WHAT DA FAQ
Q: Autismo is “autism” in Spanish. Is this a Spanish-language podcast?
A: Lo siento, pero no. It is not. I came up with the name before I knew the Spanish word for Autism. I had purchased the url and set up the website, and then I went to Google to see if the website came up in the search.
What I got instead was a bunch of Spanish-language websites about autism.
Whoops.
It was too late at this point to turn back. Sorry for any confusion but now it’s just a funny story to tell.
Q: Why the self-deprecating humor and irreverence? Don’t you know autism is a superpower and you should be proud of it?
A: Don’t you know that you’re insufferable and part of the problem?
Autism is a disability, and no amount of toxic positivity will change that. It just slaps makeup on the problem while we continue to suffer and everyone pretends nothing is wrong. When you disallow people from making fun of something, it gets placed on a pedestal, and that stifles discussion. If you can’t question something, then people will not be able to learn about it. And then the stigma magnifies because people will remain ignorant. We want to reduce the stigma around autism as much as possible, and telling us that we can’t joke about it will do the opposite. Humor lightens the mood, reduces tension, and that creates better and more open discussions. We try to make sure that the jokes are aimed at ourselves and between ourselves, helping to normalize discussion around our struggles.
The three of us have been friends for years and what you hear on the podcast is who we genuinely are. So, if you find our banter distasteful then you’re just not going to like what we produce. And that’s okay. We’re not going to change who we are to make others happy because we understand that it is a fool’s errand to attempt to please everyone. We sincerely wish you the best of luck finding something you enjoy.
Q: Why are there so few episodes if you’ve been working on this since 2022 (at time of writing it is 2025 and we have 2 episodes released)?
A: My life is impossible to schedule or organize. I’ve been working with therapists and others for years on this issue without much success. And a lot more work goes into a podcast than you would expect. I’ve had to learn and build upon a lot of skills. Also, if you’ve ever tried to organize a D&D or board game group with your adult friends, you know how incredibly hard that can be. Now give your friends autism and ADHD. Also, you’re autistic with ADHD. Also, it is hard to find motivation when this project has been a huge money sink with little to show for it so far. But getting involved with the disability advocacy community has encouraged me to get more serious about it. I have a new episode recorded and ready to edit and have been more actively promoting the podcast in the community and social media. So, while the episode releases have been very slow, I expect I should be able to pick up the pace soon and I haven’t been sitting on my hands doing nothing.
Q: Who is Clarence? Or what is the story behind your mascot?
A: I saw him at the Texas state fair and fell in love with him. A few years later, I started what would become Team Autismo and decided that we needed a mascot. I scrolled through pictures in my miscellaneous junk folder on my desktop and I saw Clarence and knew it was meant to be. I showed the guys and asked them to name him. Lyrik immediately replied with “Clarence.”
He has an innocent joy that is contagious. You know how some autistic people just have this unstoppable joy? He’s the embodiment of that, and that’s why I thought he would be the perfect face for this project. He’s also just… Different. An oddball. And he’s happy regardless. Either he knows and doesn’t care or just doesn’t even realize it. Either way, that’s what I desire for all people on the spectrum. Because we’re all oddballs. And those are the only healthy options for dealing with that reality.
