Jennifer McGee: Silent voices, Loud Love and advocating for her autistic nephew

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Tony Mantor: Why Not Me?
Episode: Jennifer McGee: Silent Voices, Loud Love and Advocating for her Autistic Nephew
Date: February 11, 2026
Guest: Jennifer McGee, visual artist and autism advocate

In this deeply personal and insightful episode, host Tony Mantor is joined by Jennifer McGee—a visual artist and guardian of her profoundly autistic, nonverbal nephew, Isaiah. Jennifer shares her transformative journey from artist to advocate, inspired by embracing the challenges and joys of raising Isaiah. Together, Tony and Jennifer explore the realities of understanding autism in adolescence, the evolution of family bonds, communication breakthroughs, and Jennifer’s creative advocacy through books and art. The episode invites listeners to celebrate neurodiversity, push past stigma, and embrace more meaningful inclusion and hope for families worldwide.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jennifer's Unexpected Introduction to Autism (04:11–05:17)

• In 2020, Jennifer and her husband adopted their nephew Isaiah, who was then 15, completely nonverbal, and had never received therapy.

  • "We had no idea, like, what to do with autism, what it even really entailed." — Jennifer McGee (04:22)

• The pandemic halted Jennifer’s art business, giving the family unexpected time to focus on learning about autism and searching for resources, which proved scarce.

2. Early Challenges & The Learning Curve (05:46–07:32)

• Entering guardianship as total “autism rookies,” Jennifer realized the need for continuous education and sought therapies: speech, OT, and eventually ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis).
  • Many therapists declined to take on older kids, believing intervention was “too late.”
  • "Once he started ABA, the BCBA started to teach us how to teach him and how to set up his routine and use communication... that was a game changer." — Jennifer McGee (07:09)

3. Communication Breakthroughs through Creativity (05:46–06:20)

• Jennifer wrote a children’s book, Izzy Can't Talk, to help others understand Isaiah’s world and highlight different communication strategies: sign language, PECs, speech pads, and picture cards.
  • As an artist, she felt a responsibility to represent people with autism and other disabilities through inclusive art.

4. Progress and Growth—Behavioral and Social Milestones (07:45–09:15)

• Over five transformative years, with therapies and communication tools, Isaiah made significant progress:

  • A shift from aggressive or overwhelmed behaviors (throwing, meltdowns, breaking TVs) to improved calmness as communication avenues opened.
  • "Once we started giving him these avenues to communicate... we really started to see significant change in his behavior." — Jennifer McGee (08:22)

• Travel and community involvement evolved from impossible to enjoyable, with persistent efforts and incremental exposure.

5. The Importance of Community and Not Hiding Away (09:20–10:38)

• Jennifer stresses the value and right for people with autism to participate in the broader community:

  • "Don't be scared to go into the community... Your life is your advocacy." — Jennifer McGee (09:41)

• Travel tips: gradual exposure to airports, use of special TSA lines, and airline programs for sensory-friendly experiences.

6. Facing Stigma—and How Rare It Actually Is (10:38–11:39)

• While stigma does exist, Jennifer reports that most community members are compassionate; rude encounters are the exception, not the rule.
  • An illustrative story: a stranger recoiling from Isaiah in a hot tub, but 95% of the time people are supportive.

7. Isaiah’s Journey to Connection: Emotion, Affection, and Growth (13:00–14:41)

• Jennifer describes her early feelings of being overwhelmed—crying, scared, and feeling hopeless—but notes how connection with Isaiah has deepened.
  • Now, Isaiah seeks out proximity, affection, and even hugs, a stark contrast from being emotionally distant at first.

8. School and ABA: Life Skills & Surprising Abilities (14:48–17:11)

• Transition from public school to full-time ABA therapy at home revolutionized Isaiah’s progress:

  • Focus on life skills—morning routines, hygiene, chores—areas the family never thought possible.
  • "Before the ABA, we didn't even try to implement chores... those type of things." — Jennifer McGee (15:17)

• Isaiah surprises the family with unique abilities—balancing objects impressively, showing mischievous humor, and being a total foodie.

9. Building Inclusive Art House & Advocacy for the Future (17:51–21:26)

• Jennifer started Inclusive Art House as a way to protect her art and advocate for inclusion; now considering converting it into a charity.

  • Works with organizations like The Arc, libraries, and schools to promote inclusive art and awareness.

• Long-term advocacy dreams include:

  • Supporting autistic individuals in finding purpose-driven work—even non-traditional roles.
  • "Even though it may not be like traditional work, that's really important to me." — Jennifer McGee (19:32)

10. Growth as an Advocate—Continuous Learning (20:13–22:16)

• Jennifer attends national conferences (Profound Autism Summit, International Conference for Autism and Neurodivergent Persons), learning and connecting with other parents and experts.

  • Meeting Temple Grandin was a standout, illustrating how much historical stories still resonate.

• Insights include newly discovered challenges like catatonia in autism, and increased empathy after seeing variety in family experiences.

11. Books & Resources (22:25–23:19)

• Izzy Can't Talk (2023) and forthcoming Izzy Can't Talk But He Can Make Friends focus on communication and social aspects.
  • Activity and coloring books reinforce learning through hands-on activities, including word searches in sign language.
  • “They kind of back up the book with activities that you can do to reinforce the learning, the communication.” — Jennifer McGee (23:19)

12. Social Development and Humor: The Chick-fil-A Story (23:49–24:35)

• Isaiah’s social connections are slow-building but tangible, often food-motivated:
  • Memorable anecdote: Isaiah favoring the person who shared Chick-fil-A with him and snubbing the one who didn’t.
  • “It was very clear that he was upset that she snubbed him and didn't give him any Chick-fil-A.” — Jennifer McGee (24:33)

13. The Power and Responsibility of Advocacy (25:31–26:40)

• Jennifer feels a duty to advocate, connect with other parents, and engage legislators to build support structures for families.
• She encourages reaching out to representatives and is getting more involved through organizations like Profound Autism Alliance.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We had no idea...what to do with autism, what it even really entailed." — Jennifer McGee (04:22)
• "Once he started ABA, the BCBA... that was a game changer." — Jennifer McGee (07:09)
• "Don't be scared to go into the community... Your life is your advocacy." — Jennifer McGee (09:41)
• "I probably had a couple of meltdowns, actually. I know I did." — Jennifer McGee (13:00)
• "Before the ABA, we didn't even try to implement chores...those type of things." — Jennifer McGee (15:17)
• "His personality is very chill, though...he's very much an observer." — Jennifer McGee (17:19)
• "I feel like that this is my duty and my purpose, and I'm really excited and grateful that I have the ability to do this work." — Jennifer McGee (25:31)
• “Just never give up and really just keep trying different things and reach out for support...just don't give up.” — Jennifer McGee (27:00)

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Important Timestamps

• Jennifer's Introduction & Family Backstory: 04:11–05:17
• First Steps—Seeking Resources & Therapy: 05:46–07:32
• Progress—Behavioral Changes & Communication: 07:45–09:15
• Community Inclusion & Travel: 09:20–10:38
• Dealing with Stigma: 10:38–11:39
• Evolving Emotional Connections: 13:00–14:41
• School, ABA & Skills: 14:48–17:11
• Advocacy & Inclusive Art House: 17:51–21:26
• Conferences & Learning: 20:13–22:25
• Books and Resources: 22:25–23:19
• Funny “Chick-fil-A” Social Story: 23:49–24:35
• Advocacy, Duty, and Support: 25:31–27:00

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is a heartfelt exploration of love, learning, and determination in the face of the unknown. Jennifer McGee’s honest, open reflections offer hope and practical insight for caregivers, advocates, and anyone seeking to better understand profound autism. The message: Don’t be afraid to learn, to seek support, and to let voices—silent or not—be heard.

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Connect with Jennifer:
Website: inclusivearthouse.com
Books available on website and Amazon.

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Transcript

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[Jennifer McGee]

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[Tony Mantour]

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[Jennifer McGee]

Think something's up?

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[Tony Mantour]

Welcome to why Not Me? Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide hosted by Tony Mantour, broadcasting from the heart of Music City, usa, Nashville, Tennessee. Join us as our guests share their raw, powerful stories. Some will spark laughter. Others will move you to tears. These real life journeys inspire, connect and remind you that you're never alone. We're igniting a global movement to empower everyone to make a lasting difference by fostering deep awareness, unwavering acceptance and profound understanding of autism and mental health. Tune in, be inspired and join us in transforming the world one story at a time. Hi, I'm Tony Miatour. Welcome to why Not Me Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide. Joining us today is Jennifer McGee. She's a visual artist of over 25 years who travels the country promoting her business, body pizzazz to various events. Now, her greatest masterpiece is her autistic nephew, Isaiah, whom she welcomed into her life as his devoted guardian at age 15. This led to her book Izzy Can't Talk, which follows young Izzy, a nonverbal boy using sign language, pictures, and a speech pad to connect in a heartfelt way. She will also talk about her upcoming sequel, Izzy Can't Talk But He Can Make Friends, which celebrates inclusion and the magic of connection. Today she shares her journey from artist to advocate inspired by Isaiah, which has set her on a path to amplify the neurodiverse voices proving art can heal and unite. So before we dive into our episode, we'll be back with an uninterrupted show right after a word from our sponsors.

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[Tony Mantour]

Thanks for coming on.

[Jennifer McGee]

Well, I'm so excited. I'm excited to be here with you and to talk about autism and inclusive art house.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah. So if you would tell us how it all started.

[Jennifer McGee]

So in 2020, my husband and I adopted our nephew, who was 15 at the time. He is non speaking, completely nonverbal, and he had not had any therapy at all. He needed a home. And we, you know, we love him, but we had no idea, like, what to do with autism, what it even really entailed. So 2020, all of our events were shut down. I do face painting. And so we just really took that time to learn about autism and look for resources for Isaiah, and there's just not a lot. So that's really how it started. Us learning and seeing a need and trying to educate ourselves and other people.

[Tony Mantour]

That makes total sense. Did you know he was autistic before you adopted him?

[Jennifer McGee]

For sure, but we really didn't know what that meant. I mean, you know, of course, like, we saw him, like, at birthday parties and we spent time with him, but not at the level of, okay, we have to care for him. And what does that really mean?

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, absolutely. I think this is really interesting. This is a completely different scenario. Most parents find out that their children are autistic at a very young age. Now you have an autistic nephew that's 15, and you're just starting to find out what autism is all about. I think many people would admire you for the road that you took with this. By doing this, what path did you see yourself going down? What was you learning?

[Jennifer McGee]

So really that I don't know anything, and I need to just continue to learn. And so I wrote a children's book. As I was understanding Isaiah, I wanted other people to understand him. And so the book is called Izzy Can't Talk. We really discuss the communication techniques that we use, such as sign language, a speech pad, picture cards. Pecs is really big in our life. But then also as an artist, I feel the need to create art that is inclusive of people with autism and also people with mental health issues and other disabilities.

[Tony Mantour]

What were some of the first things that you learned? You adopted him. He's autistic, non verbal. What path did you take? What did you find? Initially you were facing the big unknown. How did you navigate through that? What were the first steps that you took?

[Jennifer McGee]

So the first thing is we knew that Isaiah, I mean, he's significantly developmentally delayed. He could not open a water bottle. I mean, he's level three. He has profound autism. And so to us, we didn't really see it as autism. It was just Isaiah. Isaiah is different. But it's when we started seeking therapies that it was explained that he has autism. So we were very fortunate to get speech therapy and occupational therapy and then eventually find an ABA therapy that would take him because he's older. A lot of therapists want smaller kids or they really feel like that once they're 15, they're. They're too far gone. And then once he started aba, the BCBA started to teach us how to teach him and how to set up his routine and use communication and just all of the things to really start understanding his behaviors. And that was a game changer.

[Tony Mantour]

Okay, so that was how long ago?

[Jennifer McGee]

So that was 2020. So we've had him for five years.

[Tony Mantour]

Okay, five years. Now, what are some of the changes you've seen in these past five years?

[Jennifer McGee]

Oh, wow. So when we first got him, even before, like we, he came to live with us, we went on a few, like, small trips and we would go to dinner and we would may have to leave the restaurant because he would start throwing his glass across the restaurant or running all through the restaurant. When first came to live with us, breaking a lot of TVs. Just aggressive behavior that we learn is communication. He really had zero functional communication. So not being able to tell us that, you know, my stomach is hurting, or, you know, I want lemonade, not tea, you know, just little things like that. So once we started giving him these avenues to communicate and along with the other ABA techniques, we really started to see significant change in his behavior.

[Tony Mantour]

You said at times, he got aggressive. That could be meltdowns. That could be other various things. Have you seen a change in that? Is that more under control now with everything that you've been doing?

[Jennifer McGee]

Oh, yeah. And for Isaiah, he's normally very gentle anyway. So even at his worst, the meltdowns weren't as significant as I know a lot of other families have to deal with. But for sure, we were at a point where we were when we first got in. Okay. We didn't think we would be able to travel for work anymore. Like today he flies. He travels with us, actually, a good bit. He's not with us right now, but he travels a good bit. That's a complete, you know, change for him.

[Tony Mantour]

So tell me a little bit about how he travels with you and what that looks like.

[Jennifer McGee]

I really want to reiterate how well he travels and for our lifestyle, we really thought we were going to have to give up our career. I've been doing events for over 20 years. We just didn't think that we were going to be able to do it. After working with him and introducing him to travel and doing it slowly, he really enjoys it. We've taken him to Disney World, and that's how we. We know he loves roller coasters, trying those different things. And I feel that is something that our family really can help other people with, is don't be scared to go into the community. You do have to navigate it with safety, of course, but it's your community, too. And Isaiah has every right to live his best life as anybody else, and we don't have to keep him hidden away. And I. There's a lot of families that feel like they're embarrassed or they're worried about what their loved one is gonna do. Do it anyway. The world needs to see you. This is your living. Your life is your advocacy. So I think that's really, really important. And little by little, again, he flies. We never thought we'd be able to take him on a plane slowly. We went to the airport several different times, getting him familiar with the things. Delta has a wonderful program and using those different things. The TSA has a special line that you can go through those accommodations for Isaiah to. To fly and enjoy life.

[Tony Mantour]

Have you had any issues with people? They didn't understand anything about autism and for lack of a better word, they were just rude because of it.

[Jennifer McGee]

Very little. We did have an issue one time, and I think we were in Florida. I don't remember. We were somewhere. And Isaiah loves the hot tub. So we try to Stay in hotels or resorts that have hot tubs. So we get to the hot tub and there was a young man in his mid-30s. His girlfriend started to leave and he was in the tub and he said, don't leave me or don't leave me. He made some comment like that. We just ignored it. Isaiah got in the hot tub. He moved a little close to the guy. Not he didn't touch him. I mean, he wasn't in his bubble. He jumped out of that hot tub like he was going to get cooties or like he was going to catch autism. It was really disgusting. That was horrible. But most of the time, and I would say over 95% of the time, people are really kind and accommodating. So it's very encouraging to see. And that's why I say people need to get out. Be scared to get out.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, that's great. Now, is he still non verbal?

[Jennifer McGee]

Only recently has we've started to hear a few syllables. Ma, that's his most. We've got. He hums a lot, but no speech at all.

[Tony Mantour]

Okay, now he's 20, correct?

[Jennifer McGee]

Yes, yes, he's 20.

[Tony Mantour]

So what do you see in the next few years for him? You're continuing to do things, you're continuing to help him evolve. What do you see coming down the path for him in the future?

[Jennifer McGee]

Well, with the syllables that we've heard, we're really hoping that we will get some speech. I mean, we would be thrilled if we even got a few words. That would be phenomenal. But I just enjoy seeing Isaiah embracing his own life. For example, we know that he loves music. We were in Florida, walking along the beach and there was a restaurant that had a live band. He went right in, sat down and he didn't want to leave. And you could just see on his face how much he was enjoying the music. And so discovering these things that he likes, it's very rewarding for us. And it also gives us the path to put more things like that in his day.

[Tony Mantour]

Now that you're five years into this, things are starting to work out more. Did you have any reservations when you first started this because you was getting overwhelmed by the autism and not having a grasp on what it was?

[Jennifer McGee]

Yes. Oh, for sure. I mean, I probably had a couple of meltdowns, actually. I know I did. Just crying, just feeling hopeless and we wouldn't be able to take care of him and how scary that is for him. And also for us. It's. It's very emotional, you know, and yeah.

[Tony Mantour]

Yes, I hear that all the time. That's a very natural response. How has it changed from the time that he first came to live with you to now five years later?

[Jennifer McGee]

Well, it's definitely more of a connection. Like, I know that he enjoys our company. There have been times that he's actually come and sat down beside me. He really is connected to my husband, Brandon. And there have even been times that he's come and, like, laid his head on his shoulder in the beginning. And all throughout his life. I was in the room when he was born, so I've always been around Isaiah, but we've never had any kind of connection like that. He's never had a closeness, and we didn't understand autism. We thought he was more comfortable with us being far away from him. So to see him now, you know, enjoying our company and of course he still likes his space, but. Yeah, but just knowing and having that confidence and that he does want affection and closeness. He will even give us a hug. We asked for a hug.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, that's great. That actually was one of my next questions. Texture and touching. Does he have an issue with either one of them?

[Jennifer McGee]

So he'll hug us. That's it. You know, and then he wants to go and, you know, sit down in his spot. Not so much texture. I mean, he's pretty tolerant of most things. Yeah. But he definitely likes his space.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, I get that completely. What did his school look like? Was it private? Was it public? What happened there?

[Jennifer McGee]

So he was in school. He was in public school. But his level of communication and ability. We were recommended that he get full time ABA at home so that he could develop his daily living. That really changed everything for our family and for Isaiah. They started working with him on his morning routine, helping him learn to shower and us how to help him shower and how to build on those skills. And brushing teeth. I mean, everything, even setting the table, unloading the dishwasher, I never thought that those were skills that he would be able to do. So we know before the aba, we didn't even try to implement chores or him, you know, helping bring in groceries, those type of things.

[Tony Mantour]

Okay, so when you go to school, you go through the grades, you graduate. Now, how has his journey been from school to ABA therapy and doing everything he's being taught? How have you seen him change on that? And most important, how's he doing now?

[Jennifer McGee]

So when we don't work on a skill all the time, there's some regression, but very little we've really. I'm really proud of him. For example, we Practice going to the doctor, that was something really big that the therapist worked on him. You know, putting the monitor in his ear, doing a tongue depressor. And when we've had to go to the doctor, he was so comfortable. And we use calm counts, and we're right there with him doing calm counts. So that's been really good. I haven't seen a lot of regression, but some.

[Tony Mantour]

Okay, what are some of the things that he really excels at?

[Jennifer McGee]

You know, it's so funny. We have seen him balance, like a guitar on the back of the couch. And none of us, none of the adults, none of the other kids could do it, but he just balanced that guitar on the back of the couch. He also took a chair and put it on one leg and balanced it in the kitchen. And we were all just amazed, like, Isaiah, how did you do that? And we couldn't do that. So that is something that he's really excelled at. Just watching his personality evolve. He loves roller coasters, and we have a golf cart. He loves riding the golf cart. And if I stop, he's trying to push the accelerator and make it go.

[Tony Mantour]

That's great that he enjoys all that. Now you just brought up his personality. How would you describe his personality? What's it like?

[Jennifer McGee]

Oh, he's very laid back. He's very much an observer. He likes to just sit in his spot and just chill out just like anybody else. I mean, there's times that he wants to be mischievous and funny, and we know that, and we can see those grins on his face. He's very much a foodie, and we love to eat, we love to travel, so we know he loves tacos. You just know that he loves these foods things. So his personality is very chill, though.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, that's great. With all this going on, did this lead to you starting a charity?

[Jennifer McGee]

No, it's actually. It's not a charity. We're actually working on that. So. I have a business, a face painting business. When I wrote the book, I created Inclusive Art House as a business because I didn't really know, like, I didn't really know what to do. I just knew I wanted to create art, and I created the business to protect the art. But as I've evolved with this, we don't really bring in very much revenue. I support it with my other business. It's just become a passion of our family. Just make the art and the books and do library readings and different things for advocacy.

[Tony Mantour]

How do you see that evolving? Do you see that getting to the levels of being A charity. What's the plans on that?

[Jennifer McGee]

Yeah, that is what we're thinking to turn it into a charity. Currently I'm working with other charities. For example, the Arc of the United States, we did some design work for them for a fundraiser that they have. And I work with a lot of libraries, like I said, and schools. So just partnering with them, I'm hoping that we can get enough revenue to sustain our expenses. We have a couple of full time artists that do illustrations with the book and the art. I wanted to show you one of the pieces right here, which I know your listeners can't see, but this is one of the pieces. You see the green ribbon for Mental health in the background. You can see there's sign language. The sunflowers represent invisible disabilities. This is just. I feel like this is our signature piece because it represents all disabilities and everyone has the right to be themselves and have support and acceptance.

[Tony Mantour]

So what are some of your goals? What are your plans for the next three, four, five years from now?

[Jennifer McGee]

So I'm really interested with the charity work in helping autistic people find work and purpose for like, for Isaiah, what that would look like, maybe helping stock shelves for a food bank or, you know, he doesn't have a lot of technical skills, but he can put things on a shelf and just that makes him feel good. So finding ways to, to help autistic individuals find purpose and work, even though it may not be like traditional work, that's really important to me.

[Tony Mantour]

Yes, I think that's a great thing to be passionate about. So what do you see in your future for the advocacy that you're trying to do, what are your plans? What are your thoughts? Can you expand on your plans for the future?

[Jennifer McGee]

So I attend a lot of conferences. I'm still feel like I'm new and I'm educating myself and as I'm on this journey, I'm trying to write, do podcasts, make the art and put it out into the world. But I'm still very much learning myself. So my advocacy is learning and educating others as I'm learning. I went to the Profound Autism Summit in Boston this year. It was really amazing. That's a great group. If any of your listeners can go to the Profound Autism alliance and there's just a wealth of information there for people that have profound autism. I went to the International Conference for Autism and Neurodivergent Persons in Orlando this year. I met Temple Grandin. Amazing. Just her story is so inspiring and she just. It's so. Even though her diagnosis was so long ago. It's still very relevant today. And she has so much to say. So that's what I want to continue to do and really find ways to help in the community that our profoundly autistic kids and adults can participate in the community in some way to give them purpose.

[Tony Mantour]

What are some of the things that you've learned from these conferences that you've went to? You went there just to learn a little bit, meet a few people, engage. Then all of a sudden, you found things out that you said, whoa, I didn't realize.

[Jennifer McGee]

This catatonia was something that I didn't realize was such a big thing that parents are dealing with. And I think a lot of times people don't understand or know what that is. I'm still, like, learning about it, but just getting tested for that can change how you're treating the autism, because it can be more than just autism and the behavior. So that was. And it's so hard, what some families have to go through. I feel really blessed. Even though our struggle is hard.

[Tony Mantour]

Yes, it's very tough for many different people. It all just depends upon the spectrum of where they fall and how the families have to deal with it.

[Jennifer McGee]

Autism is such a large spectrum, and there's a lot of misconceptions about autism. So these conversations are really, really important, for sure.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, that's absolutely true. Now, you wrote a book. It's been out for a while. Can you give us a little more information about the book?

[Jennifer McGee]

So, yeah, Izzy can't talk. I wrote it in 2023. Yeah, it was published at the end of 2023. So it's gotten some. Some good feedback. Actually just finished the second book. Izzy can't talk, but he can make friends. So the first book, we talk about the communication, the different ways. And in the second book, we talk about the social part of autism and what Isaiah experiences, like when he meets a new person and kind of the processes that he goes. Actually be released in November.

[Tony Mantour]

That's great. Can you tell the listeners where they can get this?

[Jennifer McGee]

They can get it on Amazon, of course, but Also our website, inclusivearthouse.com has all of our books. We have three coloring books.

[Tony Mantour]

Oh, that's good. Can you give us a little more information about that?

[Jennifer McGee]

The coloring books are really cool. They're activity books. They kind of back up the book with activities that you can do to reinforce the learning, the communication. We have some word searches that are done in sign language, and.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, that's really good. Now, what do you see happening when he meets someone New. You just brought up the social part of it. How is his social activity and interaction? How does he react when he meets someone for the first or even possibly the second time?

[Jennifer McGee]

Yeah. So it's. He takes time to warm up. The key to Isaiah's heart is food. He's a foodie. So I'll tell you a little story. We were traveling with, with some of our artists, and they did a Chick Fil A run and got themselves Chick fil A. One of the girls ate all the chick fil A and Isaiah was sitting right there. One of the guys gave Isaiah some of his chick Fil A. So for the next few weeks, anytime the girl would come up and say, hey, Isaiah, he just. He would not acknowledge her. But the young man that gave him the chick Fil A, he was all about the high fives, and it was really, really funny. He finally did warm up to Andrea, the young lady, but it was really funny. It was very clear that he was upset that she snubbed him and didn't.

[Tony Mantour]

Give him any chick Fil A. Oh, that's interesting.

[Jennifer McGee]

Yes.

[Tony Mantour]

Well, that's a big part of interacting, because at least by doing that, he's interacting and evolving.

[Jennifer McGee]

Exactly. And we've seen that develop over the years, for sure. In the beginning, very much just to himself. As a matter of fact, the BCBA told me that she had never seen a person, that she had no idea how to motivate him. And so she started with gummy bears, and that's how she won him over, was with gummy bears. And then from there, she was able to build on that.

[Tony Mantour]

That. So with everything that you've been learning, what you've been going through for the past five years, you've been going to the forums, the conventions, everything that you can do to find out more about autism. Now, how do you see this all blending together to help him, help your advocacy and continue to build on what you've learned?

[Jennifer McGee]

You know, I feel like that this is my duty and my purpose, and I'm really excited and grateful that I have the ability to do this work. So I really want to keep building on it. I feel like that there's so many parents that are just struggling to survive, and they don't have this platform that I have. So I'm very, very grateful, and I really just want to continue connecting with other parents and also with legislators. I feel like that we really have to reach out to our representatives so that the laws can. That there can be support in the system. So that's where I Feel like my work is really headed.

[Tony Mantour]

So have you got in that arena yet? Have you spoken with any legislators? How's that progressing?

[Jennifer McGee]

I've tried. I went to Washington a few months ago actually being part of the Profound Autism Alliance. They do a lot of advocacy in Washington and They encourage all 50 states support in all of the 50 states and give a lot of guidance about how to participate in your state. So I'm getting more involved with that.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, I think that's really great. The more you get involved, the better, especially when you get into the legislative part of it. So what do you think is really important that our listeners hear on what you've been through, what you're going through now, as well as your plans for the future? What do you think that they need to hear?

[Jennifer McGee]

Just never give up and really just keep trying different things and reach out for support. There is support there, there. You may have to look for it. But just don't give up. In terms of what we're doing, I would love to hear from anyone. I enjoy doing readings and coming to events.

[Tony Mantour]

I think that's really good. How do they find you?

[Jennifer McGee]

It's easy to find me. My website is inclusivearthouse.com.

[Tony Mantour]

Yeah, that's really good. Well, this has been great, great conversation, great information. I really appreciate you taking the time to join us today.

[Jennifer McGee]

Yeah. I'm so grateful for the work that you're doing talking about mental health and autism. This is how change and acceptance happens is having these conversations. So I really appreciate the work that you're doing.

[Tony Mantour]

Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks again. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to our show. To today. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us at WhyNotMe World. One last thing. Spread the word about why not me? Our conversations are inspiring guests that show you are not alone in this world.

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