I am thrilled to welcome Lisa Sosnowski to the podcast. Lisa is one of the most passionate, dedicated, big-hearted people I’ve met in my life. Her mission is to create a better world for people with autism through high-quality training and community. When Lisa’s young son was diagnosed with autism, she left her career in accounting to care for her son and to make sure that he was getting the best education and care possible. What she found over the years was that there were a lot of gaps in the services offered and that the services they did encounter weren’t providing what her son needed. Rather than sit back and complain about it, Lisa took matters into her own hands and spent years educating herself and connecting with people and resources who could make a difference. The result of all of her time and dedication led Lisa to her vision: creating a world in which people with autism can live and learn and become more independent.
About Lisa Sosnowski
Lisa received her accounting degree from Rutgers. She has over 17 years of corporate accounting experience. Her entire life changed in 2008 when her son was diagnosed with Autism, since then she has dedicated her life to helping him reach his full potential, which included reading over 50 books and taking 100 plus courses on various subjects pertaining to autism, researching the latest studies, and listening to autistic adults. She has volunteered as a parent mentor for SPAN NJ and is a member of the Monmouth County Children’s Inter-Agency Coordinating Councils (C.I.A.C.C.) and their Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committees. Through her investigation into the Autism Services System, and her own son’s traumatic experiences in that system, she identified many gaps that prevent the progress of autistics. Statistics prove that current programs are failing -90% of autistic adults are unemployed or underemployed, and 50% of 25-year-olds have never held a paying job. Harmful labels and the refusal of the Autism Services System to accept that the Spectrum is circular and not linear, limit the ability of autistics to thrive, and focuses more on compliance and “fitting in” instead of revamping the system so they can stand out and achieve positive outcomes. Lisa founded the start-up nonprofit Spectrum Tech Trade School, Village, and Training Center, a trauma-informed, motor-sensory-language, strength-based, experiential empowerment learning ecosystem for autistics aged 12 through adult, that is poised to become the Future of Autism Education and Job Training Across the Lifespan. She hopes to take this model worldwide. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, painting, writing poetry, photography, culinary pursuits, and reading fantasy and horror novels.
Episode Highlights
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- Lisa’s “Why”
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- Language does not equal cognition
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- Lisa’s experience with early intervention
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- Parents need to trust their gut
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- Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) isn’t the solution for everyone
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- The Greenspan Method/Floor time should be considered
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- Lisa’s son’s experience in the public school system
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- Behavior is communication for autistic people
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- Expose your child to language so they will understand others
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- It’s not a choice of schools that we need, it’s a choice of ideas
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- Lisa’s vision: Spectrum Tech Trade School, Village and Training Center
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- The village will provide support and services but enable independence
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- Lisa’s dream is to build Spectrum Tech on a farm
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- Trauma can be treated with bodywork
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- Lisa’s tips for parents of autistic children
Links and Resources
Spectrum Tech Trade School, Village and Training Center
Lisa’s Comprehensive List of Resources – check this out!