TPP 328: Autism Level UP co-founders Amy Laurent & Jacquelyn Fede on Learning From Autistic Self-Advocates

To close out this season, I’m bringing you an interview with Amy Laurent and Jacquelyn Fede from Austim Level UP! I’m going to go out on a limb and say most of you have probably heard of Autism Level Up or heard Amy and Jacquelyn’s names before. Autism Level Up! Is a resource that I have personally spent hours pouring through because it’s so fantastic , accessible and informative. In this conversation I wanted to talk to Amy and Jacqueline about why they created Autism Level UP!, how the conversation surrounding autism and support for autistic people has changed over the past decade, and how we can all “level up” our own understanding of and experience with autism and neurodivergence.

About my guests

Jac is a super fun, super goofy and SUPER DUPER nerdy Autistic Advocate and the co-founder of Autism Level UP! Jac enjoys supporting Autistic Individuals and their partners as well as program evaluation, data and statistics, and app and web development. Jac is a physical activity junky and continues to meet its intense sensory needs by seeking high impact and highly resistant movements. 

Amy is an OT, co-author of the SCERTS model (a developmental framework for supporting Autistic people), and the co-founder of Autism Level UP!. Amy enjoys supporting Autistic individuals and their partners, co-conspiring as an ally to Autistic people and creative design of useful and accessible tools and supports. Amy has many sensory needs that she meets through running, yoga, dance, paddle boarding and even resistance training as prescribed by her trainer, Jac. 

Things you'll learn from this episode

• The story behind Austin Level Up and how (and why) Amy and Jacquelyn created it
• What the SCERTS model is and the ways in which Autism Level Up has reworked some of its aspects
• What Autism Level Up is and how parents can engage with it
• The difference between emotional regulation and energy regulation

Resources mentioned

• Autism Level UP!
• Autism Level UP! on Facebook
• Autism Level UP! on Instagram
• The S.C.E.R.T.S. Model
• Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Dr. Barry Prizant
• Barry Prizant Talks About His Book “Uniquely Human”
• Dr. Barry Prizant and Dave Finch Talk About Their New Podcast, Uniquely Human (Tilt Parenting Podcast) 
• Dr. Devon Price and Unmasking Autism (Tilt Parenting Podcast) 
• Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price, PhD

Connect with Tilt Parenting

• Visit Tilt Parenting
• Take the free 7-Day Challenge
• Read a chapter of Differently Wired
• Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram

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