On Episode 319…
Kieran and Michelle Rose return to the podcast to discuss their new community at The Autistic Advocate and Kieran’s latest book, Autism – A Collection of Essays. They reflect on nearly a decade of advocacy, how the autism landscape has evolved, and why meaningful change depends on compassion, connection, and a willingness to keep learning.
This Episode’s Guests
Autistic Self-Advocate, Kieran Rose, is a published author, speaker, consultant, trainer, researcher, and neurodivergent educator in England. Michelle Rose is his late-diagnosed autistic wife. They are the parents of 3 Autistic children, all of whom are homeschooled. Michelle has supported Kieran to speak with thousands of autistics over the last twenty years, both in a personal and professional context.
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Their Advocacy Continues to Evolve
Michelle explains how The Autistic Advocate has continually adapted from a blog to a blog with live training to on-demand courses, membership, and now a community platform to respond to the changing needs of autistic people, families, and professionals. While the format has changed over time, their core message of autistic-led advocacy, civil rights, and authentic support has remained constant.
Documenting an Evolving Understanding
Kieran shares how the collection of essays grew from nearly ten years of writing. Rather than revising older essays, they intentionally preserved them as originally published, allowing readers to see how both his own thinking and the wider autism conversation have developed over time. Michelle describes the book as both a historical record of the movement and a compassionate companion for anyone learning about autism.
Growth Requires Reflection
Michelle shares the vulnerability involved in publishing work that reflects changing perspectives. Kieran welcomes thoughtful critique because it encourages continued growth, while Michelle highlights the importance of allowing ourselves—and others—the grace to evolve. Together they argue that reflection is essential to improving autism understanding rather than pretending to have all the answers.
Compassion as the Foundation for Better Support
Kieran stresses that support begins by asking, “What do you need, and how can I help?” Rather than focusing on control, compliance, or correcting behaviour, Kieran emphasizes safety, compassion, co-regulation, communication, and understanding the fears that shape both autistic people and their families. He describes autism advocacy as a civil rights movement that includes autistic people, parents, caregivers, and professionals working together.
Parents, Advocacy, and Finding Common Ground
I reflected on the unique position of parent advocates who must balance compassion for overwhelmed families while helping them move beyond fear and ableist assumptions. Kieran discusses how systems, funding structures, and behavioural models often reinforce division rather than collaboration. The discussion highlights the importance of validating parents’ experiences while also centering the humanity and individual needs of autistic people.
Learning From Lived Experience
Kieran shares personal reflections about communication differences, periods of unreliable speech, and how these experiences have shaped his understanding of nonspeaking autistic people. Him and Michelle discuss challenging assumptions about what parents, professionals, and even autistic people can truly know about another person’s internal experience, encouraging humility and curiosity instead of certainty.
Connection Over Division
Kieran and Michelle explain how progress in autism research and advocacy has come through collaboration between autistic people, researchers, families, and professionals. They argue that meaningful advances in understanding sensory processing, communication, attention, and lived experience have emerged because communities chose connection over division. Their hope is that the book inspires readers to reflect, continue learning, and participate in building a more compassionate future together.
This episode’s PRACTICE TIP:
Let’s work on seeing what we have in common with others in order to find connection.
For example: Let’s find common ground with other families or practitioners who may have different views than our own and focus on compassion and empathy for the struggles we go through, and how to support one another.
A heartfelt thank you to Michelle and Kieran for sharing the impetus behind the release of their new book and the larger causes behind their advocacy. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it on social media!
Until next time, here’s to choosing play and experiencing joy every day!
