Hello everyone, this is Anna Kennedy at women’s radio station voice of women worldwide talking all things autism. Oh my gosh It’s so cold today. The winter is here wrap-up warm Yes, what have I been doing? Well, I’ve been so excited.

I’m still on a high I don’t know if you watch the greatest dancer but autism with attitude our street dance crew from healing to manor school Which is the school that I’m founder of were amazing on BBC one. They totally smashed it Social media has just been going mad their articles all over the place just to show what our Children can do so autumn with attitude started on autism’s got talent which was about five or six years ago And Jonathan the street dance teacher can get so much out of those children dance is a fantastic tool for our kids I started teaching the children dance at healing demand a school in 1999 and I thought I want to see how these kids cope with dance So I started off with a small group and what was difficult at first for them was the spatial awareness I would say to them right start off here and then when we’d start doing the movements They’d get closer and closer to me almost like they were on top of me So I used to put my arms out in front and say if you’re touching someone You’re too close and then I’d put my arms out to the side and say if you’re touching someone again You’re too close, but you know what? They really picked it up. It’s helped them with their flexibility It improved their listening skills their imagination And then what had happened to us with parents would be messaging me saying oh Tom went to a wedding and you know what he got up and he started dancing He’s never done anything like that before and that’s what I feel dance does for no matter if you’re autistic or whatever Disability you’ve got even as a parents.

It’s a feel-good thing Yeah, I think everyone should learn to dance because I love it. So my guest today is Alexandra Bester. Hello, Alexandra Hello, you make me very excited Listening to all this and obviously watching the guys it was amazing I was just so proud of them and all the parents as well and Jonathan was jumping up and down.

So it was it was amazing Thank you And so tell me a little bit about where you started on your journey with Ethan in the world of autism Well, it’s going to be in a week time 14 years ago Wow 14 in the week teenager Yes Very much. So and and a very new set of challenges many parents will know Well, my son really on the top of autism. He really struggled to eat and had all sorts of allergies And I find that managing autism was quite straightforward where managing the eating part was quite challenging So when did he get diagnosed? He was I knew right from the start something was wrong and he was initially Unofficially diagnosed at two and then confirm at three.

Okay, and how did you feel about that? Relieved I I was quite familiar with autism from my previous professional experience. Okay So I kind of thought okay now I know what it is Hence to action, you know and I kind of set up a Organization and looked into what can I help him at home tutoring and he’s done extremely well all the way to puberty now Finding that I have to get to know him all over again. Yes, that’s the love of teenagers.

I’ve been through that twice I’ve got two t-shirts. So yeah, so tell me a little bit about His eating habits because obviously why you set up your company was because I’ve eaten so tell me a little bit about eating so a lot of parents of autism have all sorts of different Problems with fussy eaters of the eaters sensory eaters very selective eaters Specific food eaters, you name it And I think my son has gone kind of through all of it And then all the way to rejecting all food and drink to the point where last year He said one of the hardest year ever where he almost died three times Wow through an organ failures very stressful so the the product that emerged out of managing my son’s eating was The story is actually quite cute because I got him a dog chocolate labradoodle. Okay, and Cocoa, she was autism assistant dog and for some reason he loved her.

He trust everything that was brown So then I thought okay if he can eat brown foods Yeah, and and that’s kind of what happened so that well if he’s happy to eat chocolate then what can I put in chocolate? that’s nutritious for him and that can keep him going and There was a so much in the world of plant that has Protein and omega-3 and all the all those things that he’s not getting when he refused food So the multi-vitamin nono chocolate emerge and obviously they had to be free from Dairy and gluten and nuts and all sorts of different allergens So now you can actually get them for yourself and they’re quite delicious and very much They are now very much part of the trend this sort of vegan Functional food trend where for us they were created from pure necessity So did you do a lot of research? Were you a good cook or you know at the time? Yes, I Have ten years experience in food industry all the way to five-star hotels, right? So I had a lot of experience with cooking preparing food and so on and then I was brought up with functional medicine My mom always looked into prevention, you know How can we have a onion syrup? In autumn not to get cold in the winter rather than wait for the cold to come But I also had a stage four cancer, which I kind of explore all available Resources on NHS and then I went to do a trial with a functional medicine and so I’m here So when my son couldn’t eat I looked into what can I what do I know? What can I use? What what’s available? That can help him as well and and quite frankly function of foods It’s the safest way to go for people with autism because there is no artificial ingredients and all those different chemicals that they usually React to so we’ve been really through a roller coaster journey through your own health and then obviously with your son So what sort of challenges did you face when you started up team? No, no Well, I think being a single mom not having family or support network The only people that I will have a help with my son is the people you pay for We know what it’s like to have carers. You need to have cares that you can trust exactly and I’ve been very lucky I have to say But at the same time, you know when the carer goes you kind of left to your own devices and you have to start all over again The the challenge I find was mostly to do with my own health You know as we all know parents as long as you find the children are fine You know, you have to put 400% to manage child with autism and if you are 5% less than usual They will notice they pick it up so quickly even Angelo that you know has got minimal speech He knows when I’m not well He’ll just come up to me and stroke the side of my cheek or you’ll press his face next to mine They just know and my son Patrick was got Asperger’s syndrome. He’ll always say you all right, mom Are you okay if they sort of can pick up? Yeah, you’re not allowed really to be ill And I tell people what make they make them laugh that we have a magic blanket at home So that when I’m ill they cover me up with this blanket and then I’m I supposed to be okay within like two minutes But it’s just because because they can’t cope with me Yeah, I think it’s very similar with Ethan he gets extremely anxious when he sees me ill but that’s also have to do with Cocker got ill and I took her to the hospital.

She never came back. Oh, and After that he’s kind of obsessive compulsive behavior really escalated out of the room he will follow me like a shadow everywhere and check on me all the time and When I had a simple cold of flu, he was getting particularly anxious So it was very he connect the two so now I’m kind of reassuring him that you know, it’s just the cold Okay, but yeah, I think our children know us as a supermom who get everything done and read their minds know what they thinking So how have you managed to fit everything in because obviously I’d imagine you’d have to be pretty flexible to deal with your own health To deal with Ethan setting up the company Managing the orders. So so what how do you manage that because obviously I’ve been to your home and I’ve seen how what your setup is Yeah, yeah, I think I mean first of all have a lot of experience in management That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life.

I had a 72 employees at some point and fancy restaurants at different levels and bars I think the multitasking and organizing and and putting systems in place It’s a it’s something that it’s over and above this just a parent skill for managing business but I think I’m learning from Doing the business myself. It’s that Flexibility and adapting and working with what you have at the time. It’s better than not doing it at all Obviously, it’s quite difficult for me to compare myself with another startups who don’t have the obstacles that I have my son’s held my help So I have to Take on a very different journey and very often in business.

You’re able to access resources that help you to progress I kind of have to come up with my own resources to find out Okay, you know what route can I take? With the tempo I’m able to to offer and as challenging as it is It’s also allowing me to kind of a develop processes that other people may be able to use in the future Okay, well, I mean by dad. It’s that if you are a parent who feel like at home, you know You want to set up something? I can help you out to look into, you know, how can you utilize your time the best possible? but I think the most important thing is If you love what you do, it’s effortless and You will always pick On the days that you are having the worst time to do the thing that it’s very easy to do So did Ethan take to the chocolate straight away? We’re going to talk a little bit more about the whole process in the next chapter But did he take just I’ll just be interested in chocolate. Yeah, the first chocolate that you made for him Did he eat it straight away? Did he smell it? Did he lick it? I think it was just hollow the mouth and then when he test that inside was the master pan Which was I know this was his favorite thing.

Okay, then the ride was pretty smooth Oh, he’s got good taste cuz I love Mars. I always remember Patrick when he was younger He used to say to me and I ate yesterday mom I don’t need to eat today And that obviously he hasn’t got the difficulties that your son had not eaten at all But he did used to say things like I ate yesterday mom So I don’t need to eat today and it’s like Patrick you need to eat every day So we’re at women’s radio station voice of women worldwide. My guest today is Alessandra Bester from team nono We’re going to be talking a little bit more about nutrition autism and my favorite chocolate and we’re going to be talking a little bit more about Alessandra is going to be one of our speakers at the expo.

So if you’re interested in looking at the charity website, it’s Www.anna Kennedy online.com if you’d like to ring the office It’s 01 895 5 7 0 2 3 4 if you’d like to follow us on social media It’s Anna Kennedy online Facebook at Anna Kennedy 1 on Twitter at Anna Kennedy OBE on Instagram We’re here live at women’s radio station Women’s radio station dot-com Welcome to women’s radio station the voice of women worldwide This is women’s radio station. You’re listening to Agro prize with kitchen sink spirituality It’s Anna Kennedy talking all things autism and my guest today is Karen Welcome to future classical woman awards with me to find a pass amount a on women’s radio station women’s radio station We want to hear from you. I listen to women’s radio station Women the possibilities are endless.

That’s what makes us different Hi, my name is Katie young Gerald and I’m the founder of bespoke textiles and author of the selling book textile touch I’ve been working in luxury fashion and textiles for over 25 years and I help brands design luxury bespoke uniforms to high-end limited edition collections We’ve been doing this for clients such as the ivy collection to royal households and we do it inside of a sustainable Supply chain that saves waste you can find us on bespoke textiles dot-code at UK. Hi I’m Liz van Linden the UK travel consultant for hazel made travel People come to me as they want unique experiences and a personalized service This happens from the moment that they inquire till they come back here. I work with luxury tour operators You can contact me on 078 to 5 4 4 12 12 and Liz spelled LIS at hazel made travel dot-code dot to gay 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 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 To donate simply head to our website Hi, I’m Zina Masconi head of business development at women’s radio station Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally Moreover our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs whether it be a product or brand service You’re looking to promote if you are interested in sponsoring or advertising Please contact me on zero seven nine five six three seven one four eight three Or turn to ZM at women’s radio station dot-com Hello, this is Anna Kennedy at women’s radio station live voice of women worldwide talking all things autism My guest today is Alexandra Bester, but before we go over to Alexandra each week I’ve been talking to you a little bit about say for example You’re a parent that’s just got a child of children that have been diagnosed quite newly You’re not familiar with the terminology.

So our last week I spoke about occupational therapists the week before was educational psychologists and this week It’s speech and language therapists. So a speech and language therapist assault for short I remember when I started reading all these acronyms. I was thinking what’s assault? What’s an OT? What’s this? And what’s that? so they assess and treat babies children and adults who have various levels of speech and language and communication problems or difficulties in swallowing drinking or eating They work with a range of people including people with physical and learning disabilities hearing loss deafness Psychiatric disorders or dementia and could treat a range of conditions including cleft palate stammering language delay and voice disorders So what kind of qualifications would a speech and language lead to have so to practice as a speech and language therapist? Clinicians must be registered with the health and care professions Council, which is short h c p c and Successfully complete an approved degree which takes three to four years if you want to learn more about Speech and language therapy or you might like to train as a speech and language therapist.

You can check out their website It’s the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy www.rcslt.org So today we have Alexandra Bester who’s going to be one of our speakers at the AK autism expo Which is on March the 23rd at Brunel University where we bring it together top speakers an art exhibition Exhibitors clinics and a chance for you to meet like-minded people and to sit down and just have five minutes for yourself and a Cup of coffee or whatever it is that you like. So Alexandra. Tell me a little bit more about team No, no, what what is team? No, no, why did it? Why did you call it team? No, no First of all, why no no because it’s my son will say no to all the food And then we thought there’s no gluten or dairy no artificial ingredients.

So no no was a quiet nice sounding thing And then team no no emerged because in the process of setting up the company from a home kitchen I noticed that my son was very eager and able to attend many of those tasks Because I had a link with the local college for young people with special needs I thought why don’t I try and create a workplace that my son can have in the future? Yeah, so the the students from the Leighton College Kentish town of Frida Rathbun are now Participating in a variety of different projects company and we call them team. No, no. Okay, so that’s great Cuz none I say no.

No because my backgrounds in Italian So non not reminds me of Grandad the word Grandad, but it’s obviously got two ends in the middle So it’s this is n o n o so what’s new at team? No, no, cuz obviously I’ve been following you You came to our Brunel Expo the art the autism expo. Was it two years ago? You came? I can’t remember now last year. Was it last year? Okay, so I feel like I’ve known you longer but never mind So yeah, you came along and everyone was interested have a little samples there trying them out and I’m a keen Chocolate eater so I love your marzipan and I love the various different and chocolates that you have available So tell me a little bit about what’s happening.

What’s new? So if you come to the autism expo, you will try all the chocolates for sure. Okay, what’s new with team? No, no, it’s that we have learned from the students that we’ve had last year. We now left the college So much that we were able to then Develop a specific curriculum.

Okay, so that’s the the progress from college to actual work securing employment It’s a lot more transparent and successful and puts everyone in the same page as to what needs to be done But we’re also a merge. It’s that in the process of teaching at the college So so last year we will have the students in a factory. Yeah coming in working And then we learned that actually would be good to teach them class-based information on health and safety food hygiene, etc Also, we you know, we were planned a coffee bean in plant the actual tree so they can see how Cockraven grows from the beginning So learning a teaching at the college I’ve noticed there’s so many students that the college didn’t put forward to work at our kitchen Who also have a range of other skills that are very very essential to the company.

Yeah, so from An actors to musicians people who are extremely creative with artwork Yeah, I actually thought that every in each one of the students have Opportunity to work for the company in one role or the other So we have decided to give them all work experience not just in the kitchen But we will have a team who will design a packaging for our next box. We will have a young artists who No one actually knew he was so talented Who’s going to? Create a soundtrack for our video. Okay we will have a John one of the students who work with us in the kitchen for a year But decided that he’s actually better to be an actor and and we definitely agree Okay, who is going to be talking about our products in front of the camera for a social media Okay, little incisions.

So I’m actually quite pleased to see that It’s not only decorating the chocolates and putting them in the boxes that we can engage the young people in but also variety of many other tasks that they’re very very good at so I came along to your kitchen and Your kitchen is in your flat and it’s very well set out and I Met a couple of your students and one particular student and springs to mind who was looking Was actually doing stock take and everything was in such order with all the labels on each box So tell me a little bit about tell me a bit about like when they first start So do they come for a couple of hours? How does it work? well initially the college will propose this suitable students who will attend and We will Look into what the what sort of task they were to do If you when you are start-up company, there is so many different areas that you can involve the young person from a very basic Task like putting a sticker label on the envelope so the young people who are on the lower function I can do to Something like stock taking and counting chicken to stock and finding out how much to order They are people who particularly don’t like stickiness. Yeah, so they will work in a packing room Okay We’ll fold boxes put chocolates in order They will have a picture that guards them to know exactly where the chocolate goes to in the kitchen They would do anything from molding chocolates to decorating Force for some some students particularly love washing. Yeah, and our molds need to be washed very very precisely I would imagine so so then you will have someone who actually it’s quite passionate at doing this.

Okay, you know You not very often are able to employ someone who’s passionate about washing molds There is really no area in it of work that you cannot include a student with special needs But there’s also a lot of learning opportunities. So for instance measuring ingredients. Yeah Mixing things together learning about nutrition designing packaging Writing people’s messages in into card gift cards going to the post office There’s so many range of tasks what we always what we will try to do last year.

Yeah, it’s to take each student through a journey To complete as many different areas of the business as possible for them to then find out I prefer to do so-and-so. Okay, so then we will say okay Out of all these things you’ve done. What did you enjoy the most and then kind of let them work on that Because when when they do what they love it, they do it very well and they do it passion Okay, so some of them will come up to six hours a day.

Yeah They are obviously barriers That I have nothing to do with their special needs but with the routine Yeah, a lifelong school routine, which is Monday to Friday Yeah from 9 to 3 o’clock and the workplace works or six. Yes So for them very often did the issue is that they’re actually routinely not able to do anything past 3 o’clock Okay body it’s said to be tired and retired. Yeah But that’s something definitely to work on in the future That reminds me when I lived in Italy a long time ago that the children started school at 8 o’clock in the morning And then they came home at 12 30 and there was siesta time and then everybody went back to work at 4 o’clock and Sort of work till about 8 9 10 o’clock and but the children also went to school on a Saturday So they went from 8 till 12 31.

That was a while ago I’m not sure if that those times are still significant, but I suppose because it was so hot in the afternoon people couldn’t concentrate So um have any of your students created any of the chocolates like the flavors have they Have they thought of oh if you put this ingredient with that ingredient that might work better Have they shown that sort of initiative yet? Yes. So again working at the college I’ve discovered that actually the students who um, haven’t been working At the kitchen. They were very good at having ideas.

They all had more too often than we already knew Okay, so um, I have I’ve had a list of requests and mint was probably highlighted the most mint chocolate Well, I like mint chocolate and I like mint ice chocolate ice cream So if people are interested in looking at your website or they might like to purchase some of your chocolates either for their Children or for their husband or for themselves. Where can they look? So no no hyphen cocco.com. It’s the website so spelt n o n o hyphen c o c o a Okay.com. Okay, or at no no cocco uk through social media, you can find us out and We uh, if you subscribe to our newsletter, we keep you posted not only about team. No, no what we are doing in the area of autism but also Any other information on nutrition that you may find useful specifically? The autism expo talk Which I will be recording for people who can attend.

Okay, if you subscribe to the newsletter, you’ll be updated That’s great So we’re looking forward to hearing you at the expo and then obviously people can come to your store there They can buy chocolates. They can try it. So that’s exciting.

So again, just to remind you It’s w w w dot a ko autism expo dot co.uk. That’s the charity Autism expo website link if you want to buy tickets, they’re 10 pounds for the whole day So that’s like a bargain from half past nine till half past five So if you’re interested or if you just want to look at the charity website see what we’re doing It’s And we’re at women’s radio station voice of women worldwide we’re live and it’s all things autism 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. That’s what makes us different I’m tamina zaman founder of empower and enrich when it comes to money. Do you climb 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 Hi, i’m lara heems founder and designer of lara heems joy I make luxurious jewelry at affordable prices using silver semi-precious stones and high quality triple a cubic zirconia It’s elegant stunning stylish and long lasting who needs diamonds Find us at house of frazer stores or ela boutique nightsbridge.

If not visit us at ww.laraheems.com Make a statement and sparkle this season Do you need mediation? We are the a project charity We provide convert resolution and community engagement services Our service include community mediation for neighbor disputes family mediation for separating couples Special education needs for parents carers and their children and younger adults as well as workplace mediation and restorative services To find out more head to women’s radio station.com or the a project.co.uk 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 So Hi, i’m zina miss coney head of business development at women’s radio station Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally Moreover our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs whether it be a product or brand service You’re looking to promote if you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 0 7 9 5 6 3 7 1 4 8 3 or alternatively zm at women’s radio station.com Hello, this is anna kennedy at women’s radio station voice of women worldwide speaking live and it’s all things autism before we go back to my guest alexandra, um just today one of our ambassadors casey ainsworth has opened up that basically, she’s let everybody know about her son having a diagnosis of autism And her husband a diagnosis of asperger syndrome And if you remember casey, she was little more on east enders And she’s currently on grandchester a little bit from the article that she says she said that things that most families take for granted An impromptu visit to a restaurant for a family holiday can cause elwood her son immense distress And require copious planning christmas is always bad routines Go out of the window because you change everything about your house You put up a tree in tinsel and there are presents underneath and he doesn’t know what they are which would upset him changing The clocks is a difficult time. It takes him weeks to get used to that and going anywhere news is hard Everything is negotiated and explained in advance when he was younger He would show him pictures of a restaurant and even discuss what time we were going there And basically one thing she said was one thing she heard many times from when her son was going to school was like People were being so rude and said things like I don’t think we should have those type of children at our school Things like that make my blood boil, but hey, oh, that’s the type of things that we have to deal with So alexandra, thank you again For being one of my guests. So tell me a little bit about money So that’s one thing that I know that my um, elder son patrick when he was younger used to find difficulty with almost to the point He’s quite scared of money Didn’t understand the concept of money.

So i’m obviously working on that as he got older well, I think the money Conversation is very much avoided around between parents and and young people with autism and it’s something that it’s really Obviously a barrier for learning For my students when i’m working with them now For a person to wanting to work You need to be motivated by something where a person is not always necessary motivated with money But they still want to have things when parents Automatically on default provide everything for that young person from the day one till day 25 26 years old They simply don’t see the point. Why should they make any effort to work? Um interesting conversation emerged with my students of a lesson before christmas when we were talking christmas presents Yeah, and I said if there was no limits of money, what would you like for christmas and the Enthusiasm and the energy and the you know shouting over each other listing things and I said well How are you going to get this? Well, my mom is just going to get this for me. Yeah, there’s this assumption that You know, it’s all it’s provided So I was thinking to myself if if a parent restrict their children As to what they can just simply have because they’ve asked Um, it will create an opportunity for them to actually show that they are perfectly able to perform a tasks That earns them money And with that they will not only get the playstation at the end But also the value the purpose the place to go something to do have friends I find that for our students in order for them to wanting to come every week And don’t find excuses to why they shouldn’t attend the workplace Um if they were more motivated Um if they had a kind of a prize at the end not just a certificate Um, there will be a lot more excited and more willing to And when I was having the discussion with them and I led them into Thinking that they are not getting anything from A parents for christmas this year You could see how very quickly they will problem solve and try to think about how else they’re going to get that thing And I said, well if I was to give you x amount of money for Posing for pictures for decorating chocolate for so for saying something about team nono and what you’ve been doing here Um, they were very very passionate and very willing and you could see that they made a connection between The item they’re getting and how they can get it themselves rather than having to ask So it means more to them as well because obviously they’ve gone through the process they’ve had to work for it Yeah, i’ve been through that um stage with my son patrick and what we’re doing at the moment is we’re looking for a flat for him Because he’s now got himself Um a full-time job.

He’s passed his six months probationary period. So now we’re looking at flats So i’ve given him the task of you know, basically looking on websites Where would he like to live and i’ve said to him that, you know, if you find somewhere that you think suitable Are you going to be able to afford it? You know, where is it situated? Is it going to be near to the bus where you go to work? Is it going to be near the shops? You know all those sorts of things and it’s just like thing I didn’t think of all those things that you know So we’re going through it slowly so I can see him by the end of this year having his own place but um The big thing is that he’s finding difficulties to choose something that he can afford because obviously Then he’s got to pay the bills and everything else that you know, mum and dad have been paying and now it’s down to him So, um, yeah, so we we’re going through that process at the moment minute. It’s a big learning curve a little bit Anxiety I can see building up but he’ll get there like he’s got there with everything else a little bit later But it doesn’t matter.

It’s just one step at a time as I always say someday is good Someday, it’s not so good. I think parents can do a little bit more to help Young children to understand money. I remember when my son who is on the severe side of the spectrum He was very little and in every supermarket.

He would want to have a ride on those little cars so he wanted a pound and I always had to show my pockets an empty wallet if there wasn’t So he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the cash point pointed at the wall and asked me money money Um, so he’s made that connection that there’s the money coming from a wall and then that’s what allow him to do Have the right so we we thought okay. Well, how about he learned he earns himself that pound By doing something at home like taking his plate to the sink or washing it You get a pound put it in your pocket next time you’re in a supermarket and then he will be checking his own pockets Not mine. Yeah, so you can see that regardless of the level of spectrum or the age You can make you can teach your child that connection that they will get something for something And then that kind of helps them to progress now as an employer I have to teach the concept of money to students who are 26 27 because they’ve been very much undermined and under and the value in terms of how They are able to be more responsible.

That’s right. So let’s talk a little bit more about chocolate Tell me about your probiotics because I remember the last time I met you You gave me a few little sashes and they were quite new at the time. So how are they going? What’s in them? What’s the benefit? so, um You know, we have so much science-based evidence now about prebiotic.

We also have a lot more science With relation to gut bacteria and autism or gut activity in the first place The chocolate was created specifically because my son Couldn’t swallow a pill so for for children with autism The the percentage of children with autism who have yeast of a growth. It’s quite high and that very much Prawns them to eat carbs or eat sweets or Crave food one of the most asked questions by parents It’s how can I get my child to stop eating bread and bread rolls and biscuits? Yeah. Well, the answer is uh to reduce the amount of yeast in the in the gut because the yeast feeds on carbs and it was the child is starving Because the yeast eats all the all the carbs so balancing good bacteria in a gut it allows The child not to have as much yeast and therefore he will himself or herself Reduce the amount of carbs they eat now if you can get Uh a pill into a child the chocolate are a very good strategy in the meantime Okay with angela.

I’m trying to get a pill down and it’s quite difficult And the only way I can do it is through yogurt So if I put um, like an antibiotic or a paracetamol or whatever it is that i’m trying to give him He will only take it in through a spoonful of yogurt and that’s the best but parents always have to think of different ways Absolutely. I mean supporting our children. I’ve had a A quite challenging year with my son and one of the things that I had to face up was how to administer those It’s of different medications.

Okay, and one of the the things i’m going to be talking to parents are the autism expo It’s how far we’ve gone from 10 years ago where I was unable to find certain vitamins or supplements that I could provide in drops for instance. Everything was in pills now We have patches multi-vitamin patches that you stick on to your child’s bag without it. No, I didn’t know that Yes so for instance one of the The highest number of deficiencies in children with autism.

It’s omega 3 Yeah, now try to get them to have a fishy oil if they can’t swallow a gel tablet It’s extremely difficult to administer But I will share a link with the company that provides those patches that you can Simply apply daily to your child’s body and gets absorbed into the lymphatic system That’s a great way because I know even myself when I take my omega 3 because I take it every day because obviously I’m always mixing with different people, you know, I take my vitamins and I get poor sleep pattern I need to look after myself but you do get that sort of After taste or repeat you can taste it for about an hour or so after you’ve taken it but obviously it’s beneficial You know with me being older now for joints and all you just try and look after yourself the best way you can because obviously you want to You know a good life and to be able to look after your children. So again, if people are looking for Your website, yeah, I know you’re doing valentine’s chocolates as well. So they look delicious.

Where do they look? So Okay, and if you subscribe to my newsletter, I will be sharing information with Autism and nutrition all the available Minerals vitamins and supplements in drop form as well. So subscribe today Okay, are you on social media and on social media at nono coco uk? Okay, so again, if you’re interested in coming to the autism expo Alessandra is one of our speakers She also has a stand and the expo is at brunel university eastern gateway Lots of free parking a really lovely Venue and the tickets are 10 pounds so you can book the tickets online. So it’s Www.akoautismexpo.co.uk if you want to see what we’re up to at anna kennedy online, it’s Www.anna kennedy online.com if you want to follow me on social media again It’s um on all of the social media sites So i’m at women’s radio station voice of women worldwide talking live talking all things autism on Www.womensradiostation.com Welcome to women’s radio station the voice of women worldwide This is women’s radio station.

You’re listening to agro prize with kitchen sink spirituality It’s anna kennedy talking all things autism. And my guest today is karen. Welcome to future classical woman awards with me Women’s radio station we want to hear from you.

I listen to women’s radio station Women the possibilities are endless. That’s what makes us different Hi, my name is katie young gerald and i’m the founder of bespoke textiles and author of the selling book textile touch I’ve been working in luxury fashion and textiles for over 25 years And I help brands design luxury bespoke uniforms to high-end limited edition collections We’ve been doing this for clients such as the ivy collection to royal households and we do it inside of a sustainable Supply chain that saves waste. You can find us on bespoketextiles.co.uk Hi, i’m liz van linden the uk travel consultant for hazelmaid travel People come to me as they want unique experiences and a personalized service This happens from the moment that they inquire till they come back home.

I work with luxury tour operators You can contact me on 07825 4 4 12 12 and liz spelled lis at hazelmaid travel.co.uk 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 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 liquor will help Hi, i’m zina miskoning head of business development at women’s radio station Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally Moreover our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs whether it be a product or brand service You’re looking to promote if you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 07 956 371 4 8 3 or alternatively zm at women’s radio station.com So Hello, this is anna kennedy on women’s radio station talking live voice of women worldwide all things autism So this week we’ll be announcing our autism’s got talent performers. We are so excited There’s going to be 21 performers from all over the uk And overseas so we’ve contacted all of our performers and we’re going to be announcing it on thursday the 31st So check out our website to see who will be performing on may the 4th We’ll be selling tickets for the mermaid theater Um again, look on our charity website to book your tickets book early because they go really quickly So that’s www.anna kennedy online com another of our events is the autism hero awards Lots of entries are coming through already and the closing dates not till september And the actual awards themselves will be in november at the radison blue marble arch So if you know somebody that um, you’d like to nominate for certain awards We’ve got the outstanding education award the people’s autism hero award the young person of the year award personal achievement award Leading business award sibling of the year award parent carer of the year award creative arts and media outstanding community online social network the entrepreneurial award the lifetime award So we have 12 different awards and there’s also a special award where I do the special recognition award where I look around and I Choose somebody who I feel has gone the extra mile, which is so hard But um, that’s something that we will be doing. So that’s um another exciting event So i’m going to be talking to alexandra bestow.

We’ve been talking about chocolate. We’ve been talking about nutrition We’ve been talking about autism. So us parents we have difficulty in time out We need to do something to relax because if not We can go down fast and we’re the linchpin of the family with dad.

And um, what do you do to relax? alexandra, I know it’s difficult Well, I eat chocolate Well, actually scientifically chocolate is very relaxing if love annoys in in dark chocolate particularly Um actually release dopamine which helps with serotonin and the whole Um good fill factor emerges, but obviously it’s we talk about dark chocolate high percent to chicago Um, I think with me and my son when things get a bit too anxious Walk in a park. It’s probably the most relaxing things stressful stuff Yes, so I think when people think about relaxing, it’s the stillness. Um, actually walking off Whatever anxiety whatever it’s bothering you Um taking fresh air perspective Um, it’s definitely um a choice for us Another thing will be, you know taking a hot bath not for Necessary me although I have to work very very hard to earn myself a safe hot bath So for instance, I went to a hardware store and got a lot of screws Okay for my son to fidget with yeah, and I knew that it’s gonna give me like 20 minutes bath He’s gonna stay in one place and really really absorb.

Yeah You’ve got to think out of the box all the time because it’s I find it difficult even when i’m having a bath Obviously the door show and then i’ve got like, you know, my sons or my husband talking to me through the door and it’s just like Hello, i’m trying to have five minutes just for me, but it is quite difficult You’ve got to look at for the most opportune time for you to be able to relax I found that um, I did try yoga, but I found that quite hard I’m not a person that tries to do things slowly and relaxing and meditating. I just find that really hard So that’s why I like zumba like tap dancing. I like fast walking power walk in both.

Angelo and I um, We’ve walked quite quickly We’ve had a couple of friends that have come with us and sort of said hold on a minute It’s just that we’ve got into a weird being so it’s just like that’s what works for us So um, so what’s where do you go for walks? You go to parks where you go everywhere My son really really loves drives on the motorway and he will Find all sorts of different excuses to go on a motorway. So he will say let’s go to green train Which it’s the cassie berry park for instance I took Angelo that he didn’t like it as well It got really anxious. Yeah the uh russella blider.

Yeah, that’s good And my son knows in the winter the train is closed But he still wants the journey on a motorway walk and come back. Yeah, I know it’s a great area Yeah, trend park. It’s probably our favorite place in the annefield Um because it’s more forest like yeah, it’s more Wild and real rather than park sounds a bit like burning beaches.

That’s a lovely walk there as well I mean, I think what we do is we we look for green space on the map and go there Yeah, let’s go to new places Yeah And it’s just where somewhere as well where my son can just run and be him and like so nobody’s going to you know Say anything or stop him. It’s just like he wants to be free because if you think about it our children I will say no you can’t do that because we’re trying to keep them safe But they need to be able to be free like when angela’s on the trampoline You can just see he’s just loving it and it’s just you can be him. He can do whatever he likes Um, so yeah, we’re just having to look for those different spaces where we can take our children where they can relax and so can wait So what sort of things can we take for ourselves as mums and dads? So what sort of vitamins nutrition do we need to keep us going? Well, I think going back to the omega 3. Um, um, it’s you know, we need our minds And most of our brain it’s fat and we have been on a fat-free diet for too many years by the advice of the um Authorities who kind of you know taking it back now saying actually having an x amount of fat per day It’s very good for your brain function So as long as it doesn’t clogs your artery, um, it’s actually very very good for you People know that we have to take vitamin c every day And they don’t right and food and vegetables these days if you’re actually having your five a day or ten a day Don’t necessarily have the same amount of vitamin c it used to So I will always say don’t rely on the orange juice alone Yeah, you know, um pop that vitamin c it really is an antioxidant Which means it helps you fight bacterias and viruses So what other foods have got vitamin c and would you say to recommend it? You don’t have to go, you know as far as lemon and oranges because they are they are things like, you know, if you make it easy for yourself and you know one day I have a Handful of grapes you might have an onion in your meal.

You might have garlic, you know, they’re not just um They’re also antibacterial properties and garlic and onion Um, you know, you might have an apple one day the next day you might have an orange juice that actually has added nutrition in it um, and then one thing that um Came out doing a presentation at the giant health event. Okay, um looking at the things that UK population is the most deficient in okay. It’s actually the b vitamin groups.

I heard that I’ve read about that um, and so if you are feeling sluggish and fatigue and tired and if you wake up and you feel like you You haven’t really had enough sleep Or if you walking up after eight hours of sleep and you still feel tired I will look at you a bit b vitamin and Making sure that you take the complex Um, I swear by it because um, as you know running company being a single parent managing my son People always say where do you get the energy from? Yeah. Well, you don’t get energy you make sure you have it. Yeah, so You know as you were saying early you have to look after yourself.

You have to you have to pop the pill sometimes Um just to keep yourself going. Uh prevention is better than cure. So get your vitamin b12 complex Um today it really get anywhere that okay.

Absolutely. Okay So tell me how ethan is now with his eating so obviously he had difficulty when he was younger So has his taste buds improved? Have they changed? How is he now? So, uh, you were talking earlier about the speech and language intervention how uh speech and language has to help with swallowing and Uh chewing and things like that. My son had it all under development.

So he couldn’t test anything at all Hence why he didn’t want to eat because it wasn’t very appealing, right? The chocolates for instance were created To attract him visually. So they’re very pretty um now my son, it’s such a Monster tester that if I put a testless drop into his water, he will detect. Okay, so he’s got very peculiar uh, very well exercised very well, um Intervene with um an oral function because we had to intervene a lot through occupation therapy to get him To be able to use his tongue and uh and chew and swallow properly um in terms of his health, um after um Horrendous year where he he starved himself to to very extreme Uh weight loss like five six kilo in a week, which means he’s lost all his water So why do you think he did that? Is it was it stress? Um, well, it’s it’s it’s a lot more complex than that There’s uh, you know, we all have different coping mechanism for my son.

The rituals around food were Moving from one place to another and every time you interfere it will kind of shift somewhere else So where he may have started with being very rigid on food and then me making intervention and seeing some progress It will shift him on to doing something else as long as he had some kind of control over the Food area. There’s so much that I have learned in the process that I can share with other parents Or with regards to what’s not to do with the meal um and my son now, um after finally, um Me putting my foot down and taking the medical intervention into my hands after a year of trying with the nhs He eats so much now. Uh, if you go into social media, you can see how his face fell down how he’s changed He’s got so much energy that and also i’ve seen him prepare food as well.

Um, and yeah That was one of the best intervention cooking smelling Chopping playing with food and you can see when he cuts the vegetables There’s no pressure for him to eat but he will pop cucumber or carrot or something We’re in a process and I think that’s where you can Easily introduce new foods to your child. Yeah, i’ve seen both with both my sons from very very limited diet now You know really open to trying different things and that was because of um the school as well with them Um smell say if you smell this you can have this If you lick this then you can try this and just looking at different ways of just like elaborating their tastes And now they’ll you know, they’re open up especially angela with limited verbal skills He’s opened up to try various different things and it’s always quite exciting to see His thing at the moment is lemon drizzle cake, which um, he can see he really loves So, thank you very much alizandra. I can’t believe we’ve already been speaking up for over an hour Um, it’s just gone really quickly always interesting to speak to you So again, we’re at women’s radio station voice of women worldwide and we’re live if you’d like to um, ask any questions You can do it through the charity website, which is Www.anna kennedy online.com again If you want to hear alizandra speak or taste some of these beautiful chocolates, it’s going to be at the autism export Which is brunel university, um, and that’s on march the 23rd.

Thank you very much everyone I hope you have a great week and next week. My speaker is going to be talking about Pdd a hot topic and it’s women radio station. Thank you and goodbye Hey 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.

That’s what makes us different 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 Hi, i’m lara heems founder and designer of lara heems joy I make luxurious jewelry at affordable prices using silver semi-precious stones and high quality triple a cubic zirconium It’s elegant stunning stylish and long lasting who needs diamonds Find us at house of frazer stores or ela boutique nightsbridge If not visit us at ww.laraheems.com Make a statement and sparkle this season Do you need mediation? We are the a project charity We provide convert resolution and community engagement services Our service include community mediation for neighbor disputes family aviation for separating couples Special education needs for parents carers and their children and young adults as well as workplace mediation and restorative services To find out more head to women’s radio station.com or the a project.co.uk 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 Hi i’m zina miskoning head of business development at women’s radio station Radio advertising is the most cost effective way of reaching a huge audience globally Moreover our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs whether it be a product or brand service You’re looking to promote if you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 0 7 9 5 6 3 7 1 4 8 3 or alternatively zm at women’s radio station.com