In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Kevin Spencer discuss the innovative use of magic tricks as therapy for children with autism. Kevin found that teaching magic helped children with autism improve social skills, communication, and self-esteem. He developed the Hocus Focus program for schools and the Magic Therapy program for hospitals, both using simple magic tricks with common items. Kevin's research showed significant improvements in social skills and self-esteem using the Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSIS) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). He also successfully adapted his therapy to virtual formats during the pandemic.

Key Takeaways:

• One of the most significant deficits of traditional social skills programs in the schools is that they try to teach social skills explicitly, through this very didactic structure, but none of that is transferred over to a real-world setting.

• Doug Henning's formula for magic works well with kids on the spectrum, and really, everyone: The difficult must become habit. Habit becomes beautiful. Beautiful becomes magic.

• Magic gives kids an avenue to practice social interactions and other social skills that become broadly applicable to other areas of life. In classroom settings, it gives kids a chance to practice both performing and being an audience.

• Teachers and parents often see the changes before the child does, as the kids are so engaged in the learning and sharing with their friends.

• There are no expectations that you know how to do magic (unlike other behaviors). It allows for failure to be part of the process, which builds frustration tolerance, persistence, critical thinking, and resilience.

"All of the tricks that we teach are done with very ordinary items. It's coins and Q-tips and string and rope and paper clips and rubber bands, because we want them to recognize that the magic is connected to them. It's not connected to a prop." — Dr. Kevin Spencer

Episode References:

• TDF: https://www.tdf.org/

Connect with Dr. Kevin Spencer:

Professional Bio: https://kevinspencerlive.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spencersmagic

Website: https://www.spencersmagic.com/

Books: https://www.kevinspencerlive.com/books

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/spencersmagic

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/spencersmagic

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwspencer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magicguy2012

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky:@CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @Criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Tami Rowen discuss the controversy surrounding the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and its potential link to autism. She emphasizes that the evidence is largely anecdotal and not supported by robust scientific studies. Dr. Rowen highlights a study published in Environmental Health in 2025 that found a weak association between Tylenol use and autism, but adds that a subsequent study revealed flaws in the earlier study and showed no association. Fever in pregnant women can have dangerous effects and should be relieved. She stresses that Tylenol is the safest pain reliever and fever reducer for pregnant women, who experience fevers in 20% of pregnancies. Dr. Rowen criticizes the media and some health officials for misrepresenting the risks, potentially leading to harmful decisions by pregnant women.

Key Takeaways:

• Tylenol is the safest option that we have in terms of a fever reducer and pain reliever. Fevers actually have more association with autism than Tylenol does in the research.

• On the other hand, Ibuprofen and NSAIDs are unsafe in pregnancy, especially in the third trimester.

"Pregnancy is quite an uncomfortable state of being. We tell pregnant women, and we tell women in general, to tough out a lot of things, but pain is not something that I think is reasonable. I think that it goes against the principle of doing no harm, to tell people they should just suffer with pain when there is actually effective and safe medication for them." — Dr. Tami Rowen

Episode References:

• The Conversation Article: https://theconversation.com/as-an-ob-gyn-i-see-firsthand-how-misleading-statements-on-acetaminophen-leave-expectant-parents-confused-fearful-and-lacking-in-options-265947

Connect with Dr. Tami Rowen:

Professional Bio: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/tami.rowen

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky:@CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Lucas F.W. Wilson discuss his book, Shame-Sex Attraction, which explores the experiences of conversion therapy survivors. Lucas explains that conversion therapy aims to change sexual orientation or gender identity, despite its ineffectiveness and harmful nature. He traces the history of conversion practices from the 1800s to the present, highlighting various methods like electroshock therapy and aversion therapy, and their rapid growth after 1976 up through the heyday in the early 2000s. Dr. Wilson shares his personal journey through conversion therapy at Liberty University and emphasizes the broader impact of conversion practices on societal beliefs and individual identities. He advocates for empathy and understanding to challenge these practices.

Key Takeaways:

• There are no known cases where conversion therapy has actually changed someone's sexual attraction. While there is anecdotal evidence from the organizations perpetuating the claims, research shows that it is not effective.

• "Pastoral Counseling" and other similar phrases are used to mask or obfuscate the practice of conversion therapy to hide the work that is being done.

• There is no typical or standard conversion therapy. The experiences range widely from person to person.

• Conversion practices can be seen throughout many, if not all, people's lives, even if they've never been to official conversion therapy, nor is it solely for those who are part of the queer or religious community.

• It is important to engage with ideas and communities that are different from your own.

"I would argue that probably every single person in this world at some point has been told 'don't act like this,' whether they were a kid or older, and that message has stayed with them and affected how they present their gender and how they identify." — Dr. Lucas F.W. Wilson

Episode References:

• Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley

• 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture

• Genocidal Intentions: Social Death and the Ex-Gay Movement by Sue E. Spivey and Christine M. Robinson

Connect with Dr. Lucas F.W. Wilson:

Professional Bio: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/historical-studies/people/lucas-wilson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-wilson-2a0753b1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luke.wilson.96

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukeslamdunkwilson/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lukeslamdunkwilson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lukeslamdunkwilson

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lukeslamdunkwilson.bsky.social

X: https://x.com/wilson_fw

Other Publications: https://utschools.academia.edu/LucasWilson

Book: Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors' Stories of Conversion Therapy
Book: At Home with the Holocaust

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.