PAAA Pod - Positive Action Autism ADHD Podcast

PAAA Pod - Mentorship with guest Alex Blaze

Episode 26 - Mentorship - Alex Blaze founded Optimum Support Services where he and his team of 17 support staff focus on providing high-quality mentorship for autistic children. Alex has spent a significant amount of time with families and sees the positive impact mentorship makes on children's lives. Alex shares these experiences and answers the questions that have come through from the Postive Action Autism ADHD Group on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/900624195016479 - My child really struggles with confidence, how can a support worker become more of a mentor and help with this? - How can I tell if a support worker is going to make a good mentor for my child? - Do parents in general know about peer mentoring from autistic adults as a viable option / would they consider this? Links from this episode: Optimum Support Services: https://www.optimumservices.com.au/ The PAAA Pod is brought to you by the Spectrum Success Network, an educational and community building platform for families with autistic children. https://spectrumsuccessnetwork.com.au/

PAAA Pod - Pathways for Musical Talent with guest Aspy Jones

Episode 25 - Pathways for Musical Talent - Aspy Jones is an autistic musician, songwriter and member of the sibling band Favourite Kid. He has joined us to share his own experience as an autistic musician and answer the many incredible questions that have come in from the Positive Action Autism ADHD group on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/900624195016479 The questions are: - I recognise my child excels at guitar. I am not musical at all, so how can I best support him to continue learning and progressing with guitar? - My child has a clear interst in music, any tips to help identify if there is a special talent in a particular instrument? - My son drums but suffers from stage fright due to anxiety and sensory overload in an orchestra. How does he continue? - Are you familiar with music therapy as a form of capacity building / skill building support? If you are, what outcomes would we likely see? - My child is clearly very gifted in music but won't consider lessons due to anxiety. How can I help foster this talent? - Should I ask my child if they want any encouragement in the first place and if so, what might that be? Links from this episode: Little Black Book of Rock Favourite Kid YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfEzg-K6zSiet3e364t3zFQ Instagram: @aspyjpnes_ and @favouritekidmusic The PAAA Pod is brought to you by the Spectrum Success Network - an educational and community building platform for families with autistic children. www.spectrumsuccessnetwork.com.au

PAAA Pod - Post High School for Teens with Intellectual Disability

Episode 24 - Post High School for Teens with Intellectual Disability - Kathy Harris founded CampusLife to fill the gap she saw when her own son was finishing high school. Kathy shares her own experiences and answers the questions that have come in from the Postive Action Autism ADHD Group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/900624195016479 The questions Kathy answers are: - What education options are there post high school, to help my child continuing learning? - If my child isn't able to work or do further study, what other options are there? Links from this episode are: CampusLife: https://inclusivesupports.com.au/index.html The PAAA Pod is brought to you by the Spectrum Success Network - an educational and community building platform for families with autistic children. https://spectrumsuccessnetwork.com.au/

PAAA Pod - NDIS Updates with guest Kate Read

Episode 23 - NDIS Updates - Kate Read from Inspires&Co joins us to share her insights to the NDIS Updates. In March 2024, the Australian Gov't introduced changes to the NDIS Act 2013 through the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No 1) Bill 2024, based on key recommendations of the NDIS review, to make the NDIS better for participants. The Bill passed the Australian Parliament on August 22, 2024. Kate Read shares her insights on what we can expect as the changes are rolled out later on this year. Links from this episode: Inspires&Co: https://www.inspiresandco.com.au Australian Gov't: dss.gov.au The PAAA Pod is brought to you by the Spectrum Success Network - an educational and community building platform for families with autistic children. www.spectrumsuccessnetwork.com.au Parents can join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/927674128832584

PAAA Pod - Child Safety with guest Valli Slater

Episode 22 - Child Safety - Valli Slater is the founder of the charity Sacred Justice and is joinging us to share her lived experience with her daughter who is non-speaking autistic and sexual abuse. Her research post sexual abuse is what led her to begin Sacred Justice. Valli also all of the questions that have come through from the Positive Action Autism ADHD group on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/share/szLTvw5uNXi4sR1r/ The questions are: - What should I look for in an STA providers to feel secure my child will be safe? - How can I help teach stranger danger to my child who has none? - What steps can I take to ensure my child is safe at school? - Can you recommend anything to assist my tennager to navigate healthy friendships? Links from this episode: https://sacredjustice.org.au/ https://attwoodandgarnettevents.com/sexuality-education-for-teenagers-with-aspergers-syndrome/ https://www.research.chop.edu/car-autism-roadmap/sexuality-instruction-for-tweens-teens-and-young-adults https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9915282/ The PAAA Pod is brought to you by the Spectrum Success Network - an educational and community building platform for families with autistic children. www.spectrumsuccessnetwork.com.au