What does real allyship for neurodivergent people actually look like?

It starts long before a crisis, and Jennifer Kaufman makes the case for why schools, families, and first responders need to change now - not after something goes wrong.

Jennifer is a New Jersey school principal, author of Grandparenting on the Spectrum: A Journey from Both Sides of the Desk, and the creator of First Response Autism, where she trains police officers and emergency personnel to respond more safely to autistic individuals.

In this conversation with Sai Marie Johnson and Beverly L. Anderson, she shares how becoming an autistic grandparent transformed the way she leads, listens, and advocates.

You’ll discover:

• Why awareness without action changes nothing for the child who needs help today
• How crisis responses designed for neurotypical people can escalate an autistic person’s distress
• What first responders should do differently when voices, touch, and rapid-fire commands make things worse
• Why grandparents are often a missing support system in autism families, and why they need resources too
• How empathy becomes protection at scale when it shapes school policy, not just good intentions

Sai and Bev press Jennifer on the difference between performative allyship and the kind that shows up in policy, training, and follow-through. Jennifer also shares the deeply personal side of her work, from advocating for her own grandson to helping educators and officers build safer, more humane systems for neurodivergent people.

Pick up Jennifer Kaufman's book, Grandparenting on the Spectrum: A Journey From Both Sides of the Desk , or visit her website, First Response Autism.