Professor Carl Elliott’s new book The Occasional Human Sacrifice, is about whistleblowers in medicine. In this episode, we discuss the whistleblowers at Willowbrook, a residential institution for autistic and developmentally disabled people that was exposed for human rights abuses in 1972. We talk about the case, the experience of being a whistlebl…

Tony Spiridakis, Bobby Cannavale & Alex Plank I was thrilled to talk with Tony Spiridakis and Alex Plank about the new film Ezra, which Tony wrote and produced alongside director Tony Goldwyn, and which Alex associate produced, acted and consulted on. Ezra is a comedic drama starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne and introducing Wi…

While the podcast is on a brief hiatus as I finish my book (yay!), I’m sharing this interview that Shawn Pickard hosted with me for Voices for Abilities radio. We discussed how Canadian autism policy needs to move from a charity perspective to a rights perspective and how the inclusion and neurodiversity movements are working for the changes that a…

I spoke with Dr. Molly Colvin and Dr. Tannahill Glen about their new book, Altered Trajectories: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Children’s Education, Mental Health and Neurodevelopment, co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Linton Reesman. We discussed the educational impact of school closures, as well as the mental health impact on kids. A crucial top…

Julie Kingstone & Keenan Wellar, co-leaders of LiveWorkPlay I had the honour of speaking with Keenan Wellar, founder of LiveWorkPlay about the organization’s work helping the community welcome and include people with intellectual disabilities, autistic persons, and those with a dual diagnosis in housing, work and leisure. LiveWorkPlay is a model fo…

I spoke with Dr. Andrew Whitehouse from the University of Western Australia about autistic life, gut hype, same-foods, the problem of pseudoscience and the shifting nature of autism research. Listen to the podcast by playing the audio file below, or on streaming sites like Spotify, Stitcher or ApplePodcasts. https://noncompliantpodcast.com/wp-conte…

I spoke with vaccine researcher and expert Dr. Paul Offit, whose book Autism’s False Prophets explores false narratives about autism, including the myth that the MMR vaccine causes autism. We talked about that history, as well as the present challenge of the current anti-vaccine movement and the need to speak the truth, even when it’s complicated. …

I talked with Dr. Lucy McBride about Covid anxiety, how it’s impacted us all and what we can do about it. We also talked about how family practitioners can make their practices more accessible for autistic patients–and all patients–by thinking outside the box. #AutisticHealthAccessProject Listen to the podcast by playing the audio file below, or on…

I wrote this poem about the summer and our beautiful earth https://noncompliantpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/summer-of-hell.mp3By a4aontario

I had an amazing conversation with Fergus Murray, a Scottish science educator, writer, autistic advocate and author of the Monotropism.org website. We talked about the concept of monotropism, which was co-founded by Murray’s late mother, Dr. Dinah Murray, as well as Fergus’s experiences growing up in a neurodivergent household and the joys of Autsc…

I had a fascinating conversation with Finn Gardiner, Director of Policy & Advocacy for the Autistic People of Color Fund about the incredible work of the Fund’s mutual aid project that positively impacts so many individuals’ lives. We also discussed institutional ableism, racism and “nice white lady syndrome”, as well as the troubling problems with…

. In this episode, I spoke with health historian Matthew Smith from the University of Strathclyde. We discussed his new book, The First Resort: The History of Social Psychiatry in the United States, as well as neurodiversity, the promise of Universal Basic Income and more. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below or on streaming sites like Spo…

I spoke with Guy Stephens, executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) and Chantelle Hyde, lead Canadian Volunteer with The Alliance Against Restraint and Seclusion and co-founder of the Canadian Coalition Against Seclusion and Restraint in Schools, founded early in 2023. We discussed the high prevalence of the use of …

Today I spoke with Julie Roberts, founder of Therapist Neurodiversity Collective (TNDC). We talked about the ABA industry’s troubling attempts to dominate autism services and funding, as well as the culture shift needed to increase support for neurodiversity-affirming autism supports and services. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also…

I wrote this short spoken word about the experience of grief after all we’ve been through in the pandemic. It’s really just a story, without a message except: we need to talk about our feelings, perhaps now more than ever. https://noncompliantpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Anne-Matt-Extra-File.mp3…

Today I spoke with Professor Alan Levinovitz, author of Natural: How Faith in Nature’s Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science. We talked about the myth of the natural, pseudoscience, neurodiversity and post-pandemic life. Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes. https://n…

“Basically they’re slowly being poisoned with a corrosive agent.” It is difficult to hear about what happens to children who are trapped by the so-called bleach cult, a multi-level marketing scheme that has spread across the continents, promising “cures” for everything from broken bones and cancer to Covid-19 and autism. The 4 leaders of a major MM…

Kristina House I had such an inspiring conversation with Kristina House, who’s co-founded Passages, an experimental hybrid learning space for neurodivergent students and other students, in Toronto! Listen to the podcast on the audio link below. Also available on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes. Read the transcript below audio link. https://noncompliant…

Jorn Bettin I had a fascinating conversation with AutCollab co-founder Jorn Bettin about new approaches to autism; namely, thinking outside the box of the pathologizing approach of the DSM and moving towards a collaborative, de-colonizing, grassroots approach to autistic liberation—one that also helps to heal our broken world. (Just some light, cha…

Alex Greninger I had an amazing conversation with University of Washington virologist Dr Alex Greninger, whose team innovated one of the earliest Covid tests. We talked about how they developed the test; public health policy; the current monkeypox crisis; other viruses & “the 2022 effect”; and the virological and sociological implications of the pa…

My guest this episode is Alicia Broderick, author of the new book The Autism Industrial Complex: How Branding, Marketing, and Capital Investment Turned Autism Into Big Business. Her book traces the cultural, political, and economic history of autism. We talk about the history of autism services, how industry greed often gets in the way of useful ap…

Lei Wiley Mydske In this episode I speak with the amazing Lei Wiley Mydske, founder of the neurodiversity library movement and creator of the Neurodivergent Narwals. We talk about neurodiversity libraries (including how to start one!), community-building, disability justice, activism, hope and more. Listen to the podcast at the link below. Also ava…

In this episode, I interview Charles Arthur, the author of Social Warming: the dangerous and polarising effects of social media. We discuss the history of social media and current problems with social media, particularly disinformation on a global scale, as well as what we can do to combat this crisis. Listen to the podcast via the audio file below…

Ryan Hendry The Noncompliant podcast came out of hiatus this week to talk with autistic advocate Ryan Hendry about Spectrum10K, a currently-proposed project by UK business interests to collect DNA data on autistic children and adults for a database to sell to companies for commercial ventures. Ryan and I discussed the ethical implications of the pr…

I had an amazing conversation with Drs Anila D’Mello and Liron Rozenkrantz from MIT about their research review and other work about autism, rationality and cognition! Listen to the episode by clicking the audio file below or on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes here. Read the transcript below the audio file. . https://noncompliantpodcast.com/wp-content/…

Haley Moss I had such a great conversation with autistic lawyer Haley Moss about her book Great Minds Think Differently. In this episode, we discuss neurodiversity in law and the workplace, autistic hyperfocus and Haley’s upcoming book, The Young Autistic Adult’s Independence Handbook (launching November 2021 & available by preorder)! Listen to the…

In this episode, I talk with Professors Kristen Bottema-Beutel and Micheal Sandbank, who have done a systematic review and meta-analysis of 151 group design studies of interventions for young autistic children. For this work, Dr. Sandbank was awarded the Young Investigator Award in 2021 from the International Society of Autism Research. Drs Bottema…

In this episode, I talk with Occupational Therapist Greg Santucci about the problems with ABA from his perspective as a practitioner, as well as new and better approaches in schools and the challenges of the post-pandemic period in education. An interesting and inspiring conversation! Listen to the podcast at the audio link below or on Stitcher or …

In this episode, we discuss the basics of stem cells, medical tourism, false claims about stem cells as an autism treatment, bioethical issues within the field of stem cells and methodological issues in autism research—with discussion of Duke University’s Marcus Center for Autism and The Stem Cell Institute of Panama among others. This is such an i…

John Summers John Summers’ recent expose in The Nation looks at the relationship between private equity companies and the autism service Applied Behaviour Analytics (or ABA) in Massachusetts, where he lives. In this episode, John and I talk about the business of ABA and the problematic industries built around autism. His analysis is incredibly key …

I wrote this recently, about radiation treatment for cancer. To listen, click the audio file below. https://noncompliantpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Anne_Borden_Dec211.mp3 .By a4aontario

Eric Garcia I had a really interesting conversation with journalist Eric Garcia about his upcoming book, We’re Not Broken, which focuses on the social and policy gaps that exist in supporting autistic people. We talked about the current policy landscape, media bias and the challenges and recent triumphs of the autistic rights movement. Listen to th…

I had the great pleasure and honour of talking with Shabaaz and Pete from CripChat UK, on their podcast. We discussed autism pseudoscience, the Sia film controversy and much more. Listen to the podcast right here by clicking the audio link below or on Stitcher here or on iTunes here . Transcript: Transcript_CripChatUK_1 . https://noncompliantpodcas…

. I wrote this after my recent surgery. Audio here, transcript below. . https://noncompliantpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Nov13_Blog1.mp3 . Transcript: Transcript_Half a Woman_2020By a4aontario

I had a very informative and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Marc D. Feldman, an expert on medical child abuse and factitious disorder. We talked about medical child abuse, including “Munchausen-by-proxy” and the abuse of autistic children through autism pseudoscience. We also talked about supports for survivors and what we all can do to st…

A poem I wrote about having cancer treatments https://noncompliantpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/blog_audio_2.mp3By a4aontario

In this podcast, I interviewed Melissa Eaton, one of the first (and most effective) campaigners against autism pseudoscience. We talked about phony autism cures and what we can all do to stop the people selling them. Listen to the podcast right here by clicking the audio link below. Listen to this episode on Stitcher here Listen to this episode on …

In this episode, I talk with Matt Brignall, ND, about how the natural health movement has been co-opted over the past 3 decades by capitalist interests, as well as what we can all do to counter Covid pseudoscience and antivax. Listen to the podcast here by clicking the audio link below. Listen to this episode on Stitcher here Listen to this episode…

This is a fascinating interview with Alfie Kohn, who has been researching and writing about education, parenting, authority and co-operative learning for years, driving home a simple fact: rewards and punishment are two sides of the same coin –and they’re not helping us to raise the kind of children we say we want to raise. “The problem with ABA,” …

Touching Greatness chats with NFL offensive lineman Ted Karras who’s just into Free Agency after his first four pro seasons with the New England Patriots where he played center this past season and snapping the ball to Tom Brady in 16 of their games including the playoffs. It’s a very prideful week for the Karras … Continued See Privacy Policy at h…

In this podcast, Gaby and I discussed racism in the education system, the disability hierarchy, media bias and representations of the self-advocacy movement, eye contact and cultural norms, the power of social media, the situation in Ontario and more! Listen to the podcast at the audio link below. Listen to this episode on Stitcher here & on iTunes…

Former Chicago Bears safety Doug Plank again joins Touching Greatness to preview this weekend’s four NFL Divisonal playoff games and Monday night’s College Football Playoff title game between LSU and Clemson. It’s insight that only an ex-player can bring to the discussion so enjoy his passion for the sport along with his expertise as a … Continued …

In this broad-ranging interview, Dr. Damian Milton & I discuss the theory of the “double empathy problem”; hyperfocus/flow state; autistic parenting; the medical versus social model of disability; the subjectivity of outcome measures; and the diverse ways in which autism itself is framed and defined. Listen to the interview at the audio link below …

Touching Greatness speaks with legendary Chicago Bears safety and my Sports USA Radio colleague Doug Plank about his playing days under Coach Buddy Ryan (who named his famous ’46 Defense’ for Plank’s number) and what to expect from the NFL Wild Card weekend. After listening to Doug’s passion for the game, you may just want … Continued See Privacy P…

Touching Greatness covered the Christmas night game between the Lakers and Clippers and spoke with each team’s play by play voices John Ireland of ESPN-LA Radio and Prime Ticket’s Brian Sieman along with longtime Lakers Public Address announcer Lawrence Tanter. If you’re into either or both teams, you’ll get the inside scoop on the state … Continue…

Rose Bowl HOF Coach and my longtime Sports USA Radio colleague John Robinson joins Touching Greatness to talk about being the consultant to LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron on their way to the nation’s top ranking and #1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoffs. Coach Robinson led USC to a National Championship in … Continued See Privacy Po…

“”There’s a lot of people out there who are going to try and tell you what your kid needs, but really, autistic people are the ones who actually do know.” I had a fascinating conversation with Shannon Rosa, co-founder and editor of The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, about parenting, autism pseudoscience and autistic acceptance. Our conversation…

Touching Greatness previews Breeders Cup weekend with Kentucky Derby and Preakness winning trainer Doug O’Neill (who even gives out a few tips) and Breeders Cup President and CEO Craig Fravel who discuss the importance of a safe and sound two big days of racing at Santa Anita amidst the very controversial past year at Santa … Continued See Privacy …

Touching Greatness speaks with three time NFL Champion and two time Pro Bowl center Bill Curry about his career as a player in Green Bay, Baltimore and the Rams and national coach of the year at Alabama. Bill snapped balls to Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, and Joe Namath while playing under legendary coaches Vince Lombardi, … Continued See Privacy Poli…

The NFL is finally back and one of the league’s most recognized officials in history joins Touching Greatness as Dr. Jim Tunney recalls his years as a referee and talks about the evolution of the game from the great George Halas to today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-n…