Autism Outdoors Utah: An Innovative Nature-based Family Support Program with Damon and Tarah Bryan
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What inspired Damon and Tarah to create Utah Autism Outdoors?
The primary purpose of Uniquely Human the Podcast is to educate and inform. The views expressed during all episodes are solely those of the individuals involved and do not constitute educational or medical advice. Listeners should consult with professionals familiar with each individual or family for specific guidance.
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Hi, I'm Dr. Barry Prezant, clinical scholar, researcher, and consultant on autism and neurodiversity, and a Brooklyn boy raised in the big city. And I'm Dave.
I'm none of those things, and I grew up on a farm in Illinois. But being on the spectrum myself, I have plenty of personal insight to lend.
And this is Uniquely Human, the podcast, a show that illuminates and celebrates autism and neurodiversity.
Today on Uniquely Human, the podcast, I am very excited to have a couple and a couple of friends who've gotten to know us and we've gotten to know them at our parent retreat over the last couple of years. And that is Damon, Brian and Tara, Brian. So welcome to Uniquely Human, the podcast.
Thank you. We're glad to be here.
Yeah, thank you.
And one of the things that really intrigued me and led to inviting you on is what you shared with us at our parent retreat weekend. And Damon came a couple of years ago, and then Tara came last year. And it's just... The contributions that you make also due to your individual expertise, as well as being parents, we thought would be just something that's wonderful for our listeners to hear. So if you could share a little bit about your professional and personal journey that led you to develop Utah Autism Outdoors and explain what that is.
For me, my first experience with supporting autistic individuals goes way back to college. Went out to Michigan State University. I grew up in Michigan. And I was a camp counselor at a summer camp for two summers. And we served individuals with all sorts of disabilities, not just autism, but kind of the first official, like, you know, support and exposure to working with that population. And it was in kind of an outdoor setting. I mean, we did all the typical summer camp stuff, you know, sleeping in cabins and going on the lake and horseback riding and all that kind of stuff. And then, you know, so I'm a mental health counselor by training and in my day job. And as I kind of got into my career, you know, going to graduate school and then getting out into the work world,
I was drawn to kind of working with teenage clients and to therapeutic settings that really provided these sort of outdoor based therapy experiences, in addition to more of the traditional talk therapy. And, you know, some of these were kind of general mental health settings, but some of them were more autism specific. And, you know, I just sort of gained this experience. Working with autistic clients, I found I really enjoyed it. And I also found that there was this real dichotomy amongst the clinical staff where some of us were like, yeah, like, send me more. I really like working with autistic clients. And some were like, I don't know. I don't feel very effective. I don't know what to, you know, how to help them.
And so I just sort of like a lot of autistic clients got sort of funneled to me in these different settings I was in. And so then, you know, kind of fast forward 20 years in,
so
about three years ago, I was working in private practice, which is where I'm at now. And I felt like I was kind of finally fairly good at working with autistic clients. And so the universe sort of conspired to show me how much more I actually had to learn. And that was when our youngest child, our son Fletcher, was diagnosed with autism a couple months before he turned four. And I just really quickly realized that the parenting side of things is kind of just a whole different world compared to the professional side. And like a lot of parents, you know, we kind of dove into learning all we could, getting connected with academic supports and therapeutic supports and all that, you know, that kind of stuff.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What inspired Damon and Tarah to create Utah Autism Outdoors?
0:02–7:53
2
How did the first parent‑support groups get started and what challenges did they face?
7:53–15:54
3
Why did the founders decide to move from indoor meetings to outdoor activities like sledding, hiking, and rafting?
15:54–23:24
4
What therapeutic benefits do nature‑based activities provide for autistic children and their families?
23:24–30:17
5
How does Utah Autism Outdoors incorporate siblings and neurotypical family members into its programs?
30:17–37:06
6
What is trauma‑informed outdoor yoga and how is it adapted for autistic participants?
37:06–42:46
7
How does the program balance safety with the “dignity of risk” when families try new outdoor experiences?
42:46–45:44
8
What practical advice do Damon and Tarah give to listeners who want to start a similar nature‑based support program?
45:44–46:09
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Uniquely Human: The Podcast
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