The Autistic VOICE Project

• Episode 23: Vaccines, Disinformation, and Why Autism Is Not Worse Than Death

  Matt and Erin are back this week, and we’re taking on the zombie myth that refuses to stay dead: the claim that vaccines cause autism. It’s blunt, it’s necessary, and yeah—we’re not being cute about it. This episode breaks down where the lie came from, why it keeps resurfacing politically, and how it harms autistic people, public trust, and actual human lives.We cover:Where the vaccines-cause-autism myth actually started (Andrew Wakefield, 1998, 13 kids, bad science, revoked license)The difference between misinformation and disinformation—and why intent mattersWhy vaccine injury ≠ autism, and how increased distress gets mislabeled as “more autistic”How this narrative quietly frames autism as worse than death or disability—and why that’s dangerousWhy science revises itself, how retractions work, and why that’s a feature, not a flawHow to find reliable public health information right now, including why Your Local Epidemiologist is worth your timeAlso: dry sarcasm disclaimers, Mexican Coke as the unofficial sponsor, bleach enemas being an absolute hell no, Bob from Tulsa (we love you), and practical ammo for surviving holiday dinners with Uncle Ted and his Facebook medical degree.This one’s direct on purpose. No euphemisms. No soft edges. Vaccines don’t cause autism—and autistic lives are worth defending without apology.Your Local Epidemiologist: Vaccines don’t cause autism. So what does?https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/

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• Episode 22: Invisible Disabilities, Chronic Illness, and the Kind of Pain That Rewrites Your Life

  Content note: This episode is heavier and much longer than usual. It runs about an hour and a half, and it covers medical trauma, chronic illness, and the grief that follows years of being dismissed. If you don’t have the spoons for that right now, it’s completely OK to skip it entirely or come back when you have more capacity.Matt and Erin are here this week — and we start out thinking ahead toward Christmas traditions and Krampus, but then everything drops into the reality of bodies that are breaking down while everyone else thinks we’re fine.We stay with the medical gaslighting, the fear, and the kind of pain you can’t perform loudly enough for anyone to take seriously.We don’t tidy it up; we tell the stark truth because too many Autistic people are carrying this alone.We get into:Invisible disability as a daily negotiation that no one notices until you collapseMedical dismissal that turns “take some Advil” into decades of preventable harmEstrogen, histamines, MCAS, POTS, and the weird constellation of symptoms no doctor connectsThe difference between “bad cramps” and organs bound together by scar tissueHow pain that looks calm from the outside gets treated as imaginaryThe emotional damage of managing crises alone while coordinating your own careThe quiet grief of losing years of functioning before anyone believes youWe’re steadier now because we pushed, insisted, and found the few people who could actually hear us. If you’re going through anything like this, we hope the episode helps you feel less alone while you fight to be believed.Resources Mentioned: Autistic Connections: The community Facebook group associated with this podcast, offering autistic-led support and connection.https://www.facebook.com/groups/619732285448185Buoy: Electrolyte hydration drops that offer a lifetime chronic illness discount.https://justaddbuoy.com/pages/chronic-illness-supportUCSF Endometriosis Center: The specialty clinic where Erin received expert surgical care.https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/endometriosis-centerNancy’s Nook Endometriosis Education: A Facebook-based learning library with medically vetted information and surgeon listings (not a support group).https://www.facebook.com/groups/NancysNookEndoEd/Disney Disability Access Service (DAS): The accommodation system discussed in the episode and its recent policy changes.https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/disability-access-service/

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• Episode 21: Food Sensitivities, Colonial Myths, and the Chaos of Family Tables

  Matt and Erin are back this week with a Thanksgiving episode that’s… honestly, a lot. Food sensitivities, MCAS, sensory overload, historical truth-telling, and why beige food is basically an autistic love language. We also get into the real history behind the holiday, the weirdness of family gatherings, and how to make eating day actually work for your nervous system.We cover:Why Thanksgiving foods can be a sensory minefield (taste, texture, histamines, executive functioning)Family chaos: noise, politics, racist Uncle Bob, and the pressure to “just suffer through it”Autistic food stories: McNugget platters, stuffing experimentation, bread-only buffets, and the rise of the Soft Taco EraMCAS, histamine responses, estrogen shifts, and why your throat might randomly decide “nope”Environmental overwhelm: hardwood floors, too many people, wrong-size spoons, and bringing your own silverwareAlso: Snoopy’s questionable turkey ethics, preschool plays involving the USS Enterprise, Samwise running through a field of potatoes, Mystery Science Theater 3000 marathons, friendly dogs, biker ninjas (allegedly), and Matt almost getting run over by his own car.Take what you need this eating day. Skip what you can’t. And if all you manage is bread and cookies, you’re doing fine. This is the way.

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• Episode 20: Executive Dysfunction, Bottom-Up Brains, and Why YouTube Broke Us Before We Even Hit Record

  Matt and Erin come in hot this week after a 30-minute derailment caused by YouTube’s brand-account labyrinth. Which, of course, turns into a very on-brand deep dive into autistic executive dysfunction, bottom-up processing, and why chaotic systems wreck us more than most people realize.We cover:What executive functions actually are, and why autistic brains struggle when systems make no senseSignposting, scaffolding, and why clear structure helps reduce overwhelmThe Google/YouTube “brand manager” disaster as a real-time case study in autistic frustrationPDA (persistent drive for autonomy), emotional regulation, and the gremlin-with-an-air-horn analogyInvisible disabilities, judgment around “messiness,” and why demand avoidance is not defianceWhen executive dysfunction shows up in daily life: emails, cooking, home tasks, and shutdownsAlso: Godzilla as a non-mouse, ketchup as a sensory buffer, Lego bag numbering, microwave dinners, and Matt’s kid using “Oh, people!” as the ultimate curse word.

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• Episode 19: Tiny Joys, Big Feelings, and the Radical Art of Being Too Much

  Matt, Erin, and returning guest Hunter Hammersen (of Tiny Nonsense) are here this week — and we dive straight into the joy of doing small, “impractical” things that make the world softer. Hunter talks about the sensory comfort and connection of knitting, why autistic joy matters, and how choosing authenticity over “palatable” professionalism changed her life.We also get real about burnout, capitalism, and the audacity of charging what your work is worth — even (and especially) as a disabled creator.We cover:Knitting as stim, sensory joy, and social scaffolding for autistic folksThe power of breaking complex tasks into approachable steps — and why that’s an autistic super-skillLetting go of “normal better” and embracing your own autistic brillianceHow valuing your work helps you create from abundance instead of exhaustion“Autism sparkling,” or being one step weirder on purpose to find your peopleWhy tiny nonsense, like knitted acorns or handmade clocks, keeps us grounded in joyAlso: garlic bread vs. white bread as a metaphor for authenticity, the politics of good zippers, and why scissors that don’t snick properly are a personal betrayal.

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