With the unfortunate and completely unnecessary "announcements" over the past couple weeks, trying to link Tylenol with autism, scaring mothers and pregnant women, and perhaps worst of all, dragging the stigma of shame and doubt back into families with autism - we need to talk.

And that's what this podcast is for, to be able to respond and react to these kinds of events, and encourage our community to speak out. You are not alone, we do not each live in an island unto ourselves.

I invited Sarah McCorkle (Episodes 6, 7 & 8) to join me again, so we could share our reactions and perspectives on how to respond to the so-called "directives."

Our health care is far, far too politicized - is there anything these days that isn't? And it's having real, distressing impact on our every day lives. Again, something just completely unnecessary.

Why are we so quick to abandon science and reason for some supposed short-term political gain?

We need to emphasize critical thinking, community involvement, and the value of lived experiences in advocacy.

Do you ever feel that these politicians are just treating all this as a game? Do they not understand the real impacts of their actions? Do they just not care?

We can have a better society, one of compassion and humanity, and I know that authentic conversations are a big step to building one.

Contact Tabitha:

staringdownthestorm@gmail.com