Today’s podcast is different. No movie, no TV breakdown — just a real, urgent conversation about advocacy, safety, and standing up for the autistic and neurodivergent community.

We’re joined by fellow therapist, social worker, and neurodivergent advocate Andrew Robinson (@MyADHDCounselor) — an autistic and ADHD-identifying clinician — to talk about recent political and health policy issues surrounding RFK Jr., the current Republican Secretary of Health and Human Services.

🚨 Why This Matters

RFK Jr. has made dangerous and offensive remarks about autism — echoing discredited vaccine theories and supporting policies that could endanger the safety, privacy, and autonomy of autistic individuals. These actions are not just political — they are personal, especially for those of us living and working in the neurodivergent community.

This episode is a call to action. Together, we’re raising our voices and organizing to protect our communities.

🛡️ What We're Fighting For

Protecting medical privacy: Ensuring that autistic diagnoses and personal data remain safe and secured under HIPAA, and are never used in unauthorized medical trials or federal registries.

Ending harmful rhetoric: Pushing back against the myth that autism is a disease, caused by vaccines, trauma, or food additives.

Affirming our existence: Reminding the public and policymakers that autistic people deserve love, support, rights, and safety — not “cures.”

📢 How You Can Help

✅ Sign the petition in Andrew’s bio to demand RFK Jr.’s removal from office.

✅ Use the template letter provided to contact your local or state representatives.

✅ Submit poetry or writing by autistic creators to be read in public forums like state legislatures and Senate hearings.

✅ Engage with advocacy posts: Like, share, comment, and repost — these small actions help messages reach further.

You don’t always need to post original content — amplifying others’ voices makes a huge difference.

💬 Mental Health, Burnout & Taking Breaks

Andrew also shares how he’s protecting his own mental health during these overwhelming times. We talk about self-regulation strategies for neurodivergent folks:

Taking weekends or full days off social media 📴

Micro-breaks from the news 🧘‍♂️

Prioritizing rest and play

Choosing engagement styles that work for you (even just liking or sharing)

Advocacy can look many different ways — and it’s okay to rest. Burnout helps no one. ✊🏽

🤝 Together, We Are Enough

This episode is about uniting. We stand for equity, dignity, and protection for all autistic people — regardless of race, gender, IQ, income, or support needs. We reject ableism, we reject fear tactics, and we reject the idea that we need to be “fixed.”

We’re here. We’re proud. And we’re not backing down. Your presence matters. Your advocacy matters. And you matter.

To find our guest: Andrew (myADHDcounselor)

⁠https://linktr.ee/MyADHDCounselor⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/myadhdcounselor/⁠

Join this channel to get access to perks:

⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIthgmuXV2bxcEPfXEYxqIw/join⁠

Thanks for checking out Different Spectrums! 🎙️ We're a podcast led by licensed therapists and neurodivergent individuals who explore emotions in movies and shows. Our mission is to normalize mental health challenges and promote understanding.

Join your founders and hosts, Dr. Nazeer Zerka and Spencer Srnec, as we process some key scenes to help you better understand your emotions and maybe even find some validation in them.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 Attention

0:59 Interview

We’d love to hear your ideas for future episodes and connect with you on social media. You can find all our links here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/different_spectrums⁠

⚠️ Reminder: Our podcast isn’t a substitute for therapy. If you need help, please seek professional assistance or call 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or 911 in case of an emergency.