Autism and Us

On this episode Maisie is joined by Giuliana Wheater who talks about her son Ollie. Giuliana is a multi-award winning complementary therapist, Indian head massage specialist, author, teacher, trainer, public speaker, fundraiser, story massage instructor and special yoga practitioner. She is also the founder of Rainbow Kids Touch Therapy and Relaxation which has been recognised as a Learning Destination by the Children’s University. This episode is so moving - it's about love and hope.   Please check out Giuliana's website: Giuliana Wheater - Therapies for special needs

This week Maisie talks to Jordan about her son Jackson who has a diagnosis of autism. Jordan is the managing director of a top London PR agency, LMPR. She talks about growing up in London, working in the media and her journey into motherhood. 

In this special episode of Autism and Us we hear some lockdown stories from parents during this unprecedented time.

This week Maisie talks to Kate Wilde. Kate is the Director of The Son-Rise Program and has worked at The Autism Treatment Center of America for over 20 years. She has spent her whole life working with children on the autism spectrum and their families. Kate has worked one-on-one with well over a 1,500 different children of different diagnoses and more than 10,000 hours working one-on-one with children and adults, helping thousands of families from all over the world help their children with autism. She is a senior teacher and lecturer at the Autism Treatment Center of America helping families individually and in groups run home based, parent directed Son-Rise Programs with their children. Kate talks to Maisie about her life before the program and how she came to realise that working with autistic people was her calling. 

Today Maisie is joined by Lucy. Maisie and Lucy met through the charity Ambitious About Autism who are partners of this podcast. Lucy talks about her son Oscar, who is severely autistic and most recently was diagnosed with epilepsy. We hear about the early years of Oscar's development, ABA therapy, Treehouse school, Lucy's other children and her plans for Oscar's future. This episode personally resonates with Maisie as Charlie and Oscar present very similarly to each other and since recording, Lucy and Maisie have become firm friends. Here's some information about Ambitious About Autism: Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for children and young people with autism. They provide services, raise awareness and understanding, and campaign for change. Through TreeHouse School, The Rise School and Ambitious College they offer specialist education and support. Their ambition is to make the ordinary possible for more children and young people with autism. Please visit their website for more info here: https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/

We begin Season 3 with a very exciting guest. Maisie is joined by the British actress Kacey Ainsworth. Kacey is well known for her roles in Holby Blue, Grantchester and EastEnders in which she played the iconic character of Little Mo. Most recently Kacey received critical acclaim for her role as Mrs Lovett in the stage production of Sweeny Todd. Kacey talks to Maisie about her son Elwood, who has a diagnosis of autism and dyspraxia. Kacey also touches upon her husbands subsequent diagnosis of autism.    Right From The Start Project - Parent And Carer Survey The online version can be completed and submitted online: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar/familyresearch/supportearlyyears/study/ Sharing The Survey We would be grateful if you could join our efforts and spread the word about our survey via your social media channels and networks to reach parents and carers of children with autism. Below we have provided some suggested social media wording to help you do this and feel free to add your own flare to it. Or if you'd prefer, simply retweet orshare our posts from our social media pages. Suggested Post for TwitterAre you a parent or carer of a child aged 0-6 with #autism? Please help @AmbitiousAutism gather evidence for their #RightfromtheStart Project by completing this short #survey about your experiences https://bit.ly/2Cdt01q @warwickuni #pleaseshare Suggested Post for FacebookAmbitious about Autism are working with the University of Warwick to research the needs and issues faced by parents/carers of children aged 0-6 with autism to inform a project which will help families receive the right support, Right from the Start. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE!

Maisie talks to a lovely mother from South London called Anna. Maisie met Anna when they both attended the EarlyBird workshop which is run by the National Autistic Society. Anna talks to Maisie about her four year old son Ethan and his recent diagnosis of autism. Useful Links: 1) National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk 2) EarlyBird: https://www.autism.org.uk/earlybird 3) The London Children's Practise: http://www.londonchildrenspractice.co.uk  4) Engaging Autism - Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think (Merloyd Lawrence Book): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0738210943/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3qiQBbDJXMPC2

In this week's episode, and the last in this series, Maisie is joined by Angie. Maisie found Angie’s Instragram account when searching for autism related pages. Angie posts funny, heartwarming and honest pictures and videos of her now 16 year old son Ainsworth, who she affectionately calls Pootie and has a diagnosis of autism. Her Instagram page is loved by many thousands of people around the world and with over 10K followers she is spreading autism awareness and positivity with every post.    Useful Links:   1) Please follow Angie’s Instagram: @geegetaylor     2) Ambitious About Autism: https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/    Right From The Start Project - Parent And Carer Survey The online version can be completed and submitted online:  https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar/familyresearch/supportearlyyears/study/ Sharing The Survey We would be grateful if you could join our efforts and spread the word about our survey via your social media channels and networks to reach parents and carers of children with autism. Below we have provided some suggested social media wording to help you do this and feel free to add your own flare to it. Or if you'd prefer, simply retweet or share our posts from our social media pages. Suggested Post for Twitter Are you a parent or carer of a child aged 0-6 with #autism? Please help @AmbitiousAutism gather evidence for their #RightfromtheStart Project by completing this short #survey about your experiences https://bit.ly/2Cdt01q @warwickuni #pleaseshare   Suggested Post for Facebook Ambitious about Autism are working with the University of Warwick to research the needs and issues faced by parents/carers of children aged 0-6 with autism to inform a project which will help families receive the right support, Right from the Start. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE!

In today’s episode Maisie is joined by her friend Finn. They discuss raising Rob, Finn's son, who has a diagnosis of autism. Finn has struggled through the years in getting the help Rob rightfully deserves when it comes to education. Individuals who are seen as 'high functioning' often need a very high level support in many different areas - 'high functioning' autism does not mean easy autism, far from it.   Useful Links:   1) Parent's Rights: https://www.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Parent-Rights-Eng-2012.pdf   2) Ambitious About Autism: https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/    Right From The Start Project - Parent And Carer Survey The online version can be completed and submitted online:  https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar/familyresearch/supportearlyyears/study/ Sharing The Survey We would be grateful if you could join our efforts and spread the word about our survey via your social media channels and networks to reach parents and carers of children with autism. Below we have provided some suggested social media wording to help you do this and feel free to add your own flare to it. Or if you'd prefer, simply retweet or share our posts from our social media pages. Suggested Post for Twitter Are you a parent or carer of a child aged 0-6 with #autism? Please help @AmbitiousAutism gather evidence for their #RightfromtheStart Project by completing this short #survey about your experiences https://bit.ly/2Cdt01q @warwickuni #pleaseshare   Suggested Post for Facebook Ambitious about Autism are working with the University of Warwick to research the needs and issues faced by parents/carers of children aged 0-6 with autism to inform a project which will help families receive the right support, Right from the Start. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE!

In this episode Maisie is joined by writer, actor, comedian and all round amazing guy, Shaun Pye. Shaun writes for many successful TV comedy panel shows, co-wrote the cult tv sitcom 'Monkey Dust', had a regular role in Extras and recently created and wrote the amazingly moving and realistic comedy drama 'There She Goes' on BBC 4. If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it via the link below.   Useful Links:   1) Shaun Pye: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0701445/   2) There She Goes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bp2zq4     Right From The Start Project - Parent And Carer Survey The online version can be completed and submitted online:  https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar/familyresearch/supportearlyyears/study/ Sharing The Survey We would be grateful if you could join our efforts and spread the word about our survey via your social media channels and networks to reach parents and carers of children with autism. Below we have provided some suggested social media wording to help you do this and feel free to add your own flare to it. Or if you'd prefer, simply retweet or share our posts from our social media pages. Suggested Post for Twitter Are you a parent or carer of a child aged 0-6 with #autism? Please help @AmbitiousAutism gather evidence for their #RightfromtheStart Project by completing this short #survey about your experiences https://bit.ly/2Cdt01q @warwickuni #pleaseshare   Suggested Post for Facebook Ambitious about Autism are working with the University of Warwick to research the needs and issues faced by parents/carers of children aged 0-6 with autism to inform a project which will help families receive the right support, Right from the Start. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE!