Do you want to live with more intention to achieve your goals? In this 4th episode in a series on Intentional Living, Dr. Regan identifies ways to use communication to create connection and help you achieve the life goals you aim for.   Resources mentioned in the podcast:  Talking About Autism podcast series The Science of Making Friends: book Better Small Talk: book Crucial Conversations: book   Dr. Regan's Resources Book: Understanding Autism in Adults and Aging Adults, 2nd ed Audiobook Book: Understanding Autistic Behaviors Autism in the Adult website homepage Website Resources for Clinicians   Read the transcript here: 100:00:03,809 --> 00:00:04,659Hi there. 200:00:04,670 --> 00:00:06,679This is Doctor Theresa Regan. 300:00:06,969 --> 00:00:11,510I'm joining you for an episode of autism in the Adult podcast. 400:00:11,800 --> 00:00:13,619I'm a neuropsychologist, 500:00:13,859 --> 00:00:19,120the founder and director of an autism diagnostic clinic in Central Illinois. 600:00:19,290 --> 00:00:21,959And I'm the parent of a teen on the spectrum. 700:00:22,680 --> 00:00:27,440Did you know that I did a podcast series on talking about autism? 800:00:27,659 --> 00:00:30,420This was in February of 2022. 900:00:30,559 --> 00:00:43,909It had three episodes where I covered things like how to talk to other people about your journey to seek a diagnostic evaluation or how to tell people that you've received a new diagnosis of autism. 1000:00:44,340 --> 00:00:53,270We cover topics about how to process and navigate the emotions of other people during conversations about autism. 1100:00:53,909 --> 00:01:01,279And we also reviewed how to talk to someone that you are familiar with --someone in your family, 1200:01:01,290 --> 00:01:05,739someone that you know -- about the possibility that they are on the spectrum. 1300:01:06,089 --> 00:01:08,930Maybe they haven't thought about it that way, 1400:01:08,940 --> 00:01:12,319but you recognize some characteristics in them. 1500:01:13,010 --> 00:01:18,069I'm going to put a link to this series talking about autism in the show notes. 1600:01:18,599 --> 00:01:26,940But today you are joining me for episode number four in a series about intentional living on the autism spectrum, 1700:01:28,309 --> 00:01:33,629we all get into rhythms and routines that have a life of their own. 1800:01:33,900 --> 00:01:36,000Sometimes our schedules, 1900:01:36,010 --> 00:01:37,540what we typically do, 2000:01:37,550 --> 00:01:41,440what we don't do... things that crop up in our lives. 2100:01:41,449 --> 00:01:56,860They catch us up in their momentum and sometimes it's just nice to pause and to step back and really see if the life that we're living lines up with where we'd like to be in the future. 2200:01:57,389 --> 00:02:01,150Are we choosing this life? 2300:02:01,160 --> 00:02:07,860Are we being swept away without really pausing to make some choices and decisions? 2400:02:08,440 --> 00:02:14,639And certainly we can't have the final say in everything that our life entails. 2500:02:14,649 --> 00:02:22,020But we really will be able to capture more of our dreams and visions for the future 2600:02:22,029 --> 00:02:27,259if we pause and make choices that line up with those... 2700:02:27,690 --> 00:02:29,339those goals that we have. 2800:02:31,770 --> 00:02:38,740This need to pause and reevaluate our intentions and choices is a universal human need. 2900:02:39,470 --> 00:02:49,300But we're spending some time talking about this in the context of autism because sometimes the individual on the spectrum will struggle more with this, 3000:02:49,750 --> 00:03:03,759possibly because they have difficulty switching gears from the typical routine or maybe this individual has problems finding the energy or the momentum to get going with something new. 3100:03:04,820 --> 00:03:12,910This person may feel like it's challenging to get out of the hyper focus of the moment and to try to think long term. 3200:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,88