Discovering Autism With Maha Abdelhak Calvalcanti
Maha Abdelhak Calvalcanti discovered autism while falling in love with her unique and effervescent, autistic son, Zane. It was a joy to hear her share about the vast and fascinating world that opened up with Zane’s diagnosis. We talked about the latest in autism and disability, language and advocacy, technology and augmentative alternative communication, and the voices, gifts and wisdom of autistic people, speaking or otherwise. Maha offers wisdom of her own to our heartbroken listener My Kid Needs a Friend. And we wrap up with a charming and valiant ukulele attempt of This Game Called Life.
Maha Abdelhak Cavalcanti is a sought-after leader when it comes to autism, disability, and opening the corporate world to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In her work as an HR strategist, she witnesses first-hand the talent that is often disregarded in favour of the non-disabled, male-dominant status quo. It is Maha’s mission to change this. She is a fearless advocate, pushing for policy change to empower women, people with disabilities, and other minorities. These days, Maha sits on the advisory board of ISAAC Canada, the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, otherwise known as AAC, which we are going to learn about imminently. And among her countless prestigious roles, Maha is the most adored mother of Zane, a delightful, non-speaking, autistic eight-year-old, who inspires her in everything she does.
Plugs and Resources
Check out Lucas’ Letters, a splendid pen pal club for kids who need a friend.
Book by autistic teenager Naomi Higashida: The Reason I Jump
ISAAC, the International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
And if you enjoyed this episode, you will also enjoy Ep. 8: Awkward and Grateful With Kristin Govers and Ep.9: The Big Heart Journey with Taes Leavitt
Half-bad Ukulele Segment: This Game Called Life by Leftover Cuties
Mixing, Ukulele, and Cover Art by Erica J. Schmidt in Montréal, Quebec.
Follow Erica on Facebook or Instagram or check out her website at ericajschmidt.com. You can also make her day by sending her a listener question to any of these places.
Listener Question From “My Kid Needs a Friend”
Dear Erica and Maha,
As I was putting my 9-year-old to bed last night, he told me that no one at school will talk to him or play with him.
My son is on the autism spectrum, and very socially awkward. He does well with his cousins and even the younger neighbor kids like him, but kids his own age are starting to reject him. I knew this was coming. I tried to prepare for it. I’ve talked to him about bullying and have made sure he knows who to turn to when kids do mean things.
But as of right now the kids aren’t doing mean things, at least not in my son’s eyes. They aren’t teasing or physically hurting him. And honestly, I think this is basically how he’s been treated in years past, he just didn’t care. He used to prefer doing things on his own and would never seek out friends. But now he has decided he wants friends. He wants to tell them all about the insane amount of knowledge he has about the US presidents, The Beatles, and anything space related. But the kids at school don’t care about those things.
I’ve tried to tell him that friendships are two-way streets and he needs to be open to things that other kids like as well so that he can get to know them. He doesn’t get it. He wants someone to share his interests, and for the other kids to understand him.
I don’t know how to help him. He told me he’s going to tell his teacher tomorrow, which may be a good thing. Maybe she can give him some pointers. My heart just breaks for him. But I don’t know how to help. All I could do was just hold him while he cried and try to comfort him.
He’ll be in middle school before I know it and I’m worried that he’s going to feel more and more excluded. How can I help him to build at least some sort of social life?
Love, My Kid Needs a Friend
Thank you as always to Taes Leavitt (darling big sister, Big Heart Journey), Sherwin Tjia (technical and creative advisor, Sherwin’s Quirky Events, Episode 22) and my dearly departed aunt Eileen Gun, whose generous gift helped to fund my new podcast equipment. Thank you so much for listening! Stay tuned for more episodes extra soon. Don’t forget to follow This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life on your favourite podcast platform. And if you enjoyed the episode, I would be immensely grateful if you could share it with a friend and/or leave a kind and enthusiastic rating and review.
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