Hello, this is Anna Kennedy and we're talking all things autism and we're live at Covent Garden and we support women's well-being What beautiful weather we've been having these last few days where I've been really spoilt I understand something like the highest temperatures we've had at this period of time in the last 70 years And it just makes you feel so much better. I don't know about you, but when the Sun's out, I just feel like I get an extra Drive something that sort of inject me of energy. So I just been doing so much lately So yes, let's let's hope that we get more and more of this beautiful weather So before I go over to my guest Cherry Chung I just want to let you know that obviously we're building up to autism's Got Talent and we are so excited There's just not long to go at all All of our performers are buzzing and some of our performers that are traveling from overseas will start making their way next week So if you can come along it's on May the 4th and it's at the mermaid theater black fryers And also just wanted to let you know and each week or every now and again I've been talking to you about a gentleman called Dominic now Dominic was homeless and he lived in Cornwall and we set up a crowd Funded for him and we raised 1,675 pounds So I just like to let you know that he's now settled now and he has somewhere to live and he wanted to ask He asked me actually if I'd read a message just to say thank you So he what he's saying for me to say to you is I would like to offer the biggest Thank you to every person who has taken time to leave a comment and any person who has donated Hard-earned money to help me. It is staggering that there are so many kind-hearted people in the world You have all helped me immeasurably with the positivity and good wishes I would like to thank Anna Kennedy and Annie Sands who have stood in my corner and fought for me without either It's questionable if I'd be here to write this. Thank you all once again from the bottom of my heart So that just makes your heart swell doesn't it that he's finally settled. So great stuff Okay. So my guest today is Cherry Chum and Cherry is a mum to an autistic boy And also she has got her own autism diagnosis and just recently in 2017 Cherry is a senior lecturer at London South Bank University She qualified as a solicitor before joining the academia around 10 years ago She's the course director for Master of Science corporate governance degree and is a member of the assessment review panel She leads the entrepreneurship in challenging circumstances research group Cherry has multiple publications in and acted as peer review for some internationally renowned academic journals Cherry also organized an academic conference on autism and entrepreneurship in November Which I was gladly to be part of and co-organized an economic and social research council funded workshop to provide training to aspiring Autistic entrepreneurs in February 2019 she's also just got involved in the additional needs ministry at the local church. Well Cherry you sound like a busy woman Yeah, I'm just trying to learn from you Inspiration so welcome Cherry. So tell me a little bit about you recently got your autism diagnosis. Yeah, and that was in 2017 what caused you to seek the diagnosis so late in life Yeah, I started from my son and he's got his own diagnosis Just before he turned age 4. Okay, which was three years ago more than three years ago now He's seven and a half at the moment So during his diagnostic process and also through looking after him I actually saw a lot of myself in him. I still see a lot of myself in him so and And then it just made me and my husband started thinking maybe, you know, Cherry has autism as well so and then and then I also just started exploring and into seeing whether I've got my You know my own autism and when we put Myself in even before I've got the diagnosis when we put myself into this condition and things just started to make sense okay, so so I started seeking diagnosis myself in around year 2014 15 and that was actually based on my Counselors advice. Okay that you know, I went to see her as for you know Counseling because I just found that sometimes things are quite overwhelming and you know quite hard to cope with I've got mental Health difficulty as well. Okay, so but after several sessions I think around 10 sessions or something like that and she just encouraged me to seek the diagnosis. Okay of autism spectrum disorder so I And then I started Started to to seek the diagnosis from from through the local authority and The rating this was very long there was only one I Was told that there was I've been seen once yeah with a I think psychiatric nurse or someone in that similar profession and And then I was told that I was put on a rating list and there was only one clinical Psychologist to look after the whole Why the bower of but then I was living in Essex and in part of the Essex one psychologist for the Hall of Essex. Yeah For children and adults are just for adults for I think for adults Probably I can't remember now because it was a few years ago Not not the whole access but one part of Essex because I used to live in South End on sea Oh, so that that part and including Basudan and I mean it's a wider quite quite big part of South End areas that there was one clinical psychologist Who could give the diagnosis of autism? so and then we later on we move out from the area and And and and so I sort of I put it on hold I didn't you know look for it anymore And and then when I started Again to feel that I probably will need to get the diagnosis. That was in year 2017 And that was actually when I when I became very forgetful I went to see the GP and I thought I might have dementia Because I just kept with you know forgetting things and then the GP said maybe you you know, it's anxiety disorder Maybe you need to seek mental health condition Diagnosis or support instead. So I thought and then I said to him, you know, I I think I've I'm on the autism autism spectrum disorder. Can can I seek those diagnosis as well? So he asked me he's very nice and he said he asked me, you know, you are functioning as a person and and also What was the benefit of this and she's asking me what's the benefit of it? So I told him because the benefit for me to get the autism diagnosis is that you know If I've got this condition, you know, why why don't I get a recognition of that? And also it can also help me to relate to my son So that I can encourage him and to say that, you know, if he has got some difficulties I can tell him that look mommy is the same as you and mommy has has overcome this This is what mommy did to overcome this or mommy still feel very challenged by the same thing as you do So we we can you know support each other as well And then I also think that having a diagnosis can also help me to Support the other peoples and to relate to other people who are on the spectrum as well So that we can form a support group together and form a community and courage to each other and to cheer up each other And and and do things for the autism community community So this is you know, what what I was saying to the GP and obviously, um, I mean like he You know, it's all my personal view. So obviously and and then he he listened and then he said, okay Maybe you have autism, but um, you know, it might be more important thing is to deal with your mental health conditions So, um, you know, you know, I would still encourage you to to to to refer yourself, uh to the well-being NHS well-being and um, and he said the waiting list is very long for adult diagnosis for autism as well so therefore I started to um Look for what I refer myself to the nhs for the mental health conditions And then also I started to look for a private diagnosis myself as well. And was that easy to find? Um, it wasn't easy and being being someone on the spectrum and also, you know, i'm very uh, I mean obviously I know all the Autistic people are different. So each each of us are different but for myself because I also have uh, ocd so uh, um So ocd somebody listening in how does it manifest itself? Um, so so that that's manifested in a way that one of the ways that I will over prepare a lot of things So I did a lot of research. I mean this is the right right job for me that i'm doing as a researcher Yeah, um, but sometimes I I mean like when I was looking for the uh, private Bionosticians and I did a lot of research as well I just like look up on them and look at the articles that they've written what qualifications that they have et cetera, et cetera, et cetera Really quite deep research where someone would just be looking for basically, you know the name. Where do they practice? How long is the waiting list? Can I get an appointment? So I I got um, yeah, I found a team of uh, Bionosticians, I think it's formed by a clinical psychologist and also a cognitive behavior therapist, okay, who You know who are very experienced and have written quite a lot of even academic articles on diagnosing women's On the autism spectrum disorder. So, you know, I went for them And how long did it take? How long was the process? It wasn't long. It was a couple of months a three months around three months. I think Um, I can't remember now, but I got the diagnosis just before the christmas So that's one of the best how do you feel when you um got the diagnosis? Yeah, I just feel that thank god. This is, you know, one of the best Christmas gifts that i've ever had in year 2017 So you felt like a big weight had been lifted from your shoulders. Yes. Yes. Yes Yeah, really really glad and did you tell your son straight away? Yes. Yes. What did he say? He's very happy And yeah, he said we are autistic family Okay, so people are listening in who are interested who think that they might be on the autism spectrum So if they what i'm saying is if you can't get any support from your gp Or if he's saying to you that there's a big long waiting list There are other avenues that you can go down So if you type into google autism diagnosis and try and find somebody who's local to your area If not contact a charity group, um, or you know a main charity, they'd probably be able to help you and point you in the right direction so we're at All things autism and we're live at coven garden. My guest today is cherry chung If you want to ask cherry a question, you can contact us through the charity website and our charity website is Www.anna kennedy online.com My twitter handle is at anna kennedy one and on facebook anna kennedy online and yours on twitter Yeah, I got um two twitter accounts one is um Uh ching kwa terror cc. Okay, so what we'll do is we'll go back to that So, thank you very much everyone for listening and we'll go back to the twitter handle 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 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 falguni desai of action coach. Are you a business owner with more than five employees? Do you want to grow your business? 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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 Hi, i'm valentina barracci, 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 Women's radio station can give a voice to your brand with a wide range of sponsorship opportunities Including individual programs we can tailor your experience to you For more information on how you can sponsor a show go to women's radio station.com Women the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different Hello, this is anna kennedy and we're talking all things autism We're live at coven garden and we support women's well-being My guest today is cherry chung and cherry started some academic research relating to autism And also held an autism conference on entrepreneurship at london southbank university So cherry tell me a little bit about that and tell me a little bit about the research on that particular area Why did you choose that subject matter? Okay. Yeah So i'm an academic and also researcher at um at london southbank university So i've got uh, I mean before I started doing my research relating to autism i've got some records and international research publications in the areas of uh studying business Running how they run the business during the challenging times. Okay, for example like during the war and conflict or as a refugee entrepreneurs, so since they say You know since uh, my son has got the diagnosis of autism and spectrum disorder and myself has got it and And it just become a very natural thing for me to start looking at how to Depend my research area into autism and because there's a huge employment gap for the autistic Adults based on the nas national autistic societies Statistics, so it's just become quite natural for me to start looking and to see whether entrepreneurship can help to bridge the gap for for the autistic or adults so that they they will be able to have a meaningful job themselves and And to do something that they are passionate about so therefore I started looking to into these areas of research And because I am leading a small research group under the business schools research center at lspu So I proposed to the director of research that I would like to organize a conference On autism and entrepreneurship and i'm really thankful that this proposal was highly supported by the director and the dean of the business school so And and also thank you anna very much for being Our keynote speakers and your your speech was really really heartwarming and also very inspirational It was a good attendance as well And we had a quite a great number of speakers that obviously spoke on different topics. Yeah on entrepreneurship. Yes Yeah, yeah, we also got the uh several entrepreneurs who are on the spectrum themselves to share their experience and also we also Invited autocon is a company that Hire only autistic persons to be their it consultants and to share their experience as well So yeah, so what came out of the research? Could you give us some of the information that you discovered? Yeah, um, so we we we are this uh, I mean like for for me apart from that conference We are also running some other projects as well um, so we are looking to um so for aspects one aspect is that to help the autistic entrepreneurs to um to run the business themselves and then another aspect is that if the persons with autism are Have more support needs than we are looking at you know how their Carers or parents or loved ones and help them and support them to run the business and then to support the autistic Children as well. So we are looking at those two areas and and for um, so We we plan to write a a number of articles journal articles on on that areas to look at the autism and entrepreneurship and And to find, you know, what is the best way to support the autistic persons? in the entrepreneurial area and um and we also um recently has um Organized a workshop as well. Okay, that's yeah So have you been in contact with any entrepreneurs and they are successful. Could you talk about any of them? Uh, yeah, um, we we uh, we have um a very I'm not sure but I I think yeah, he's happy to talk about that. We also invited one of the autistic entrepreneurs um Um, he I didn't ask for his prior permission whether he's happy for me to talk about his name You know, what what is it that he's doing? How is it working for him? Just you might have somebody that's listening in might think i'd like to try. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So There was um, I mean in the conference in november, we've got the autistic entrepreneurs Who are running a online platform? focusing on Corporate governance issues and um, and also he also runs a Colding week national coding week in jersey and then we've got another entrepreneurs who um Is a you know very uh renowned speakers and he will go to various places to talk about his experience and also, you know, uh how he uh Navigate, um, you know his his life and and be successful as well and champion for the autistic uh community community and we've also got another entrepreneurs who uh used to He came to our workshop in february 2019 to share his experience and he he used to run a multi-million pounds business and um And and and he's on the spectrum himself and he um and then he's now also Starting a new type of business with the focus to support autistic entrepreneurs. She's also organizing a conference in may as well Yeah, okay. So any of this information if people are interested in looking at it Yeah, maybe if you could tweet it out, um with your twitter. So can you give us your twitter handle? Yes Sure. Sure. We'll do. Um, so I i've got the personal twitter handles C-I-N Q-U-E P-E-R-R-E C-C so chinkra terra c-c So and and I'll just want to say that, you know what what i'm saying here today Is totally my personal view. So, um, you know, although i'm, you know related to some of the organizations But i'm not representing them here today and i'm i'm just my set of cherry chunks Yeah, that's good So what I can do also is are you going to be writing an article that I can share? Yes And then if people look at my twitter handle or Anna Kennedy online facebook Then you can read some of the links where people can research on the entrepreneurs Um one particular young man that I think i've spoken about about before is one of my ambassadors matty He was told he'd never amount to anything. He's got a diagnosis of asperger's, um, dyscalculia Dyslexia dyspraxia and his parents supported him and now he's the CEO of his own business at Two years old. Yeah, and his brother and mom and father work for him So which is fantastic. So, um, and I think he employs now something like 48 to 50 people And it's called team carton. He also sponsors some young autistic children who have been racing I've been I watch his social media and he's here there and everywhere and he tells me he's a workaholic He's not that keen on, you know breaks like christmas and easter because he finds that, you know He needs to keep working. He's a bit like me actually I suppose where um, I find break times quite You know, I feel that I have to keep going and my brain's always buzzing. So that's um Yes, I just think that he's a such an inspirational young man at a 22. Yeah employing 50 people alone in his own business and I can see him having a franchise and you know sharing it all across the country Yeah, I would like to get in touch with him as well. Yeah, i can give you his contact details Thank you. Okay. So you also co-organized an autistic entrepreneur workshop with essex university Yeah, and that was in february. Uh, can you tell us a little bit about that and how did it go? Do you get good feedback? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, uh, thankfully really really good feedback. And so our team has got a small economic and social research council grounds that was administered by the university of essex and to run a one-day workshop to provide the supports to autistic persons who are Either aspiring to become a entrepreneur or they are just starting the business and probably will need more support on the various areas such as You know legal issues or taxation issues things like that and during that day So we coach the attendees on business planning finance taxation legal issues relating to running the business Okay And like what I said, we also invite this autistic entrepreneur to share his experience and During the day there were very regular breaks and we also provided a breakout rooms for the attendees if they need to take a break and we are also really thankful that to be able to hire a very lovely venue in um, Mary's university where there there were a lot of green areas for uh for the For the attendees to walk around if they need to take a break um And we got very good feedback from the attendees and they so the entrepreneurs that set up their business Obviously, there's a lot entailed when when you set up a business, you know, it can be quite overwhelming Um, what difficulties did they find that you could share and and how how did some of the entrepreneurs overcome their difficulties? Yeah, um, so the most difficult I mean for the starting ups and um, the difficulties that they found will be Maybe the paperwork and yeah Quite a lot to get through the taxation legal issues and um, and also The communication as well some some of them found that you know, they may prefer the um Communication by email rather than um, you know in person verbally things like that and also for example like our speaker who share a I mean he's very successful in running his business and he shares that he will hire the right persons to do the Communication and the marketing or looking after the other employees You need a good team that people have got different strengths so that you can do what you do well But then you've got other people that work for you that have other strengths that you know that you may not have And it just works. So um, so that sounds like yeah So is there a website where people can look um, you know if they wanted to start up something? Um I think uh There's um, for example if they want to start up a business that can be from a company's house Okay, and there will be a very good way and they've got a basically step-by-step process as to how you Register a company and then they also talk about some Google company's house companies And there's lots of information on there and as you say step by step, you know What you need to do to set up a business so it's worth looking at because I think a lot of um Our young people and adults, you know could probably do really really well and setting up their own business. So we're at Um common garden and we're live and i'm with cherry chung and we promote well-being here at the station And it's very important especially for Moms who are on the autism spectrum and also moms who've got children on the autism spectrum to really look after yourself Because you're the lynch pin of the family and if you don't look after yourself The whole family can go down which I know that when i'm ill, it's just so stressful So we're going to be talking more with my guest cherry chung And who's a senior lecturer Women's radio station is a fresh new broadcasting platform driven by love and passion Connecting women around the world in a global network is all about diversity From the opinions career ethnicity education We aim to show the individuality of every woman everywhere providing opportunities and a platform for your voice Women the possibilities are endless. 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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 Let me tell you about german street theater This is a secret theater in the heart of the west end once found never forgotten This is where careers ignite where great actors perform just feet away from the audience This is where magic happens We would love you to join our mailing list or become a sponsor or just buy a ticket to one of our shows The website is www.germansreettheatre.co.uk You're listening to women's radio station supporting women's well-being Coming soon will be a host of new shows supporting all areas of your well-being Shows that you can get involved in so stay tuned women's radio station.com here for you Hello, this is anna kennedy and we're talking all things autism and we're live at a sunny coven garden and we're supporting women's well-being Before I go over to cherry, um, I just wanted to let you know about the send national crisis march Which is happening on the 30th of may there are planned marches across the uk on the 30th to raise awareness of failings to those with special educational needs and disabilities and their families and education providers who are expected to provide an appropriate education and continuous budget cuts I'm going to be one of the speakers in london where we're going to be going to deliver a petition To number 10 downing street and then we're going to be speaking outside parliament square And the march is aimed for parents and carers who are really struggling and are frustrated with the send system currently in place Parents who do not believe that this current system is providing a fair and equal accessibility for their children as was promised Parents from across the country who feel that the current legislative framework surrounding send is not fit for purpose And appears to be designed in such a way to avoid putting in place the required provision to support their children So if you want to join one of the marches, they are happening across the country So if you go on to facebook and type in send national crisis You will see that facebook page with lots of different groups that are happening on the 30th of may So cherry, thank you again for coming along to talk to us So you told me that you um, if you don't mind have mental health issues And can you tell me a little bit more about that and how it manifests itself and what do you do to support yourself? And what is what's in the system that supports you? Okay. Yeah. Thank you. Yes. Sure. I'm happy to share um So like what I said, um, I actually have some you know, before I got my autistic autism diagnosis. I've actually been to seen Therapist, okay and um, and that was even I mean I think remember that the first time that I started seeing therapist was back in 2009 And then later on, you know, because I found that it's quite difficult for me to fit in um, the you know my previous work environment and And um, and and also I think actually I probably started having a mental health issue even long before that before I knew about it probably before when I was a A teenager because at the moment i'm having the one-on-one cbt cognitive behavior therapist support with a psychologist Um through nhs and and that's after three group cbt sessions and then they they just found that you know, I need one-to-one support and um, and and and she said i'm You know, i've got the diagnosis of uh, gat gade generalize anxiety disorder depression and also ocd and all those still actively they're currently actively symptomatic so that's in her terms and So how do you deal with it? So, so how do you deal with that and then also being a mom and working? So what do you do to help yourself? Yeah to get through the day if you like. Yeah, um, so there will uh, there are quite a few um, tips from uh All advice from my uh therapists, which I think it's quite helpful to to share probably and um, and also I would also like to share some of the The practical things that I do myself as well. So I'll start from my uh, Therapist advice so there are four things that we can do to help our mental well-being The first one is to do a regular exercise every day. So what sort of exercise do you do for me? You know walking and swimming I I have to confess that I i'm not able to do it for every day yet But i'm trying to do it like every week. Yeah, so the exercise that can result in moderate heartbeat And that's exercise and then the second one is meaningful social connection With the people who mean something to us so Whether this is face to face, uh over the phone Uh test message what's up or social media? As long as they are meaningful and have some quality and also this is to someone who are who can mean something to us And um, the key is quality rather than quantity And um, and then the third one is that every week, um, you know We are going to do something nurturing to ourselves. So something that we find quite pleasurable to do What do you like to do? for me, um I think reading and listening to music and also, uh, listening to christians messages and reading the bible and that that's very Uh, uh, supportive relaxing and supportive to me And again, the key is quality rather than quantity And then the fourth thing is the task that uh, we need to do but we just keep putting off doing it So things quite mundane like throwing rubbish like me at the weekend throwing rubbish. I think i've been planning it for about a year And then I thought right i'm gonna do it today Exactly. Exactly. I think i've been planning for two years Yeah, yeah So do you make a timetable for yourself so that you can keep yourself on track and almost like a prompt if you like Yeah, I think that that's the advice from my therapist, you know, keep a timetable, but I i'm i'm i'm not very good Keeping the timetable myself I have to confess. Um, I mean i've got some double standard I think like if people don't keep their timetable, I I I feel quite upset, but I can't keep the timetable myself So i'm guilty of that. I'm trying to um help patchy He's bought himself two little books and he hasn't written anything or written them at the minute But what i'm trying to help him is to prioritize things that he needs to do because sometimes he can get quite anxious And quite overwhelmed because he feels everything's all happening at once So say for example, he's planning a trip to Glasgow. Yeah, and um, you know, it's the first time he's going to be going away Um and staying overnight on his own. So, um, that's like a big thing for him So he has been on trips where he's gone to birmingham to see um an exhibition. That's what he's into So now he's going to glasgow So we've booked the train and he has to book his hotel and it's only in a couple of weeks time I said you need to really start booking the hotel now patrick and I can see the anxiety builder I said, well, I can help you. Yeah, but i'm trying to get him to do more things for himself Yes, so he's going to do it tonight. He said to me he's promised after work He's going to come and do it So, you know, and I keep saying you need to write these things down patrick because sometimes his his mind can Overtake him with other things that he's thinking about and then you'll get anxious because he hasn't done the thing that he was supposed to Do so, um, well it's work in progress Yeah, so some of the tips that you um are going to share about what you do So those were the therapist tips, so what are your tips? Yeah, the therapist tips are trying to do you know as well and Because you know, this is all scientifically back up and and you know There are a lot of evidence to show that they are they are working well And on a more uh, so i'm i'm i'm doing that myself as well and my therapist is quite happy that i'm doing What she asked me to do Yeah And and on a more personal level, um, you know as i'm a christian so Prayers I found that prayers and also meditating on the bible verses They are very relaxing and they can you know, keep me calm And just to know that god loves me and he's with me wherever I go and so that I I will have very calm mind and and and not not too panicky and And and just just to keep on having the positive Messages as well and i've i've been to a talk recently by professor patricia Casey a professor of psychiatry from university college doubling recently and she also mentioned that there are scientific evidence of positive impacts to mental well-being from Intrinsic religious practice. So for example things like prayers and meditating on the bible verses things like that And so I can totally personally vouch for that But I also want to stress that god loves us He wants us to get well and he also want us to get professional help if necessary So, you know if our doctor says that we need medication and we need therapists do go for it Because you know, we need them and they're very helpful Yeah, yeah, so I suppose it's difficult for you because obviously you have your son and if you get anxious I know by my own sons that say for example, i'm worried about something they pick up On these things. Yeah, so how how do you sort of reassure him? That if you're anxious that he doesn't get anxious because you're anxious. Yeah Yeah, so how does that work for you? Yeah, it's uh, it's totally because I mean It might be because i'm i'm a quite anxious person. So um I totally agree with you that he he picked up on the anxiety and he became very anxious and he might have a meltdown because of that So my actually my husband he's very supportive and he will remind me when I I mean, I don't realize that because you know of my own Challenges and I I sometimes will not realize that but I will keep reminding myself that I need to come and because If i'm not calm, then, you know, he's not calm and then the whole family is not going to be calm so and my husband will also remind me as well and also For joshua and sometimes I will also tell him that You know, look, this is something that mommy found quite challenging as well. Can we pray about this together? so, you know, we get him also to on board of the things that We are You know, we are facing together. Obviously, you know, it won't be something Overwhelming to him. No, no, it just it will just be you know, yeah as his level and it will be just say Mommy have something in my mind. For example, I I said to him Um things that I feel nervous about although, you know, it may be something really exciting like going on to your radio show today And I said to him joshua look, you know mommy's going on to anna's Radio show mommy has never been on a radio show on life before mommy's, you know Quiet and nervous about this can mommy very excited. But mommy is, you know quite anxious Can we pray about this together? And you say yes. Yes You know and then just yes. Yes. Yeah We were talking about when we were having a coffee just before we were coming you asked him Is it okay joshua if I talk about you on the radio station? So first he said no But then tell everybody about what happened. Yeah So, uh, yeah first he said no because obviously I can relate to that as an autistic person and you think that this is mommy's radio show, you know What was that to do with me? So I showed to him that uh, look, this is my bio. Um, you know Cherry has got her own autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and she's also a mom to autistic for and I said, okay Yeah, you can't talk about this because this is part of your bio So it's like very like black and white, you know, I can see that my name is mentioned in this um edit So yes, you must you know talk about me. Yeah, and you know, we are family as well So he's like, you know, we are autistic family. So So what does so joshua like to do to relax? Is he something he likes to do? Yeah, he likes them People to stroke his back. Yeah my son actually likes that Yeah, so we stroke his back when he's nervous when he's younger We will play, you know with my husband together and you know, just rock him. Yeah And yeah, he's you said daddy mommy joshua and just rock him and he's feel really calm and but now we can't rock him anymore because he's too big and um, so yeah, yeah, and we will um, I'll week him some um Some um mindfulness Um, okay scripts and yeah, he found it really calming as well. Yeah some great tips there Thank you for sharing that with us. Um, so we're in common garden and we're talking all things autism If you're interested in being one of my guests, please contact me at anna kennedy online. That's www.anna kennedy online.com. Um, you can follow us on social media So it's at anna kennedy one on twitter anna kennedy online on facebook and at anna kennedy obe on instagram and it's www.womensradiostation.com if you want to check out some more of the fantastic women speakers that we have on the radio So we're going to be talking more to cherry chong 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 falguni desai of action coach. Are you a business owner with more than five employees? Do you want to grow your business? I'm a london-based business coach who helps small and medium-sized businesses to grow and make a profit I will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses in your business and then work with you to improve it using a structured framework To find out more contact me on o double seven two one six five four six four zero And book your one-hour complementary one-to-one coaching session. 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That's what makes us different Hello, this is anna kelady and we're talking all things autism We're live at coven garden and we're supporting women's well-being talking about women's well-being The children have gone back to school this week So i'm sure everyone's having a cup of tea Lying back on the sofa and thinking phew as much as we love our kids It can be quite difficult to keep the structure that they receive at school Um, whether it's a mainstream or there's a special educational need school and obviously with the weather change It can have an impact as well because i've noticed angelos My son has been a little bit more anxious because he finds the hot weather a little bit challenging for him so cherry, um Can you tell me a little bit more about um, has there really been any stigmas attached to your diagnosis? Because i've spoken to some parents and i've spoken to some adults on the autumn spectrum Where they feel that there's stigma attached once they've had their diagnosis Yeah Yeah, I I know that uh quite a lot of people You know still feel that it might not be a very good thing to disclose that we have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or other mental health issues as well but um, I personally found that um it is very important that we we make the disclosure and we tell people about it because um Uh, I know that although there's a lot of stigmas around it and people may see it as something that's shameful um, maybe Has they might ask, you know Why I have this and isn't that something that i've done wrong and um, or even parents blaming themselves thinking have I done something wrong? Yeah, exactly Like I mean like even for me I was thinking It's a journey to me to be honest When I first know about joshua's condition I was thinking that I was that because I was a bit depressed while I was pregnant and that's why you know, it gives him some Negative impact so that he has autism, you know all those of things that you know surrounding the negative aspect of that um, but I think um You know the the thing is if there's no shame about having a flu a cold a diabetes You know why there should be a shame about having autism? Uh having a mental health illness and I also found that You know from my personal experience as a autistic person Um, you know, it was very difficult for me to talk about other people and how I felt, you know what they have done You know or something maybe negative and I couldn't even talk about it Um, so and and that was actually one of the reasons that I got bullied and and and but when I started I mean like in school and you know things like that But when I started telling and confronting and the bully just started going away. Yeah, so to me the stigmas Around autism and mental health conditions are also like bullies so they want want to ask to keep silent so that they can do more to us and then The more that we we keep keep it silent and the more that we suffer And and until we probably don't even have any strength to seek help at all so I think um It might be true that sometimes people may think oh, you know I'm having this job or i'm running a business and you know, if I tell people i'm autistic and you know They might undermine me and things like that but I think if we do bump into the minority of people who wants to Who want to? Under my people and the chance is that if we bump into them, they will undermine us anyway regardless whether we we disclose we have Autism or mental health issues or not so, you know, why don't we just you know be open about it and being open can also help us to find the community and and and and Form a community and also even people are not in the community and they will they may become more aware of those conditions And become more understanding and may even provide supports You know, so for example live with my current employers and we just move to a open plan Yeah, you were talking about that and I was saying I know that a lot of people on the spectrum find open plan quite Stressful because of the sensory issues involved. Yeah. So what how do you think you're going to cope with that? Yeah, so I I make the request to my manager. So I said, um, you know because of my various conditions and Um, you know, I I would like to have some somewhere at the corner Yeah, I can look at the door when people walk in so, you know, I know people walk in rather than you know I may get a flight behind you. Yeah, exactly. So, um Yeah, he made the request to the executive administrator and they accommodated to uh For me and I think I got a I mean to me the best spot in the open plan office at the moment So, um, we just move so I we need to see how it goes Yes, it's you can request if you're in employment for them to make reasonable adjustments For you and whatever it may be. Um, as I say, you know, like my son he's got um a corner Like you talk about a corner of the room and he's got all the things that mean something to him on the wall And he's also got quite um a comfy chair so that during break times, especially lunch time He has a 10 minute 15 minute nap Because he feels that he needs to have that and it just reenergizes him to carry on with the day So there's lots of different reasonable adjustments So, you know again, if you're in an open plan office, you can request headphones Or you can ask if you can use your ipod to listen to music or whatever it is that helps you relax So don't be afraid to ask because they have to provide reasonable adjustments for you Is there any other reasonable adjustments that you need that will help you get through the day? um at the moment, I mean like because this is easter holidays and um, um, and another thing is that um academic, you know, I can Work from home if I don't have meetings or chicken. So yeah, so it's not totally festival working hours But I can work from home, although, you know, sometimes I work, you know around the clock whenever If i'm a week and then I I can do something I work and then I would do it. So yeah things like that Okay, so you started getting involved in the additional needs ministry at your local church You spoke about it a little bit earlier. Can you share a little bit about what that is and what it means for you as a family? Yeah, um Yeah, it's um, yeah, it's a really really a blessing is that um, uh You know we we are having this opportunity. So my son, um, he got his diagnosis when he was quite little So he's not she was not diagnosed for ADHD, but he runs a lot He runs a lot and and sometimes he can be quite loud as well. That's including, you know anywhere Including the church services and for example, I you know when he pray he can I mean like when he pray for me Be bold be courageous and she would like shout and you know that kind of thing so so we started to look for a A church that has a special needs ministry yeah, so we've and then we settle down with uh, the one that is most local to us, okay, and um And the additional needs ministry coordinator and her family just recently be called to another church So they just left literally last week So and then um, you know me and my husband we felt uh, you know called to step out So that's another challenge for you then To take on some of the roles. Yeah, you are not totally feeling the roles. Yeah, and but yeah some of the roles Okay, so you're talking about um additional needs So are there many other families that have children that were autistic or autistic adults within the service with the church? Yeah, there there are um A I mean, um, obviously individual names are confidential, but they are statistics We got a high number of Congregation members And a special needs or additional needs and also in the areas as well I know some I know some people in other churches they have children with additional needs so what we are Yeah, what what we are planning? to to do with um is some um obviously, it has to be validated by the Leadership team and the managerial team, but we are planning to organize some family clubs and the siblings clubs Yeah to get everybody involved a whole family involved and um and just to Have time together And also to worship god together as well So, uh, there are four aspects that we are looking at to develop, you know participants, okay physical intellectual emotional and spiritual well-being through the through the gathering and We you know plan to promote this to the other churches in in the proximity of the areas as well And obviously all are welcome. So if you know, so again, you probably could Tweet a tweet about it and maybe share it in the article and I can share it on the charity website Yeah, and then if people are interested and they can look at the links Yeah, and um, it might be something that they might like to delve into a little bit more exactly. Yeah Yeah, and and yeah, and I also want to just to give credit to the champions club of uh liquid church in the us for this uh growth models the four aspects for growth is based on their model and they're very happy for Everybody to use their model as well, but I think you know, it will be good to just give credit to them Thank you. So is there any research that you're doing at the moment or any planned research? Um that you know you talked about autistic entrepreneurship. Is there anything else that you're doing that you're planning for the future? Um, yeah, we will explore a bit more on on autism and Entrepreneurship in this area because you know, this is my uh daytime job. Yeah, although, you know, sometimes it's nighttime as well it's just right around the crop and and um and also look at one of the aspects will be um, you know, the church providing the support to the additional needs Which will also one of the areas that I will also look at as well. So the faith and Entrepreneurships there's a conference that i'm going to as a attendee Okay made that's organized by cream marries universities that they they look at the faith and on Okay, so another avenue to go down. Yeah, so if you've got a parent that's listening in That might be going through the diagnosis process for their child Or a diagnosis process for themselves. Is there any tips or any advice that you would give to someone just starting on the journey? Yeah, I think um, it's very important to seek support and to find a support group and And and also um to get to know other parents so that we can share. I mean like, you know autism link me and you together and a lot other people together and This is a peer support is very important that we can cheer up each other encourage each other and another thing that I want to mention is that based on, you know, my experience and sometimes the NHS surfaces they're very good, but they're very stretched and so sometimes they might uh if you got the autism diagnosis and they will say I mean for example, my son has recently been to a camp's appointment and they they they have a tendency to think that this is autism It's not something that we can provide So I think we we will sometimes as a parent we need to remind the surfaces Okay. Well, thank you very much cherry for talking to me today. We've covered quite a lot We probably could have gone on a little bit longer So we're at um all things autism and we're live At um coven garden and a lovely sunny day and we're always promoting women's well-being Again, if you want to be one of my guests and you want to talk to me about autism anything to do with autism Please contact me on Www.anna kennedy online.com or you can contact me through social media and I just want to say cherry Thank you so much for coming along today. It's been a pleasure speaking to you and you're a hardworking lady and um Yeah, thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you very much. Anna. 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