How can technology better support the individual needs of autistic people and their families?

On this episode of The Healthcast, Phil Zappone speaks with Cait Russell, occupational therapist and Chief Operating Officer at Multiple, a nonprofit accelerator supporting entrepreneurs building autism-related technology.

Cait shares how her background in business and occupational therapy led her toward systems-level change. She explains why accessibility, individualized support and meaningful outcomes should guide product development—and why even promising technologies can struggle to reach the people who need them.

The conversation explores tools that help therapists launch in-home practices, camera-free sleep tracking and personalized AI companions for everyday routines. Cait also discusses how Multiple brings families, clinicians, founders and investors together to help shape products and support their adoption.

In this episode:

• Moving from occupational therapy into nonprofit and innovation leadership
• Designing accessible, individualized technology from the start
• Evaluating whether products deliver meaningful outcomes
• Helping therapists build in-home private practices
• Using sleep data to inform support and interventions
• Why distribution and adoption are critical for startups
• Personalized AI companions for routines, work and school
• Involving autistic people and families in product development
• Multiple’s goal of connecting one million neurodivergent people to life-changing technology by 2030
• The personal story behind Multiple’s founding

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:41 From Clinical Care to Systems-Level Impact
02:50 Finding a Mission in Autism and Neurodiversity
04:18 Designing Accessible Technology with Meaningful Outcomes
07:14 Cait’s Path from Occupational Therapy to Multiple
10:20 How Multiple Supports Autism Innovation
11:59 Startup Examples: Therapy Access and Sleep Tracking
15:02 Why Startups Struggle with Adoption
16:09 Connecting Startups with Families and Clinicians
17:28 Personalized AI Companions for Everyday Support
20:02 Building an Autism Innovation Ecosystem
21:09 AI and the Potential for Individualized Support
24:05 Multiple’s Vision and Its 2030 Goal
26:04 The Story Behind Multiple’s Founding
28:53 Closing Reflections

Episode Resources:
Website | https://www.multiplehub.org/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/multiplehub/
Ryan L. | https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitrussellotd/

Check out what I do helping small businesses here:
Website | https://nxaihealth.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-zappone-647957379/

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