[Speaker 1] (0:00 - 9:17) Hello, this is Anna Kennedy and we're talking all things autism. We're live and we're in Covent Garden and it's a bit of an overcast day today, but I'm excited because we've got four days to go and it's autism's got talent on Saturday All the performers are buzzing. We're preparing everything and guess what? Our printer is broken four days before a show So we're a bit stressed because we've got lots of stuff to print out. But hey ho, that's what happens when you're on Trying to get everything together as quickly as possible So today I have two guests with me and we're going to be talking about autism unraveled So Louise and Rebecca are the co-founders of autism unraveled an independent organization offering autism assessment therapy and training Autism unraveled was born out of the passion to give people with autism spectrum condition and other Neurodivergent presentations of voice and harness their strengths in order to maximize their potential Autism unraveled focuses on valuing differences and recognizing strengths. So Louise Lawrence and Dr. Rebecca Varal welcome Thank you very much So tell me a little bit about yourself before we go into autism Marvel so Louise tell me a little bit about this So, um, I was born in London and I grew up here until I was about four and then we moved to the Isle of Wight I had a very beach side lifestyle and you know Back in the day before risk assessments and the teacher'd go. Oh, it's a sunny day. Let's just go Let's just go to the beach because it's hot Gone are those days? importantly, but yeah, it was great living by the sea and Being able to escape to the sea air. That's where I feel most at ease. Okay. And what about you Rebecca? True ex-pat in Brussels And So, why did you get involved in autism both of you so why so what what made you think right this is what I want to do so for me, I started off a career in investment banking and It was the sort of monotony of number crunching which is not my expertise anyway and Which made me think I can't I can't do this forever. I have to find something That really like it keeps me interested in passionate. And so I managed to get a job in a speech therapy Clinic and it was really just by chance if you like I went there and they sort of said Oh, you know come and have a chat and after the chat They offered me a job which I wasn't expecting and it went from there That's where my interest started and then I went on to do a speech therapy course after that So but I think for me because i'd had speech therapy as a child I was I sort of was selective mute and I had hearing difficulties and I was quite What you might call a tricky customer myself in speech therapy, so i'd only want to play the toys I wanted to play with I was quite stubborn and they'd be like today we're going to do this. I was like I'm not going to talk if you make me do that I want the doll's house and it would only be the doll's house that I would play with Um, so I think I could relate to the sort of challenging difficult customers if you like Who really know what they want and finding a way in I think I sort of had that empathy from back in the day Somebody wants to be a speech and language therapist and i'm already saying this because on friday Um, I was at the recruitment agency and they were talking about how difficult it is now to recruit speech and language therapists occupational therapy So what do you need to do because i'm trying to encourage people to become speech and language therapists because our children who are on the spectrum Need them definitely. So there's a couple of routes you can go straight in as an undergraduate and do like a Bsc So a science or degree or in my case, I did a postgraduate diploma and a master's in autism So I did it after university and it was sort of a second career for me Okay, um because I realized a bit later on But I definitely encourage people. It's an amazing career And the people you get to work with, you know, the families and being able to support people's communication is like a it's a great job Okay. Thank you. What about you rebecca? So what made you want to get into the world of autism? Um, well, I was doing my training in clinical psychology Okay, and I have to say I didn't know much about autism at all before I did my training And similar to Louise, I actually came to training a bit later I was working a drug and alcohol rehab for a number of years before sort of retraining. Okay, and I was doing some research with will mandy who's He's at ucl who's working people that teach us on the doctor there And he was he worked at great orange tree at the time So I did some research with him around daily living skills in um Young people with autism and what was just amazing was just getting to speak to parents at that time I was just interviewing parents, but just hearing the stories and hearing the impact on daily living skills regardless of severity of autistic traits That was sort of irrelevant Every person I interviewed was was having sort of really significant difficulties with daily living skills And so kids who were sort of presenting as able to manage a mainstream was still requiring an awful lot of support at home And you just wouldn't know and I just thought well this is brilliant I mean, it's not brilliant that they're in that situation I know you mean brilliant that I can access this and I can maybe Be part of this and try and get to know people a bit more. So how did you both meet? So we I was working in east London in the cams, which is child and adolescent mental health service And part of my role was based in um, a specialist school, which is specialist for autism and learning disabilities And when I went in to the MDT the multi-disciplinary team meeting there came across Louise So yeah, we're both working in this school together What were you doing there? So I was a speech and language therapist in the school and I'd been I was in the school for some time And the school has quite a unique approach in the terms of having this multidisciplinary team that meets together and sort of discusses Individual cases and brings everybody's expertise together So it was really a rich way of working because we could learn from each other and really support families in quite a holistic way Which in other special schools I'd worked in that hadn't happened. So yeah, I was in the speech therapy team That's particularly within this special needs school. So we decided to set up autism unraveled So what is autism unraveled and what do you believe in? so We'll maybe talk a bit later about the sort of transition towards my level But essentially it's a company which we've set up because we wanted to work a little bit more flexibly With the families that we work with and our jobs Which were outside of autism unraveled didn't really allow for that flexibility And that's something which is really important to us is sort of building a personal relationship and being able to work with people In different ways so some people might come to us for a number of sessions or just for an assessment And then they might come back a year later when something's shifted and they need something else So we we like that sort of being able to get to know people I guess and work with them longer term But autism unraveled is um, as you said, it's a private company And partly what we do is assessments autism assessments, which were both trained in and I know you've had people speaking on this radio station before about that Um, so that's partly what we do. We also do therapy individually. So I do psychology input and speech communication Um, but then we also do quite a lot of training which again, we may speak about later But okay in schools and also with businesses because we're really keen to see people with autism getting into employment Okay, I was just going to ask you is it purely for children, but it sounds like it's for adults as well We do assessments for adults and we do therapy in fact We'll have to say 50 of our therapy cases of adults Are there no type of therapy? Would you say that you do for an adult because I know there's a lot of adults out there But there's not a lot of services for them and they're always looking and researching So what is it that you could offer an adult if they were interested in looking you up? So it really depends what it is that people are coming with. Um, there's It depends if there's a mental health element. So a couple of the adults I work with there's an anxiety As well as sort of comorbid anxiety. So we're doing Some cbt which is cognitive behavioral therapy, but it's often modified depending on what the person's learning needs are as well um, so that's one thing and then Sometimes we do systemic family therapy, I guess Depending on what the needs of the whole family are that tends to be with younger children rather than the adults okay, and then a lot of the other workers around emotional regulation and sort of being able to Communicate your your different emotional states to other people So if people are interested to find out a little bit more about autism unraveled, where would they find you? So if for example, are you on social media? [Speaker 2] (9:18 - 9:19) Yes, we are. [Speaker 1] (9:19 - 24:51) So you can find us on instagram and that's autism Unraveled. Okay, and we're on twitter, which is a Unraveled and also you can find autism unraveled on facebook Okay, so there's various different ports But if you haven't quite caught that you can always message me on anna kennedy online And we can pass the messages on which is www.anna kennedy online dot com so I do you work with families as in do you go to where they live or do they have to come to you? How how how does it work? So there's different ways we work with people generally speaking. We do the assessments the diagnostic assessments in people's homes because we Find that takes away the anxiety for the child young personal adult coming to an unfamiliar setting and Um, you know, you can actually get quite a lot of rich information by seeing someone in their home environment Um, but then therapeutically we see people in schools and we have a clinic based in islington Also, it's in islington if they wanted to go to you and they felt that they couldn't do it at home Yeah, yeah. Okay, so that that's that's useful. So again all that information's on. Do you have a website? Oh, we do Yeah, what is that then? It's www.autism-unraveled with two l's dot com. Okay, just repeat that once more. So it's www.autism-unraveled.com Thank you very much. So we'll be going on in the next half soon talking much more about autumn unraveled um If you want to contact us via the charity website or you can contact me via social media if you want to ask any questions So it's at anna kennedy one on twitter anna kennedy online on facebook anna kennedy obe On instagram if you'd like to be one of my speakers on the program i'm booked up now until the end of october I believe but if you feel you'd like to speak whether you're a parent whether you're an adult on the spectrum Whether you're a teacher whether you're professional, please contact me We have so many different guests and lots of useful information that's shared on the site So again, please contact me either via social media or on the charity website just to remind you www.anna kennedy online.com lots of information on there about all of our rents that are coming up autumn's got talent Which I spoke to you about and the autism hero awards Which is november the 9th. We're just such a busy charity made up of volunteers. So please please contact me I'd love to hear from you and we can chat online on women's radio station, which is supporting women's well-being So, thank you so much everyone again. We're going to be chatting a little bit more about autism's got sorry Not autism's got rattled i'm getting into Getting with autism's got talent autism unraveled. So with louise and rebecca. Thank you so much Welcome to the women's radio station supporting women's well-being Women's radio station is all about diversity from opinions career ethnicity Education and most importantly women's well-being we aim to celebrate the individuality of every woman everywhere Providing opportunities and the platform for your voice visit our website women's radio station.com for more information I'm tamina zaman founder of empower and enrich when it comes to money. Do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone many women want to be smarter with their cash, but just don't know where to start At empower and enrich.org you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances And learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy affordable way Get in touch with me at empower and enrich.org and let's change your future together Hello, my name is natasha and calaha. Welcome to you lovely lady listeners of your very own women's radio station Over the coming months i'll be doing a survey and big brand coffee shops interviewing customers asking Why they like to drink coffee and if they would like to give us a health tip for our listeners The most shared and liked post will be the winner of a prize Stay tuned for further details Hi, i'm carolyn van biers, please join me for a brand new show here on women's radio station It's mother's hour If like me you're a mom juggling far too many balls and dropping most of them This is definitely the show for you We'll examine the highs and lows of motherhood and make sure you laugh out loud as we take on this challenging role together With spoonfuls of advice incredible stories. It will be refreshing honest and funny. Look at being a mom Are you struggling with money? Turned to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet job loss illness Or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis We give practical help to get people back on track Whether you're thinking of having a baby Trying to get out of an unhappy relationship Or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to We can help visit turn to us.org.uk Welcome to the women's radio station supporting women's well-being Women's radio station can give voice to your brand with a wide range of sponsorship opportunities including individual programs We can tailor your experience for you For more information on how you can sponsor a show go to women's radio station.com women's radio station supporting women's well-being Hello, this is anna kennedy and we're talking all things autism We're live and we're in coven garden and my guests today are autism unravelled before I speak to rebecca and louise Um last week you probably were listening in to born anxious And we had kelly kelly barker who's the founder that set up a clothing label in 2018 So our two main objectives were making clothes that are comfortable as possible whilst remaining planet friendly and to hold important information That will help not only the child but the caregiver So i'm pleased to say that now I am an ambassador for this particular Born anxious love their t-shirts because angela is very much like he hates labels gets the scissors out and cuts the big holes in His t-shirts because he just doesn't like the labels. So they're great. Um, i've got some myself I've got a t-shirt that says team no sleep because that's me because I don't get a lot of sleep. So ladies You're obviously moms And working. So how do you juggle because I know that it really can be quite difficult sometimes to juggle work And juggle being a mom. So how how who wants to go first? So how do we juggle I think it's pretty challenging on a day-to-day basis. Just um juggling work and life and sort of the The difference between running your own business and sort of working for the For a big organization is that you can't really switch off at times. So Having young children around can be quite tricky You know and and not wanting them to see you always looking at your phone or your laptop or your iPhone You know, I think it can be quite tricky But I think one of the things that helps is that we've got a really supportive extended family, you know, my mom's amazing and socials and sort of Being our our support network and enabling us but also Yeah tag teaming because we've got each other, you know, someone said oh, why don't you get why don't you get someone to help you? And I was like because we've got that's you know You just muddle through and you've got each other to help you we sort of totally know what it's like So having each other is massive but juggling is an ongoing thing, isn't it? Yeah extended family is really important. A lot of families don't have the luxury of that or they they don't see The difficulties that you're facing every day, but if you do have extended family, it can just be such a lifeline I've got my mother-in-law coral who lives Close to us where my mum lives like in the northeast because obviously i'm from Middlesbrough She's 88 years old and she loves and she supports the charity and she comes to look after angela is a bit boisterous sometimes Kicks her on her toes, but she loves it And it's just like you know Just gives you a little break if you've just got to rush to the shop or whatever it is that you've got to do So, how about you? So well, I have two little boys. Oh Nearly two and three. Wow, you've got your hands full So it means a lot when I can say to Louise. I had no sleep last night And she will understand what I mean and therefore be slightly more compassionate and understanding of what i'm capable of that day Um, but I I completely agree I mean our our moms and our dads but our moms are just amazing in terms of support and I think in Living in london, you're often not close to your family No, and so building up a support network has just been absolutely crucial I mean even yesterday we were sort of looking after each other's kids where one of us was doing a therapy session and you know It's just Trying to manage that juggle and being open about it and looking at different sort of different alternatives We were chatting over coffee and you said that you went to was it a conference last week and they were talking about caregivers Um, did you want to just share a little bit about that? Yeah, we were we were at an engineering conference actually last week. Um, we were talking about neurodiversity But one of the other speakers there which was fascinating. We're not engineers obviously But it was the whole conference was fantastic And there was a an organization business in the community who were presenting a little bit of research I think it's called equal lives And essentially what they had found is that men and women have similar attitudes and sort of Desires as to the balance of working care and duty So nine out of ten men agreed that women and men should have equal equal sort of caregiving responsibilities for Older parents and young children, but the reality of that is is very very different and it just sort of reflected the ongoing Situation in our society that the demands on women are just much much larger and even though everybody wants something different The reality of that is just not happening at the moment Okay, so you both got families and you were working for the nhs, which is obviously a stable job So why did you set up a business and maybe create more stress for yourself and a little bit of instability? But I can understand the flexibility But why did you leave the nhs if you want to share you don't have to i'm just putting the question out there so, um I I I personally didn't see it coming I mean rebecca and I talked for a long time about setting up together and our passion and enthusiasm to support people in a different way um But mine came about over an appreciative inquiry, which is sort of reflecting on what's going well and what you What you really appreciate and think is good about your life and suddenly I had this awakening and I was like I can't do this anymore I can't Keep shutting the door in people's faces, which is how it felt when within the nhs I had to say oh i'm afraid you've reached the end of your journey with us today because you have a diagnosis But that's all we're funded for and every time I did it I had this like sinking pulling feeling this is not right families deserve more than this I just felt so sort of down about doing that to families And so when this appreciative inquiry happened, I suddenly realized I had to resign and I don't think My brain had caught up with my heart almost I was I felt a bit bereft and I was crying for about three weeks Because I was like, oh I love the nhs and everything it stands for but at the same time It's not serving families how they deserve to be served and especially because You know conditions such as autism Where it's a lifelong condition. There's just not the funding available to support families Holistically in the way they deserve so it was a real sort of pull for me And I didn't talk to people about it at work for quite a while until i'd come to ease with myself about it But yeah, it was it came from a passion to support people in a more holistic way, really Yeah, because I've spoken to so many parents because obviously I always ask Parents how long did it take for the diagnosis and because it's such a long journey And it sometimes can be a tricky journey because you're juggling and you're trying to get people to listen to you It's just that I need support. He's struggling at school. And then once they do get the diagnosis I know it's like a big weight lifted and it's supposed to be a passport to get the support that you want But then there's like nothing for a lot of parents and they just feel like well, what did I do it for? Okay, my son's got autism, but he needs support now and they think it's a passport It's going to fall in your lap all the support But then no you've got to step on the ladder again and do more fighting or whatever it is that you've got to do so Um, would you say that it's getting worse now within the nhs? I think I think it's becoming increasingly difficult because of the restrictions and I know that It is not a reflection of the professionals working in the nhs at all who are As struggling as much as anybody trying to access those services, um, and it's incredibly frustrating and um upsetting and That was part of the reason why I left was that My particular team who are a fantastic team and it felt incredibly sad to leave them Just were very stuck because there just wasn't a lot of maneuvering and changing and as innovative as we could be Yeah, they just they're just weren't the resources to do the things So you're talking about restrictions so people listening in because obviously i've seen on social media on twitter people that are like saying things about the nhs and people that are Uh, not the nhs the nhs. Yeah, and then people are saying, um really positive things So what kind of restrictions so parents can understand? Um, you know what the system what's going on? Yeah, I mean, I think so coming from a mental health team Which is where I was wait times. That's a reality Um, you know people are waiting up to 18 months to get an autism diagnosis 18 months in a child's life is huge So how long is the list? Do you did they tell you you've got 400 people to see or whatever? Tell you what it is. I think I mean, it's it's partly numbers, but it's also just The number of clinicians as well. So right the list might actually only be 20 people But if you're only doing one autism assessment a month or something because that's all you definitely do Yeah, it just means that it all gets extended Okay, so the wait time is one thing but then as louise was talking about the sort of post diagnostic support, right? Is tricky and in a mental health service We were trying to restrict all the time and say we have to have a mental health need as well as autism and then that's kind of You know, how do you put a measure on that and how do you sort of assess for that and it becomes really really difficult so I think I mean ultimately It feels very difficult to have left the nhs and I think as autism unraveled We're trying to build a business. That's the reality. We are a private organization. So trying to build a business, but we're also trying to How do we longer term? Support the people that we also want to support who we know can't access private health care So it's this balance which we're trying to sort of achieve at the moment Are you discovering as well in arising a number of girls that are coming to see you as in young girls or adult girls or? [Speaker 2] (24:52 - 24:52) Yeah, absolutely [Speaker 1] (24:53 - 28:59) Girls we were talking the other day our caseload is predominantly girls at the moment and it's interesting And as to why that might be as whether they're not getting support in the schools or you know Obviously, there's lots more youngsters being diagnosed now, especially girls But yeah, we are seeing a rise and we're seeing more need around schools understanding of girls sort of the subtleties that girls might present with but also yeah But also the dual diagnosis, for example, you know The number of girls who have eating disorders and autism being one in five, which you know years ago We didn't realize so just having more awareness of sort of girls needs What sort of age group are we looking at? so the girls that we are seeing tend to be the girls who are in mainstream school and and They're sort of going through that transition to secondary school. Right. Okay, but actually I mean we might talk about this later, but um, we're seeing more women who are thinking about Their own sort of presentation and diagnosis and assessments. So Um, yeah, i'll stop you then we'll talk a little bit more about it's very interesting Just to remind people of where they can find you give it a plug all okay On instagram. We are autism dot unraveled And on twitter you can find us at a unraveled And facebook if you look at autism unraveled you'll find us there and the website is it's Www.autism-unraveled.com Okay, and again, if you want to be one of my speakers on my show all things autism Please contact me via the charity website Www.anna kennedy online.com or you can contact me via social media at anna kennedy one on twitter Anna kennedy online on facebook or anna kennedy obe on instagram I post every single day about stuff that i'm doing about things that we're sharing anything interesting that I find That I might want to share with everyone. I don't endorse anything unless I do it myself So I just want to say thank you so much girls and we'll be talking again very soon Welcome to women's radio station. I'm sarah louise ryan and welcome to love lessons live on women's radio station Hello and welcome to future classic women awards with me stephanie pasamante on women's radio station Hello and welcome to julene is listening. Hi This is anna kennedy and we're at women's radio station supporting women's well-being and we're talking all things autism women The possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different Hi, i'm lauren michigan I'm a birth doula and mum of three and i'm passionate about supporting women to have empowering and positive birth experiences Please join me for my brand new show from tummy to mummy here on women's radio station Every week i'll be here with an expert guest talking about women's reproductive health everything fertility pregnancy Birth and baby related right through to the menopause and beyond please join us for an informative and fun hour Hello, my name is ingrid marsh on women's radio station and coming soon as the radical well-being show To help support women's well-being each show I share the airwaves with all their women like me and you doing extraordinary things Women who have overcome huge obstacles in their lives who are now here with me to empower you On radical well-being show you'll be inspired to kick away the roadblocks and live your life to the fullest If you're ready to get radical about your well-being then this is the show for you Hi, i'm hazel butterfield a blogger book lover and mental health advocate And you can listen to my show get booked here at women's radio station daily at 5 a.m And 5 p.m Throughout my shows we'll talk about the books i've read new releases chapter authors publishers and book enthusiasts All with a theme and aim of supporting women's emotional well-being If you have a book to tell us about get in touch at presenters at women's radio station.com [Speaker 2] (28:59 - 29:33) Join me on my show and share my love of books and writing Hi, i'm valentina barbachi and i'm the executive director of media matters for women We're a registered charity operating in sierra leone and the democratic republic of congo And we produce and share podcasts via bluetooth and mobile phones focusing specifically on women and girls excluded from information Due to extreme poverty. We empower those living in rural areas with media that transforms how they access Own and share information to find out more and be part of this movement Come check out our website at media matters for women.org [Speaker 1] (29:35 - 31:30) You're listening to women's radio stations supporting women's well-being Women's radio stations creating a global network for the empowerment of women and we want you to be involved Join us on instagram and twitter at women's radio station. That's women's radio stn Or facebook women's radio station to keep up to date with all our exciting programs Hello, this is anna kennedy and we're talking all things autism We're live and we're in coven garden and my guests today are rebecca and louise I just want to remind you about the autism hero award which will be happening very soon, which is on november the 9th Closing day to book tickets is october the 24th. I can't believe we're in october already. The year has just Flown by we've still got a few tickets left but autumn's got talent So if you want to come along on saturday, bring your tissues It's such an emotional roller coaster such a fantastic show and we've got a few celebrities as well that are going to be supporting us We've got janine. Do you remember janine from east enders? That's not our real name, but charlie brooks Um, and we've got vicki michelle from lol. So she's going to come along to support us as well Um a lovely young lady who um is a presenter for bbc radio york and also been on country file She's a fantastic singer as well. Um adriana, sorry ionica adriana. Sorry Um, so she's um supporting us as well and everyone's really excited for the show So ladies, um, tell me a little bit more. We've just been chatting about um, the number of girls that are coming to you So can you talk to me a little bit about why is it that you think that girls are? Um, it's difficult for more to diagnose Either a child or a teenager or a young lady. Um, what is it about the masking? What do you think? What do you think it why it's so difficult and why it's not been? Yeah, why why is it now why is it now that it's sort of on the increase? [Speaker 2] (31:30 - 31:30) That's right. [Speaker 1] (31:30 - 33:38) Yeah, because they've always been there Yeah, that's quite quite Oh, well, I mean the the main sort of thing is that society's perception of autism is that it's a male diagnosis So it's a male condition. Therefore you're a girl you can't possibly have autism So I guess that's one of the main things is it's not even on people's radars If a girl is struggling in any way people aren't automatically going to be thinking all of that must be autism I guess that's sort of one of the main narratives Um, but also girls do present differently. That's what we we see an awful lot. So as you mentioned masking girls women they often report that they Are having to sort of copy people's behavior They're really sort of a more socially motivated And they're having to sort of hold this hold it together during the day when they're in social situations and really trying to See how other people are responding and behave in a similar way Which you don't see as often in boys And so that's social masking is something specifically in girls That's why they might not be standing out as having social communication. That must be so stressful Can you imagine it's almost like you're acting every day like you're in a play or something? So they must yeah, and they've got to release the stress somewhere Yeah often I mean young girls don't get seen until they're a bit like higher end of primary and so You know, then it might be that school hasn't really noticed the difficulties and and They're going home and having these meltdowns Because they've been masking all day You know struggling and putting on this act if you like and then going home and just releasing all this tension So I think lots of the families we work with it is it's a hidden disability that Sometimes the school and the families are reporting quite different things that they're seeing Um, and it's that age where the social demands increase so much more for youngsters sort of 9 10 Plus that then the difficulties start to show themselves a lot more I mean some of the sort of specialist interests that girls might report with things like unicorns and stuff. So they seem quite Sort of normal or within the sort of quite trendy unicorn. [Speaker 2] (33:38 - 33:41) Did you see them everywhere doing sparkling unicorn? [Speaker 1] (33:42 - 58:59) So it wouldn't necessarily be seen as a specialist interest in the same way that maybe It's a stereotype that a boy might have a sort of interest in their tube map or something So, you know, it sort of doesn't stand out in the same way Yeah, they'll often see what the other girls are liking and sort of copy that because they want to fit in So, you know that's that's why it gets even more disguised I spoke to a mother and father where their daughter had an eating disorder and that was diagnosed first and the um Autism wasn't picked up until later down the line, but it was um, obviously that was her way of coping if you like So that's very very sad Um, so who comes for an assessment and therapy? So what sort of therapies do you offer at autism unravel? Can you sort of embellish on that a little bit more? So the people that come for therapy are usually people who already have a diagnosis. Okay Or it might be people have a sort of social communication diagnosis and the therapy sort of really depends on what their individual needs are and the people that come for assessments are Often people are on a waiting list elsewhere and want to get something sooner than that Um, or we also have a sort of initial assessment which we offer Which is sort of an hour and a half assessment and then with a summary report Which is more of an overview to see whether people should go for a full diagnostic assessment or not And that can sometimes be very helpful. So for example, somebody might present and actually We don't think it's awesome. We actually think it's more of a learning disability and it's It's actually quite helpful. I'm saying, you know, we don't think we should be going down this route Actually, let's think about it in this way We're just sort of trying to clarify people's needs and support families So if somebody's listening in and they think their son or their daughter might have a diagnosis of autism or there's some alarm bells Going off and they approach you just can you just talk very briefly about what an assessment entails? I know we covered this quite a few weeks ago, but might have some new listeners in that are thinking right? What does it mean? What does an assessment mean? What do you do? So usually we sort of gather the initial information with a family over the phone and explain what our assessment involves so that what that looks like is When we do the assessment we use the ADOS, which is the autism diagnostic observation schedule nice mouthful And that's the gold standard way of assessing a child young personal adult by using sort of social presses if you like so you are playing games in a certain way to see how they respond or setting up a conversation And using what we call a cliffhanger in a certain way to see do they pick up on that? Do they respond do they ask you something or not? And so it it's quite contrived, but it it's not meant to look contrived It's meant to look as though it's a natural game or a natural conversation So that's one side of it. And then the other side is a very comprehensive questionnaire if it's with a child or young person with the parents and gathering information um And then we also contact schools If it's a child or young person to gather a whole picture of how the child presents in different settings So what will be different then say for example say I You know somebody in the 50s or myself i've come along to you and I think I think I might be on the autism spectrum What's different with the assessment? So obviously you're not going to play games with me. No It's more of a It's more of an interview. Um, and if if you have somebody who is able to offer additional information So either a parent or a sibling or somebody who's known you for a long time and and knows how you interact socially That's helpful, but it's not essential. So it's more of a conversation at chat about social situations and interactions and general Um around like routine and and repetitive type behaviors and actually the ADOS has got different modules Age and verbal ability. So yeah, I spoke to quite a few moms where their daughters have been diagnosed and then they think oh I think this might be me because obviously they're going through it all and then they've been diagnosed themselves We've we've had that a few times actually parents sort of recognizing Some of the traits in themselves and then finding it really helpful to have their own And Also around how you know, you talked earlier about is more is there a growing trend in terms of women? I think previously Girls and women were given different diagnosis to explain, you know, whether it's personality disorder and and wrong diagnosis Um, so I think yeah lots of moms do or dads as well do sort of recognizing themselves Whilst they're going through the diagnostic process themselves So if a parent thinks that their school is going to need some support and they want to contact you Can you tell me a little bit about what support that you can provide for school staff? Obviously focusing on well-being and any other services you might be able to offer that they can tap into So I mean a lot of schools Have have had very good training on autism. Okay, then the staff might be very clued up Okay, um, and there's often a cenco. So the special educational needs coordinator um And so that's the person in the school who who should be aware of autism and how to sort of support that child in the school environment However, there are some schools where they need a little bit more additional training. Okay, or they might want a sort of specific and Multidisciplinary discussion. So if a child's presenting with challenging behavior or what they're really struggling That those staff might really appreciate having a consultation. Okay person thinking about that particular behavior but one of the things which we're really working on and we feel very strongly about is Staff well-being for staff working in specialist schools, particularly Okay, and because there's a lot of research to show that there's a high staff turnover And it's actually quite a stressful environment for staff physically and mentally which leads to this difficulty with retention So keeping the same stuff. Yeah, so we Have really been working particularly with the school that we both met in but thinking about a staff well-being package to try and support teachers Um so that they can then build up their skills But also their sort of reflective skills and the support within schools So you can improve staff attention and also improve pupil performance Yeah, because I think teachers don't have that sort of time for supervision. We call it in speech therapy and where you really get to reflect on what what's going well and what's not working so well about your therapy or Your interventions or particular cases and that's not routine within teaching They don't really get the time to to do that. It's back-to-back teaching and preparation and so The ability by paperwork a lot of the time as well So i've spoken to some teachers where they've done some teacher training They've gone into special schools and then they um go into mainstream for part of the teacher then they can't wait to get back Special school or whatever it is because they say they get if they find it more rewarding. Yeah Yeah, so sometimes the small steps are huge steps for the teachers But also for the pupil and also for the family because obviously you're just looking for you know Those steps of progress that they're trying to make so again If people are interested to remind people, where can they find you? We are on instagram autism dot unraveled on twitter, which is at a Unraveled facebook with autism unraveled and our website is Www.autism-unraveled.com. Thank you And again, if you'd like to be one of the speakers on all things autism, please contact me via the charity website Which is www.anna kennedy online.com. You can leave a message on our answering machine machine. Get my teeth in 018 9 5 5 4 0 1 8 7 or you can message me which a lot of people do for your social media at anachenedy1 on twitter Anachenedy online on facebook and at anachenedy obe on instagram. Thank you very much ladies and we're over to the last quarter Welcome to the women's radio station supporting women's well-being Women's radio station is all about diversity from opinions, career, ethnicity Education and most importantly women's well-being. We aim to celebrate the individuality of every woman everywhere Providing opportunities and the platform for your voice. Visit our website www.womensradiostation.com for more information I'm Tamina Zaman founder of empower and enrich when it comes to money Do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone. Many women want to be smarter with their cash, but just don't know where to start At empowerandenriched.org you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances And learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy affordable way Get in touch with me at empowerandenriched.org and let's change your future together Hello, my name is Natasha Ann Callaha. Welcome to you lovely lady listeners of your very own women's radio station Over the coming months. I'll be doing a survey and big brand coffee shops interviewing customers asking why they like to drink coffee And if they would like to give us a health tip for our listeners The most shared and liked post will be the winner of a prize Stay tuned for further details Hi, i'm carolyn van viers. Please join me for a brand new show here on women's radio station It's mother's hour If like me you're a mum juggling far too many balls and dropping most of them This is definitely the show for you We'll examine the highs and lows of motherhood and make sure you laugh out loud as we take on this challenging role together With spoonfuls of advice incredible stories It will be refreshing honest and funny. Look at being a mum Are you struggling with money? Turn to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet Job loss illness or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis We give practical help to get people back on track whether you're thinking of having a baby Trying to get out of an unhappy relationship or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to We can help visit turn to us.org.uk Welcome to the women's radio station supporting women's well-being Women's radio station can give voice to your brand with a wide range of sponsorship opportunities including individual programs We can tailor your experience for you For more information on how you can sponsor a show go to women's radio station.com Women's radio station supporting women's well-being Hello, this is anna kennedy and we're talking all things autism We're in the final quarter of the program and my guests today are rebecca and louise and they're from autism Unraveled so ladies we were talking about the neurodiversity movement. What does that mean? And what does it entail? How do you fit into it? Well, we're How are we fitting into it? We um Are big supports of the neurodiversity movement? So this is a sort of social movement, which is trying to understand that people think differently Essentially and people have different types of brains and that's something that should be celebrated and acknowledged And so neurodiversity covers a number of different diagnosis Okay, um including autism ADHD Dyslexia dyslexia So it sort of covers all the loads and essentially it's the way that people's brain is function is is different And that's that's a good thing. Okay And but you know, we we're trying to sort of promote that idea and it's um A movement which really taken off particularly with the social media support here But um one of the people who I think you know very well, sienna. Yes one of my ambassadors Yeah, so sienna's set up the neurodiversity celebration week she has and we're really promoting that across all the schools and families that we work with because It's really about identifying individual strengths and celebrating those and recognize. Yes challenges of having differences in the way you learn but also about how to how to support youngsters to Succeed in in education and then beyond so we're also working with Companies in the workplace to think about reasonable adjustments as well I mean there's such a strong narrative around disability That the neurodiversity movement isn't as you say It's not trying to dismiss the fact that people have difficulties that they have difficulties because we live in a new world Which is being set up by neurotypicals. So um People who wouldn't fit They just heard that word neurotypical it just really gets on my nose It's a mouthful But I guess so I guess it's just trying to shift that narrative in people's mind Um away from seeing oh awesome. Oh Rather than that being a response trying to think about well, what does that mean? Yeah Yeah, I think it's really about moving away from the misconceptions around autism. I think greta thumba has been Really great in terms of helping support people to see things from a different perspective and What I really like about her is that she talks about how Her autism is why she is an activist and and it's not in spite of it It's because of it and that's what her special interest is around climate change and and the positive impact she's having. Yeah, I think People like sienna and greta are really amazing youngsters who like just blow me away With them enthusiasm and all the great things they're doing really and I think sienna's gonna go on to great things You know, she's 17. I can't believe she was bullied at school and all that awful stuff But she is just really driving forward. I said to her put your blinkers on and keep going She's amazing and her Q mentor Quantum leap mentoring. Yeah website is also a really good resource for families to have a look at. Yeah, definitely Okay, so let's talk about reasonable adjustments in the workplace These are very very important for our young people and adults So are you able to help companies that if they come to you and ask about reasonable adjustments and what can they do to support? Uh people in the workplace. Yeah, absolutely I mean, this is something which we've been really working on over the last six months actually was trying to sort of Um diversify into that a little bit more because I think it's only 15 percent of adults with autism or unemployment or something Outletters I know and and so partly what we're trying to do is support Companies in being more inclusive in their recruitment processes so that they can access a talent pool, which is okay So how would they do that then so say a company approached you and just say well How can you help us with the process of people applying for jobs? So what can we do differently? So it's about thinking about the usual interview process might not be suitable for people with autism, for example, because it might just First of all, it's about matching the job to the individual does every job Need a good communicator and a good team player. So that's one thing But then also does every job require the traditional sense of an interview where you have to sit in front of a panel And sort of show your skills or could you do it in a different way where? Somebody has a three-month placement to show their skills and work within the team and see how they get on So it's just thinking differently about are they receptive the companies that you've been speaking to I think they are I think You know, there's lots of equality issues around jay race gender, etc But people aren't really embracing neurodiversity and when you when you open up the discussion They realize they are missing huge pools of talent for people out there with specialist skills And a different approach that can really help So if a company was interested in making reasonable adjustments because obviously everybody's worried about cost is it how much is it going to cost me? You know type of thing. So there's things that you can do that just basically you're not going to cost very much at all Absolutely. I mean there's lots of adjustment I think it there's a piece of research recently where 56 percent of adjustments don't cost anything or something like that But I mean there's some adjustments like you say after every meeting somebody sends around a bullet point a few minutes That can be super helpful and it helps everybody in the workforce. Not just people who have autism So it's actually just improving things for everybody making it a level playing field trying to sort of improve processes generally And also my son says that he likes to know what he's going to be doing every day He doesn't like this openness where it's just like, you know, you just ask to do a job as and when He says he feels so much better when it's written down. He can tick each job off And then the anxiety levels lesson something else that he said he likes to have his own space I've probably shared this before but he has got his own space where he works. He's got his own corner He's got a chair where he can have a sleep for 20 minutes at lunchtime because he said he feels he needs it Because of the pressure of socializing with everybody throughout the day He's got posters up of things that he likes and they've been really really flexible And for me that's true reasonable adjustments to help him get on with his job Absolutely So have you actually followed anyone that? That might have come to you and then the company's made reasonable adjustments to see how they get on Is that the type of thing that you do as well? Yeah, absolutely. So it's kind of trying to support Companies in the whole process and because we're trying to think about Not only that getting the job right and getting the right people into the recruitment But then keeping people in the job. Exactly. So it's just trying to work with people often It's when something's gone wrong. Yeah, and then there's a performance So trying to support companies and thinking more widely about what might be happening for that person And then what adjustments they keep put in place in order to facilitate so having your own space to have a little 20 minutes That's what it takes I could do that And also like some we've been asked to work with a charity called care trade Where they support youngsters with autism to get into the workplace by doing work placements. Okay, so two-year program Um, and it really enables people to try on the job have coaching talk about things that are going well things that are difficult and then practicing Interview techniques and applying for jobs and things like that. Okay, that's useful So if anyone's interested they can check out care trade So we are obviously moms that are very very busy So let's talk about relaxing because that sounds like something that we don't do very well And I know I keep promoting it, but i'm a bit rubbish at it But the thing is obviously we're a station that supports women's well-being so let me Ask you both. What do you do to relax? So what rocks your board? What is it that you does? So sometimes when we're working we put on the radio and listen to some songs that helps to get you in the vibe But I think for me personally Swimming is a is a time for myself where I really sort of get to clear my head And I like going to the nido because swimming outside, you know, it's a good sort of nature Um, I i'm okay. I'm still I still go to adult lessons to my technique, but I i'm quite good And drop it I do I enjoy that sort of space and time to breathe and just sort of take time for your head to clear a bit Yeah, so swimming is and being in the water is a really great thing for me. Okay, and how about you? uh, well I think you said i'm not great actually at doing what i'm always promoting. You've got toddlers Sometimes a bit of a dash to the end of the day. Yeah And then it'll be a crash in front of something like the great witch's bake off or something. Okay. That's quite popular Are you good at cake baking? Me neither I do I mean I listen to a lot of radio podcasts I get a lot of information and enjoy them from there I've just heard a new one called you're dead to me, which is on radio. What's that about then? Well, it's a history one and i'm not very good at history But it kind of takes just a person from history like jonah bark and then talks about them Something which is just a bit different. Yeah, I like and it takes me away for a little bit Um, but another my partner's a therapist. So that could be a blessing and a curse for both of us Overthinking things but one of the things which we try to do which is an intervention called the gratitude intervention Is at the end of the day you just say something which has happened in the day, which you really Grateful for are pleased about and it's a very very simple thing which There's a lot of research to support that that helps people as you go to bed. It just puts you in a different Okay, that's interesting So we're coming to the end of the program. I'd like to say thank you so much for talking about autism unraveled If again, if people are interested just quickly, where can they find you? So you can find us on facebook autism unraveled twitter, which is at a unraveled and instagram Autism unraveled or also you can check out our website, which is Www.autism unraveled.com. So thank you very much ladies. Really appreciate you coming along and listening to your story and you're a swimmer and I want to be baker So, um, yes, so thank you so much and uh, you know It's lots of in that's this is what this shows about really about sharing information About us just chatting and having a coffee as well beforehand That was like a little bit of time out wasn't it just having a coffee just having a chat So again, if you want to be one of my speakers on the show, please contact me www.anna kennedy online.com at anna kennedy one on twitter anna kennedy ob e on instagram And anna kennedy online is on facebook. You can check out the charity website. There's loads of information on there Always sharing what we're doing Um, we're made up of volunteers, but we're so busy and I just want to say have a great week everyone And please try and do something for yourself because We need to support each other and we need to have time out because we'll burn out if we don't Thanks so much everyone. Bye Welcome to women's radio station I'm sarah louise ryan and welcome to love lessons live on women's radio station Hello and welcome to future classic women awards with me stephanie pasamante on women's radio station Hello and welcome to julene is listening. Hi This is anna kennedy and we're at women's radio station supporting women's well-being and we're talking all things autism women The possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different Hi, i'm lauren michcon i'm a birth dealer and mum of three And i'm passionate about supporting women to have empowering and positive birth experiences Please join me for my brand new show from tummy to mummy here on women's radio station Every week i'll be here with an expert guest talking about women's reproductive health everything fertility pregnancy Birth and baby related right through to the menopause and beyond please join us for an informative and fun hour Hello, my name is ingrid marsh on women's radio station and coming soon is the radical well-being show To help support women's well-being each show. I share the airwaves with all know women like me and you doing extraordinary things Women who have overcome huge obstacles in their lives who are now here with me to empower you On radical well-being show you'll be inspired to kick away the roadblocks and live your life to the fullest If you're ready to get radical about your well-being, then this is the show for you Hi, i'm hazel butterfield a blogger book lover and mental health advocate And you can listen to my show get booked here at women's radio station daily at 5 a.m And 5 p.m Throughout my shows we'll talk about the books i've read new releases chapter authors publishers and book enthusiasts All with a theme and aim of supporting women's emotional well-being If you have a book to tell us about get in touch at presenters at women's radio station.com [Speaker 2] (58:59 - 59:40) Join me on my show and share my love of books and writing Hi, i'm valentina barbachi and i'm the executive director of media matters for women We're a registered charity operating in sierra leone and the democratic republic of congo And we produce and share podcasts via bluetooth and mobile phones focusing specifically on women and girls excluded from information Due to extreme poverty. We empower those living in rural areas with media that transforms how they access Own and share information to find out more and be part of this movement Come check out our website at media matters for women.org You're listening to women's radio station supporting women's well-being [Speaker 1] (59:41 - 59:58) Women's radio stations creating a global network for the empowerment of women and we want you to be involved Join us on instagram and twitter at women's radio station. That's women's radio stn Or facebook women's radio station to keep up to date with all our exciting programs