All Things Autism – Charlotte And Hannah

Hello, this is Anna Kennedy at women's radio station, Voice of Women Worldwide, talking all things autism. And here we are back again and I'm just going to give you some updates. I'm so tired because Angelo didn't go to bed till 5 o' clock this morning, so I've had two hours sleep, so I'm a little bit tired. But here we go. Do you remember Paula, last week's interview? Well, Paula's son Oliver died aged 18. Since she's fought tirelessly for mandatory training for all NHS staff in learning disabilities and autism, today on Breakfast News, a promise from the Department of Health that they will do just that, just what that training involves will be decided after consultation. Mencap Charity have been supporting Paula and what they've said is that if it's basic, it won't save lives, but believe this is a real opportunity to make a difference to the huge difference in life expectancy for those with a learning disability. So that's exciting news. I'm hoping the training is going to be mandatory, as we discussed in our interview last week, and not just a nice to have or a requirement. So mandatory is key. Also this week it was the judging for the Autism Hero Awards. Our seven judges had the most difficult time. They had to choose three finalists from each category. Our ambassador, Casey Ainsworth, she just was so emotional after the first two. Dr. Pam Spurr started crying at the second one she read. But we finally putting them together and it will be announced very, very soon. So the event itself will be on October 13th at the Radisson Blu, which is in Marble Arch. And women's radio station will be coming along to speak to some of the families coming along to speak to some of our families. So today my guests are the lovely Charlotte Fieldson and Charlotte's carer, Hannah Asante. So Charlotte was born in January 1996 and Charlotte was diagnosed with atypical autism at 3 years old with moderate learning disabilities. Her, her prognosis was very poor and doctors expected her to remain non verbal. This all changed when she was five years old. While watching Sleeping Beauty, she began to sing. Even at five years old, she showed determination and a stubbornness to succeed. So welcome Charlotte. You're one of our Autism's Got Talent performers as well. I'm so pleased to see you here today. Well, I was glad to be here. We also met at the 20 Year Pineapple performing Arts party, didn't we, last week? Yeah, which was great because you performed on stage with all the Pineapple Performing Arts Scholarship winners from our charity so how was that for you? It just feels amazing. So you sang. What song did you sing? This is. This is me from the Greatest Showman. One of your favorite movies, I believe. Yeah, I like it when. I like it when Macaulay was singing. Macaulay's one of our scholarship winners as well. He's got a great voice, hasn't he? Yeah, he has. He was amazing. So can you remember all those years ago when you were five years old and you were watching Sleeping Beauty and you started singing? Why did you start singing? Do you like Disney films? Yeah. While my mum was going upstairs to sort something out. Okay. And I was. All of a sudden. I try. I tried to speak, but. And I sing. Oh, wow. And my mom came downstairs really quickly and she heard me sing. Was she all emotional? Did she cry? Yeah, she did cry because she was very pleased about. So I can speak. That was so exciting. I bet that was just like, oh, such a magical moment. So what song. What song. Can you remember the song that it was that made you want to speak? Okay. I think it was. I wonder. Oh, so today you have Hannah here with you. So Hannah's your carer, so. Hello, Hannah. Welcome. So can you. How long have you been working with Charlotte? I've been working with Charlotte since 2015, so. Oh, so three years now. Yeah. And you've been to a few of our Autumn's Got Talent events? Every single one that Charlotte's been to, yeah. So did you work with adults on the spectrum before? Kind of. I met Charlotte when I worked at the special needs school. Okay. I worked with young children and older children, but not really adults as such. Okay. And then I've moved on to adults with Charlotte, and I look after another girl the same age as Charlotte. Okay. So how was it when you first met Charlotte? So can you see a big. Can you see big progress in. Since she's been coming to the Pineapple and she does Pixie Lot as well on a Saturday. Her dancing has got amazing. She can dance in time with everyone. She gets all the same moves as everyone. So it's a come on a lot. I can see the confidence boost in her since Autumn's Got Talent. And also you won a scholarship at Pineapple Performing Arts. And tell me about Pixie Lot, because I don't know about that. You haven't shared that with me before. Oh, it's a school that Pixie Lot opened and I met Pixie Lot there. And I'm one of her fans because I like one of her songs. Okay. Two of them. Boys and Girls and. Cry me out. And she was really, really good. And I met her family there. Yeah, you told me you met her mom and they said that you were part of their family. Is that right? Yeah, because I'm one of their favorites. Aw. And what is it that you want to do? I heard you want to be a famous singer. Yeah, it was all my life. I wanted to do it. Okay, so what's your favorite song if you had to pick one sometimes? I like the opera and pop songs. Okay. Can I ask you if you would sing just a few lines for our listeners, just so they know how beautiful you can sing? Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high There's a land I heard up once in a lullaby Somewhere over the rainbow sky, star blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true someday I wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me where troubles melt my lemon drops Away above the chimney tops that's where you find me Somewhere over the rainbow Blue birds fly Birds fly over the rainbow why then, oh, why can't I? If happy little blurb birds fly beyond the rainbow I oh, why can't I? Woo. Well done, Charlotte. And that's without warming up. You're amazing. Just love the way you sing. So, Charlotte, that was amazing. You attended a mainstream primary school with an autistic unit attached and you were thriving. You were doing really well. But then when you went to the secondary school, it was a bit of a disaster. I understand you were bullied at school. How was that for you? It just makes me feel like. It just feels like someone has really hated me for no reason. So what happened at the school? Did they help you? Did they put something in place to give you support? Um, no. Oh, that's sad. They never helped me. That's sad. That's really sad. So then you moved from London and you went to Essex, and then you went to a lovely specialist provision. Yeah. What happened there? I went to Columbus School and I made such wonderful friends. Oh, that's lovely to hear. And I understand the head teacher wrote. Did he write a song for you? Yeah. Mr. Tulmo, he was a good friend I never had. So what was the song that he wrote for you? Was it something to do with the school? Yes, yes. Something about believing yourself. That's great. So I'm so pleased that you actually went to a school in the end and you found lots of friends, because that's really important, because a lot of our young adults and children can find it difficult to make relationships so I'm really pleased. And I've also seen at Pineapple Performing Arts how many friends you've got there. I remember when I went to the studio to see how everybody, everyone was getting on that there was lots of girls around you, they had their arms around your shoulders and that was really, really lovely to see. So what do you do at Pineapple Performing Arts? Usually do singing, drama and dancing. And which is your favourite? Singing, of course. So you said to me that you'd like to be a really famous singer. So what type of genre song would you like to be famous? Known for? Opera? Yeah, sometimes opera. And. And pop. And pop. Okay. So who's your favorite singer, apart from Pixie Lot? Um, usually. Usually I like the Greatest Showman. The Greatest Showman. I think everybody likes the Greatest Showman. It's just like a really feel good factor film. I love all the songs on there. I don't know how many times I've watched it on dvd. And I love Enough, that song Enough. Do you like that? Yeah. I sung that at Pixie Lost summer school. Did you? And what was the response like? It was really good. That's really cool. I bet your mum is really proud of you. Yeah, she was. That's good. Have you got any brothers or sisters? I got an older brother and he's going to have a baby. Oh, how long have you got? How long has he got? I should say. I don't know, I. Is it a week? You were telling me it was one week. So you're gonna be an auntie? Yeah, and then I got an older sister named Jessie. Okay. And she got any children? She's got four. So you're already an auntie? Four times over. Wow. So do there any of your nieces or nephews sing following in your footsteps? Well, I got one nephew named Oliver. Okay. And I got three. Three nieces. Poppy, Elsie and Dottie. Wow. I don't know when my brother Alvy's going to name a baby. Do you know if it's a girl or a boy? Yeah, it's gonna be a girl. Oh, wow. He still has decided a name yet. Okay, well, he hasn't got long to wait, really, has he? He's got a week to go. Right. Shook her. Sorry. We're here at women's radio station Voice of All Women Worldwide. And we are gonna be coming back to speaking and Hannah. My guests today, WRS women's radio station, Voice of Women Worldwide, Sarah's Universal Soul Show. What does your soul or spirituality mean to you? Welcome to future Classical Woman Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on Women's Radio Station. Welcome back. I'm Russ Caine. You're listening to in conversation with on Women's Radio Station. I'm Angie. And I'm Patsy. And we're to see what other programs we have on Women's Radio station, head to our website. Womensradiostation.com Mirae B Ltd. We are a virtual PA consultancy. We provide remote administrative services. Our offering is diverse. We manage your calendar, we update your client database, we take care of your property in France and in London. We also offer bookkeeping and translation services. Would you like to know more? Please call 077-8684-8998 for further information. Mirae B Limited making the life of the business owner successful, struggling to get by Financially, I was the same. I wasn't sure what we would do in an emergency. And then it happened. Bills were piling up and the kids needed activities to do over the holidays. Then I found Turn to us. Turn to us. If practical help to get people back on track. Whether you've experienced job loss, struggling to find work because of a disability or thinking of having a baby, they can help. Visit turntous.org.uk 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 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. That's what makes us different. Do you dream of a wedding on the beach? Or maybe in the middle of a vineyard? Imagine your wedding in Italy, the land of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Getting married in Italy in a venue that is magical and has natural beauty. Amoretti weddings creates unforgettable moments. What you had to do is just relax and watch us make your wedding a real fairy tale. Contact us now for a free consultation. Www.amoretti.co.uk with over 35 presenters, we have something for everyone on women's radio station. Women's Radio Station is a not for profit community interest company. Supporting women in is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help. Hello, it's Anna Kennedy at Women's Radio Station talking all things autism and my guests today are Charlotte Fieldson and Hannah Asante. Hannah, can you talk to me a little bit about being a carer for Charlotte? To me it doesn't look like You're a carer. It's like you're just two friends, you know, I've seen you many times chatting to each other. So talk to me a little bit about when you first started working with Charlotte and now. I first started working with Charlotte straight from when she left Columbus School. I met her when we was at school and since then we just hang out. I say that I go to work every day, but I don't really class it as work. We go out, we go shopping, we go horse riding, we take the dog for a walk, we sit in and have chill out days. And then she has her set things that she does. So she goes to Pineapple. So I take her to Pineapple, I take her to Pixie Lot, I take her to all the places that she needs to go to. And yeah, apart from that, we just hang out a lot. Okay. So is her day quite structured? So does Charlotte need to know what's happening each day? Yes, but not to the extent if it doesn't happen, it doesn't matter kind of thing. If it's raining, then we won't take the dog for a walk. Plan to do that, then we try and do it later, but it doesn't matter. Okay. Unless as long as we fill it up with something else, it doesn't matter. So you plan the day or with Charlotte? Yeah, we are like the day before. I say, Charlotte, what do you want to do tomorrow? Like on a Monday and Tuesday, it's our day that we don't really have anything because of the busy weekend. So I just say to her, what do you fancy doing? We can go to the cinema, we can go shopping to stay indoors, take the dog for what? We don't do a lot when she's not doing her set things. So what changes have you seen in Charlotte since she's been performing on Autumn's Got Talent and going to Pixie Law and going to Pineapple Performing Arts? Her confidence meeting new people is just amazing. She will talk to anybody now and just be like everybody else. She doesn't feel different anymore. She just feels like she's part of the dance group or part of the singing group and part of the show. She likes to be involved in every. And it's just really great to see her doing all her dance moves and like keeping in time with everybody else because she never used to be able to do that. And that's just great. And I've seen Charlotte talk more now where obviously when I first met you, Charlotte didn't really say very much. You were Quite shy, so obviously feeling more confident, which is great. So where can you see yourself in a few years time? What can you see yourself doing? What is it? What's your dream? I know you want to sing, but where, where would you like to sing? Is there a specific theatre that you might like to sing? Um, maybe, maybe. So where would you say? Have you been to the Palladium, somewhere like that? Um, yeah, I guess, yeah. So sing in front of a big audience. Yeah, yeah, there's some bits I like to do in my life. Okay, so talk to me a little bit then. Now you've started a duet with Calvin. So Calvin has been one of my guests at women's radio station. He's an amazing young man. So how did you start singing with Calvin? What happened? He was my mom and his mom been talking about me and Calvin singing together. Okay. And Calvin just had a great idea and I just had a great idea of us, of the two of us singing together. So how did that work, Hannah? Brilliant. They met at Autism's Got Talent last year and then they sang this made together. And they didn't even sing together before that day. They just practiced on that day and it was amazing. So I believe they were scaping each other. Yeah, well, not very often. I think they've done it about twice because they're not very technical people. But when they actually come together, I think it took about twice to go through the whole thing. Dance moves. Because they were just standing there to start off. I said, you've got to move, you can't just stand. Then they started walking around and doing all this. It was beautiful. But when you watched it, you would never have thought that they'd never sang together and they'd practiced separately. Obviously. Calvin lives in Dorset. And where do you live, Charlotte? Chelmsford. Chelmsford. So you don't actually live near each other, do you? So you manage to sing on the stage together and you've got a standing ovation. And how does that feel when people stand up and clap and they just think you're wonderful? How does that feel for you? It just feels. It just feels nice. It feels nice. Makes me cry sometimes. I'm standing there, I've got goose pimples and everything. It's amazing when she sings and when she sings with someone else as well. Just doing it together is just something Charlotte never has done before. So doing that, it's just amazing. So would you recommend, Hannah, that people, if they wanted to perform on Autumn's Got Talent, that they should go for it? Definitely, definitely. It's a brilliant place to meet new people, to learn new things. It's an amazing place. So if someone wanted to go into the care industry and they wanted to work with adults who have a disability or autism, what advice would you give to try and find a family that you get on with? As Charlotte's family is like my family now and like I said, it's not a job. You just gotta do what you've got to do. You've got to be there for that person. You're there to work for that person and to do what they want to do. It's not about you, it is about them. And it's just have fun with them and make them more independent. That's the key really, isn't it? Because as a parent that's what we worry about. Because obviously when we're gone, we're worried how our children are going to get on in this world. And obviously independent living is key. Like my son Angelo is always going to need one to one support and we're always working on his independent living skills. We know that he's never going to be able to live on his own because of how the autism affects him, but we just try to make him as independent as possible. And obviously Patrick now is nearly three months he's been working at Pinewood Studios. So he actually said to me last week, mum, when I get up now and I go to work, I feel happy, I feel like I'm contributing towards society. And that made me feel really, really proud. And obviously he actually invited me to an event that they had at the cinema and it was at Pinewood Studios and it's, they can invite family and friends and it was to see a screening and everybody was going up to him and shaking his hand saying, hi, Patrick, how are you? How are you getting on? You excited to see the film? And that also made me feel better thinking, that's great, I don't have to worry about him. He's getting on well there. So even like this morning, he gets up, I don't have to say, patrick, come on, you've got to. He's up, he's out, dressed and off. And he just texts me today when he's coming home, just say, mom, just getting on the bus, just coming home, what's for dinner? You know, stuff like that. And it's just like, oh, he's just getting there now. So the next stage for me is for Patrick to get his own place. So that's gonna be like a big hurdle. But for him at the moment he's worrying about the six month probationary period, that's all he can see. Because obviously when you start a job, you have a six month probationary period. So he's counting the days now till the six months is up so that he knows he's got that job permanently and he's just found out, apparently. Some exciting news which I can't share on the radio, but something that's happening within Pinewood that he's almost, like, fit to burst. So when, obviously I can share it, I will. But at this moment in time, I can't. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that he is going to pass the six month probationary period. So, Charlotte, you have a special message that you would like to share with people that might be struggling, that have a diagnosis of autism or a learning disability, that they might be going through a bit of a tough time. So what's your message? It's like, it doesn't matter what you are. You're just born special and you have special talents inside of you. I mean, it doesn't matter what everyone think of you. You just have to stand up for what you are. And you have to say to them, this is me. Cause you're. You're meant to be special. That's right. That's lovely. Thank you for sharing that with everybody. Because I do know, actually quite a few people at this moment in time that have a diagnosis of the autumn spectrum, and they are going through a really tough time. So they're either being bullied or. And it's just not right, is it? It's just like. It's not fair. It's just not fair. So you've experienced that as well, haven't you, Charlotte? Yeah, I have. So. And now no more. You're gonna stand up and just show them what you can do. Cause you can sing, and not a lot of people can sing. And you're doing duets and you're at the theater. You're doing so many different things. So that's, like, exciting. And you've got a wonderful carer, Hannah. So what can you tell me about Hannah? What can you tell me about her? Because Hannah's talked about you. You haven't talked about Hannah. So tell me about Hannah. Well, Hannah's always been like my best oldest sister I never had. Oh. And I've been like a little sister to her. She's always been taking good care of me and protecting me wherever I needed her. That's beautiful. So do you give her advice? Sometimes, yeah. About love? About love and what about when you're going shopping? Do you do clothes shopping together? Does she sometimes choose clothes and you say, oh, that will suit you or that won't suit you? Yeah, we do that sometimes. Oh, do you. And then you go out for lunch and tea and go to events. Do you go to the cinema? Yeah. And what type of films do you like to watch? Like all sorts, like cartoons and new Disney. You still into Disney? Yeah. And what's your favorite Disney? My favorite one is from my childhood memory. Like Sleeping Beauty was my favorite. Okay. My son's favorite path, Angelo, is Bambi. He loves Bambi. I've seen it so many times. And Jungle Book is another one that he really, really loves. Yeah, I love Jungle Book as well. Yeah. And I tell you something else. Angela likes Lion King. Have you ever been to see the Lion King? Yeah, I have. That's my favorite too. I seen that in London. Did you? Twice. I love it when all the animals come into the audience and it's just. It's beautiful. And the colours are beautiful and the songs are beautiful. Again, another feel good musical. So, yeah. So is there anything else you might like to share while you're on the radio? Because this is your first time on the radio. Twice, I think. I mean, twice I went to see Mr. Owen to record my song. Okay. And I went to the one in Basildon where I see Aston. That's right. We did a group interview, didn't we, where Aston was our presenter. And then we had quite a few people from Autumn's Got Talent, plus yourself and your mum was on the radio and we were talking. And that's going to be aired near Christmas. So it's a special week where Gateway Radio are going to be talking about lots of different topics and autism is going to be one of them. So we had a whole hour where everyone spoke about their experiences, parents spoke about theirs, and we had some professionals as well. So we'll let everybody know when that's going to be on and they can listen to it on Gateway Radio. So was that great for you? Mm. Cool. Okay, so we are gonna be finishing now, so if you'd like to hear Charlotte sing with Calvin, they're gonna be at the Autism Hero Awards, which is on the 13th of October, and that's gonna be at the Radisson Blue in Marble Arch. So if you're interested in hearing Charlotte and Calvin Singh, Phantom of the Opera, which is one of my favorites, please come along. The information's on www.autismhero awards.com. i'd like to say thank you to Hannah. I'd like to say thank you to Charlotte. And we're at women's radio station Voice of Women Worldwide. And if you're interested in hearing any more of the presenters, please check out the website. To check out the website, it's www.womensradiostation.com. on Twitter, it's womensradiostn. And if you want to check out my Twitter, it's Anna Kennedy one. And again on Instagram and on Facebook. So just check out Women's Radio Station and please follow the updates. Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. Hungry? An average woman eats about 2 to 3 kilos of lipstick in her lifetime. Women's Radio Station, we want to hear from you. This is Women's Radio Station. You're listening. Listening to Avril Price with Kitchen Sink Spirituality. It's Anna Kennedy talking all things autism. And my guest today is Karen Nunn. I listen to women's radio station Women. The possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. I'm Isabelle Manily, an executive coach. Do you want to change a negative into a positive? We can do this by coaching you to rewire your brain using simple visualization techniques. In 20 years of practice, I seen this transform lives. For more information, look on Women's Radio website. Call me on 07-984-42-2171. I'm listening. Let me tell you about German street theatre. This is a secret theatre in the heart of the West End. Once found, never forgotten, this is where careers ignite, where playwrights take risks, 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.germany streettheatre.co.uk. i'm Angie. And I'm Passy. And we're open to share our own personal stories dealing with life events, staying positive through the tough times. Share your stories, too. What worked, what didn't? Join us each week for open. We know you're gonna love it. Hi, I'm Valentina Barbacci 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 on 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@media mattersforwomen.org with over 35 presenters, we have something for everyone on Women's Radio Station. Women's Radio Station is a not for profit community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help.