April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance month, and might be the only time of year when many Americans think about neurodiversity. But for many families, receiving an autism diagnosis for a child can set off an all-consuming search for doctors, therapists, and education that can work for their kids. That’s more complicated for African-American families, who have to overcome systemic racism in schools and health care to get the right help for their children. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Dr. Ashley Wiley-Johnson. She’s the vice president of The Los Angeles Speech and Language Therapy Center. She’s also the co-author of Autism Spectrum Disorders from Theory to Practice: Assessment and Intervention Tools Across the Lifespan. She explains how finding help that focuses on life-long skills for autistic people can lay a foundation for them to have happy, healthy futures.

Guest: Dr. Ashley Wiley-Johnson, vice president of The Los Angeles Speech and Language Therapy Center

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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