somebody like highfunctioning, for example, that
can kind of cause a snapjudgment, especially with people
(35:59):
who aren't as familiar withautism, and they might just get
the impression that person hasno needs, they don't need any
support, that kind of thing.
And then vice versa, for thelow functioning, oh, they can't
handle anything themselves, theyneed all the supports, they're
completely incapable.
And neither of that is accurate.
The environment can cause peopleto suddenly become lower
(36:23):
functioning stressors, trauma,just different things, different
things in your life, so it'sjust it kind of waxes and wanes.
So I don't know what thesolution is exactly for that.
But I know the functioninglabel isn't, doesn't paint an
accurate picture.
Well, that's good to know.
Thank you for sharing that.
I know the functioning labeldoesn't paint an accurate
picture.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
Well, that's good to know.
Thank you for sharing that.
I really appreciate that.
And we have to go back fullcircle, because I don't think
you can say it enough times howdo people get resources and how
to get access to the resourcesavailable from the Autism
Society of Maryland?
So let's do the website onemore time, which is so that is
(37:00):
wwwautismsocietymdorg.
All right, and the phone numberto the call 410-290-3466.
All right, and they can accessthose at any time.
And, of course, the websitecomes in a variety of different
languages, so language is nobarrier to getting access to the
(37:22):
services available, and welearned so much today.
Thank you so much for sharingfrom a personal note and also
from a very qualifiedprofessional note as well.
Are there any things that youthink would benefit anyone that
may have the inkling that theirloved one has autism?
(37:44):
What's the first indicator thatsomeone might need to be
assessed?
Gosh, and it's okay if you'renot qualified to share it, but
what are some of the indicatorsthat, if you're not qualified to
share it, but what are some ofthe indicators that?
Speaker 5 (38:02):
So it just it kind of depends and women can present
differently from men.
Lack of eye contact tends to bea thing, having special
interests, but like really kindof obsessed with those special
interests.
One of the classic signs iskind of like hand flapping, but
not everyone does that.
But there can be other littleidiosyncrasies people have with
(38:24):
behaviors that seem a littlelike quirky.
A lot of times you meet someoneand they seem quirky or off
somehow and just not presentingas typical.
That person might be autisticor they just might be
neurodiverse.
So there can just be littlethings and the thing is you
(38:46):
might not see them all, becausesome people on the autism
spectrum know how to mask theirsymptoms, especially females,
because a lot of females havebeen conditioned to be more
nurturing and learn socialskills and things.
So that ends up impacting thembecause they kind of like it's
like being an actress then, butit's exhausting.
(39:07):
So you're putting on an act andthen you come home and you're
just like I'm so tired and Ijust want to be myself, you know
.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
Wow, that's amazing.
That's so interesting.
It's hard to imagine how muchenergy goes into and extra
effort goes into what's requiredto build up people with autism
from the family support as wellas the individual strength that
(39:34):
it takes.
So we're going to put someapplause in here for people with
autism right here, and thenalso for the Autism Society and
to you out there, the residentsof Montgomery County, maryland,
for asking the question what'shappening in MoCo, because you
deserve the answers.
If you like this podcast, ifyou find anything in this
valuable, please like, share and, of course, subscribe.
(39:58):
And don't forget to reach outto the Autism Society of
Maryland.
They have a lot of excitingthings coming up and they have a
lot of great people workingthere, so check them out.
Thank you, thanks for listeningand please subscribe.
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