The Autism Mums Podcast

In this week’s re-released episode of The Autism Mums Podcast, we’re talking about something that so many families raising autistic children will recognise - the exhausting and often disheartening process of dealing with the local authority.This episode is an honest look at how hard it can be to get what your child needs and how important it is to stay organised, persistent and strong.Key TakeawaysKeeping on top of it all: Parents and carers are often left chasing reports, updates, and decisions just to keep things moving.You Can’t Assume Progress is Happening (unfortunately): If you're not following up, you're at risk of falling off the radar.Options for Your Child: Parents are frequently kept in the dark about available options regarding alternative provision and specialist schoolsTravel Expectations Can Be Unrealistic: Specialist schools may be far from home, making logistics overwhelming.Change is Needed: Better communication, transparency and supportive systems would ease the burden on both families and staff.Connect with The Autism Mumshttps://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theautismmums

In this week's episode of The Autism Mums Podcast we're returning to our earlier episode where we talk about ways to look after yourself when your child is having a tough day.Key TakeawaysHow supporting our children with their emotions can leave us feeling completely drained.Common mistakes we’ve made when trying to "push through" a tough day.Simple ways we try to carve out moments of calm: meditation, breathing space, and gentle resets.How creating a comforting environment - with blankets, candles, soft music - can make a difference.Allowing yourself to cancel non-essential tasks or meetings when you need breathing space.The power of talking it out with someone who truly understands.Finding and building a supportive community around you.The importance of zoning out, resting, and knowing that tomorrow is a new day.Mentioned in This EpisodeGabby Bernstein’s Meditation AppConnect with The Autism Mumshttps://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmums

Another episode from the archives this week. We're returning to our episode where we dive into the unique challenges of raising a child with a PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) profile. We're sharing our personal stories, strategies, and reflections to help parents and caregivers better understand and support their children navigating PDA-related behaviours.Key TakeawaysPDA is driven by anxiety and a need for control; traditional demands can trigger refusal.Offering controlled choices helps reduce pressure and gives children a sense of agency.Visual schedules and plenty of preparation help ease transitions and reduce stress.Managing your own calm and letting go of nonessential demands are important for low-demand parenting.It’s okay to adjust family routines to what works for your child, even if it looks different from your original parenting ideals.Misunderstandings from others can be painful but focusing on your child’s needs is what matters most.Mentioned in This EpisodePDA SocietyDr. Naomi Fisher webinars and resourcesConnect with The Autism Mumshttps://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook @theautismmums

In this week’s encore episode of The Autism Mums Podcast, Victoria reveals the emotional journey of her son’s autism diagnosis. She reflects on the early signs that were often misunderstood and the battles faced in educational settings, culminating in the significant moment of receiving an official diagnosis. As one of our most popular episodes, we wanted to share this again as there are so many on this path to diagnosis.Key TakeawaysAutism signs can often be masked or misunderstood, especially in young children.Building a support network of other parents is crucial.Professionals may miss signs too, trusting your instincts matters.The diagnosis process can feel long and isolating, but community support makes a difference.Receiving a diagnosis is often a moment of both relief and grief and that's OK.Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Early Birds Course (National Autistic Society)ASDivas and Dudes Support GroupThe Girl with the Curly Hair by Alis RoweThe Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony AttwoodTADDS Outreach TeamTotal Children's TherapyADOS-2 Autism Diagnostic Observation ScheduleCAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)Connect with The Autism Mumshttps://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook: @theautismmums

In this week’s encore episode of The Autism Mums Podcast, join us as we navigate the complex landscape of anxiety in autistic children. We share our personal insights and experiences, exploring the diverse ways anxiety can manifest, including meltdowns, shutdowns, and sensory overloads.Whether you're early on in your autism journey or navigating school-age challenges, this episode offers reassurance, relatable stories, and real-world strategies that can make a difference.Key TakeawaysAnxiety presents differently in autistic children: It might show up as shutdowns, meltdowns, repetitive questions, anger, or even physical symptoms like tummy aches.Avoidance can be common: Children may retreat to their rooms or refuse to go places when overwhelmed.Sensory overload can be a major trigger: Noisy environments, bright lights, and even scratchy clothing can heighten anxiety.Routine changes, even positive ones, can be stressful: Children may want changes, but still struggle when they occur.Social unpredictability can add pressure: Not knowing who will be present or what will happen in social settings can create discomfort.Masking and perfectionism can lead to burnout and chronic anxiety.Support strategies matter: Ear defenders, visual timetables, sensory tools, role play, and validating feelings can help.Validation and patience are key: Simply saying 'I hear you' can help children feel safe and understood.Mentioned in This EpisodeMindfulness sessions – Supportive techniques that help children become aware of how anxiety feels in their bodies.https://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-for-kids/Visual timetables and planners – Visual supports that help prepare autistic children for transitions and daily routines.Example resources: Twinkl Visual TimetablesNoise-cancelling headphones and sunglassesEdz Kidz Ear DefendersBreathing exercises for childrenhttps://copingskillsforkids.com/deep-breathing-exercises-for-kids BBC Documentary – Inside Our Autistic Minds by Chris PackhamWatch here: BBC iPlayer – Inside Our Autistic MindsHarry Potter Studio Tour (UK)Mentioned as an example of a venue with quiet spaces and autism-friendly accommodations.Accessibility info https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/additional-needs/Connect with The Autism Mumshttps://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook @theautismmums

In this week’s episode of The Autism Mums Podcast, we welcome back Carl Draper for part one of a two-part conversation.His last episode, learning to hear a child who doesn't speak, sparked so many questions from listeners, that we invited Carl back to talk more about the topic of challenging behaviours and autism. In this first part, Carl shares his personal experiences as a parent, how his understanding of behaviour has changed over time, and why unmet needs and stress responses are so often misunderstood.BiographyCarl Draper was born in a North Nottinghamshire mining village and moved to Bournemouth at 19, where he served as a beach lifeguard and discovered his love for surfing. Accepted into the Royal Marines, his plans changed after a serious leg injury during a heroic rescue, an event that earned him a Local Hero Award and a feature on BBC’s 999 Rescue. He later became RNLI head trainer for lifeguards across Dorset, then served over a decade with Dorset Ambulance Service. Shifting to education, he trained firefighters and police nationwide before retraining as a mental health nurse. Carl is currently studying at Bournemouth University. In 2015, he founded Waveslider, winning the Bournemouth Tourism Award in 2017, and began documenting life with his son Bodhi in 2020.Key TakeawaysEmotional regulation in parents plays a crucial role in reducing escalationChallenging behaviour is often a stress response linked to unmet needsChanges in routine and adult stress can significantly impact a child’s ability to copeA balance between boundaries and flexibility helps create emotional safetyChildren learn regulation by observing the behaviour of those around themLetting go of social judgement and outdated expectations allows families to parent with confidenceConnect with Carl DraperFollow Carl’s journey with his son Bodhi on the Waverslider Photography Facebook PageFollow Carl on InstagramConnect with The Autism Mumshttps://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theautismmumsTranscriptVictoria Bennion: [00:00:00] Today we're joined once again by ourfriend Carl Draper, who many of you will remember from episode nine. For thosewho don't know Carl, he is currently training to be a mental health nurse andis the founder of Wave Slider, where he shares his brilliant photographs anddocuments life with his son Bodhi.Victoria Bennion:Frank Bodie's Assistance Dog is also a regular on wave slider. Carl's lastappearance on the podcast really struck a chord, and after that episode wentlive, he received an overwhelming number of messages from parents and carerswanting to know more about how he supports his son through moments of distress.Victoria Bennion: Andwhat's often labeled as challenging behavior. So today, Carl is back with us totalk honestly and openly about exactly that we could talk to Carl for hours. Sowe've split our conversation into two episodes. In this first part, Carl shareshis personal journey as a parent. How his understanding of [00:01:00] behavior has changed over time.Victoria Bennion: Thepowerful impact of learning to regulate his own emotions and what it reallylooks like to meet chaos with calm, even in the most public and confrontingsituations. This is a really raw, reflective, and incredibly insightfulconversation about unmet needs, stress responses, and the reality of parentingautistic children in a world that doesn't always understand. Natalie Tealdi:Welcome to the podcast, Carl. It's great to have you back.Carl Draper: Hi, howare you?Natalie Tealdi: Good.Thank you. So can we start by explaining how you define challenging behavior inthe context of autism, and can you also give us some examples of what you'veencountered?Carl Draper: Okay, soI guess our definition of challenging behavior is. Changing at the moment interms or context of autism? I think the one thing to remember where the childliked Bodhi is that he [00:02:00] is equallyprofoundly autistic and a DHD. So you have that autism side where, he likes hisroutine.Carl Draper:Everything has to be perfect. Everything's good. And then you've got the A DHDside, which is a constant clash, which is like letting a hand grenade off inthe middle of everything. I quite often think of Bodhi as pizza. He's perfectlyround cut into perfect triangles and comes in a square box.Natalie Tealdi: Ilove that.Carl Draper: He justdoesn't, it doesn't fit, but it's perfect, the challenging behavior, it allcomes with an unmet need and an inability to communicate his needs. So goingback to prior to when he was medicated for his A DHD, we had daily challengingbehavior where every evening at bedtime he would.Carl Draper: Go fromsettle to completely challenging, pinning you against the wall, pulling yourhair, grabbing your [00:03:00] face. And what Irealized is I think I was the biggest cause of this challenging behaviorbecause I come from a world where, I grew up in a pit village. Old social normsin that world where, you know.Carl Draper: A lot ofpeople would say, oh, slap never did me any harm. And the way that I wasbrought up, I couldn't regulate my own emotions. So when he got challenging, ifthat's the word, which is actually a stress response because of an unmet need,I would then shout, get angry and become stressed, slam a door and display allthe wrong behaviors.Carl Draper: And dothe wrong thing. And then after a while you realize that I'm teaching him howto respond in these situations. So then he would slam a door shout and getangry. And I had, it's not a light bulb moment, but there was certainly amoment where I just thought, that's me. He's not listening to what I say, buthe's [00:04:00] mirroring what I do.Carl Draper: Werealized that we needed to change our parenting behaviors and styles and getsome education. Yes, those differences with the autism and the A DHD, but a lotof it was based on how we reacted to Bodhi. When he had an unmet need. Sonumber one, I had to learn to regulate my own emotions.Carl Draper: Now,learning to hear a child who doesn't speak is the easiest thing I've everlearned to do, and he was totally silent until seven. Learning to regulate myown emotions is by far the hardest thing I've ever tried to do, but we aregetting there and we are now seeing the results. So for every night, for nearlya year.Carl Draper: Atbedtime, I had to take Frank German shepherd. out the house and go and sit inthe car until Charlie settled him down to bed. And during that time, you'relearning to regulate your own emotions. You're learning new parenting styles,new behaviors. You're changing the way [00:05:00]you are. The way you see, the way you think.Carl Draper: Learningto put, his needs first. But you do still get other challenging behaviors or astress response, which can cause embarrassment. So for example, he might dothat in a shop. You know, some people call it a meltdown and a lot of times Iused to get embarrassed 'cause I was aware that people were watching.Carl Draper: Duringthe summertime we went to a superstore Very hot day. So we didn't take Frank,it was too hot to take. Frank. We went to this superstore and going to a shopwith Bodhi is very difficult. I dunno if you've ever seen supermarket sweep,Carl Draper: He wantseverything at everything times 10. So he went to this shop and he had afixation at the time over bottles of water. Dunno why he's been through thesame with pick and mix sweets. He'll always have a pick and mix tub of sweets,but never eats them. He just wants to look at them and touch them.Carl Draper: He isnever eaten one. But this occasion we [00:06:00]got to the checkout and he wanted a bottle of water from next to the counterand, the car was full of bottles of water. The house was full of bottles ofwater. Every time we went to the shop, he wanted a bottle of water. So Idecided on this day that I was gonna stand my ground and say no, because atsome point we, need to teach him boundaries and that you can't always have whatyou want.Carl Draper: Ratherthan he is going to sort of have a meltdown get him a bottle of water for aneasy exit. So he, he had a full on stress response and it ended up on thefloor. I sat on the floor with him and I was now doing the right behaviors. Iwas...

In this week's episode of The Autism Mums Podcast we're talking about something that many families find really tough, the Christmas season. It's a time that's meant to feel magical, but for many of our autistic children, it can actually be really overwhelming, unpredictable, and stressful.Key TakeawaysUnderstanding Christmas Overwhelm: Many autistic children find the Christmas season stressful due to changes in routine and expectations.Addressing Pre-Christmas Challenges: Difficulties can arise well before Christmas Day, with alterations in school activities and the build-up of holiday expectations.Communication and Preparation: Clear communication about what to expect can help reduce anxiety in children. Discussing plans with them beforehand is crucial.Adjusting Traditions: Families may wish to consider adapting their traditions to better suit their child's needs, such as avoiding large gatherings or adjusting meal times.Managing Social Expectations: The pressure to participate in Christmas events, such as school plays and gatherings, can cause significant distress for neurodivergent children.Sensory Sensitivities: Decorations and festive environments can be overwhelming, emphasising the need for a personalised approach to celebrations.Flexibility on Christmas Day: It can be helpful to allow for breaks and personal space on Christmas Day, adapting activities to match children's comfort levels.Creating a Supportive Environment: Setting up a calm and understanding atmosphere at home can make the season more enjoyable for neurodivergent family members.Encouraging Open Dialogue: Encouraging children to express their needs, such as using visual aids to communicate comfort levels, can help.Finding Joy in Simplicity: Embracing a less traditional Christmas that meets individual family needs can be just as fulfilling as adhering to societal expectations.Connect with The Autism MumsWebsite – https://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theautismmumsTranscriptVictoriaBennion: [00:00:00] Todaywe're talking about something that many families find really tough.It's the Christmas season. It's a time that's meant to feel magical,but for many of our autistic children, it can actually be reallyoverwhelming, unpredictable, and stressful.NatalieTealdi: We're gonna talk through some of the commonchallenges that come long before Christmas Day. What happens on theday itself, and what we've learned works for our families. Hopefullyit helps you feel a little more understood and a little moresupported this year.VictoriaBennion: For many of our children, the struggles start waybefore Christmas day when everything starts to change. Routines aredifferent expectations, the look and the feel of a school. For one ofmy children, these struggles were really apparent from preschool ageand they had a lot of trauma to work through in subsequent years of,it sounds awful, doesn't it?But the trauma from Christmas,from doing Christmas at school every year.NatalieTealdi: I know it's something that you think will bereally fun and I know that's where it comes from. It comes from a[00:01:00] place of yeah, let's be a bitmore relaxed and make it really fun for the kids in a build up toChristmas. But actually for some children it's just horrific.VictoriaBennion: Absolutely. And for some it is fun. I think worthacknowledging that, but for our children, it's really not fun. Iremember there was an instance we went into school and they werecompletely off timetable and. He was having so much anxiety. And Isaid to the TA on the door, can you tell him what to expect from theday? What have you got planned? And she said, oh, you know, lots offun things. And I thought we might as well just go back to the carright now. He was horrified.NatalieTealdi: Yeah. It's that not knowing what's happening,isn't it? And everything being different and looking different.VictoriaBennion: The decorations there was one year the PTA didthis lovely winter wonderland outside the school and it was asurprise to the children as they came in and we walked up thepavement and there's all these oohs and ahs and there was a snowmachine and people dressed [00:02:00] upand my son was completely white. Really, really anxious. I think hemade it into school, but he couldn't speak. He was just absolutelyhorrified by it.NatalieTealdi: Yeah, what used to upset my son was the Christmasjumper days, so not wearing a school uniform that really upset himbecause, you know, when we go to school we wear uniform and that'sjust how it is and well, why are they changing it? And that createsanxiety and uncertainty and it is things that are supposed to be funand that are fun for a lot of people, but not others.VictoriaBennion: Yeah, and actually when, I didn't know back thenthat. Change had such an impact. That was in my oblivious era. Butactually when you think about it, there's so much change, isn'tthere? Another pressure that I know my son felt was the Christmasplays every year, and that's when I noticed it at preschool. It wasthe first play and all the family were coming in. It was gonna be inthe village hall, and. I know my timekeeping [00:03:00]isn't always the most amazing, NatalieTealdi: No comment. VictoriaBennion: No come on. We were. We were not early, put itthat way. We were not early. But the reason we went early was becausehe kept taking off his shepherd's costume. I kept putting it back on.He kept taking it off and in the end I took him to the village halland took him to the room where all the children were and handed themthe costume. And I said, I can't. Get him to wear it. It wasn't thathe protested really loudly, he just kept taking it off. Looking back,I feel so bad about that, that whole event, but I remember taking myplace in the audience.Were you there? Did you come?No, He must have been working.So it was the wider family and, he was holding onto one of thepreschool workers' hands. She was lovely with him and he was wearinghis costume and they led them round and they sat up on the stage andI watched him just sit on the stage frozen. He didn't join in. He wassupposed to do a dance. He didn't get up and do the [00:04:00]dance and. I've just felt so awful for him. And in later years when Iknew that how much of a struggle that was for him, I looked back witheven more horror that he'd had to go through that. In fact, one ofthe mums had a recording of it that I saw a couple of years ago, andwatching it back, I actually had to leave.It was from a good place, butlooking at, oh, how cute are they? And all I could see was. Just theterror. The terror in his face, and then the guilt that he'd gonethrough that and I hadn't known.NatalieTealdi: I think when you know, years later, things lookvery different in their. I know I've looked back at videos andthought, oh my gosh, he's really struggling there, and I had no ideaat the time. I didn't understand. VictoriaBennion: Yeah. NatalieTealdi: But also I think with those plays, it's somethingthat you really look forward to as a mom and a parent.Like just seeing them all cuteand dressed up. And it's something that you really look forward toseeing, isn't it? And I don't think [00:05:00]we've ever had a successful oneVictoriaBennion: No.NatalieTealdi: with either of mine.VictoriaBennion: No, I don't. I'm not sure that we have two. Ithink the one in reception, I seem to remember they dressed up asanimals and that. Was the only one that he participated in. Therewasn't a stage, so maybe that was why. But they were down on thefloor just in front of us and I

In this week's episode of The Autism Mums Podcast we welcome Karen Mason to the show.BiographyKaren Mason grew up in Hertfordshire with five brothers and built a 35-year career with Bourne Leisure, one of the UK’s leading holiday park operators. Alongside her professional journey, she supported three neurodivergent family members and cared for her father through dementia. These personal experiences highlighted the lack of support for neurodivergent families in holiday parks. Driven to make a difference, Karen founded My Safe Place, combining her industry expertise with her passion for inclusion. Her mission is to create safe, welcoming environments for all families to enjoy accessible and stress-free holidays.Key TakeawaysUnderstanding Personal Experiences: Karen Mason's journey emphasises the importance of personal experiences in shaping her understanding of neurodivergent needs and challenges.The Importance of Inclusion: Karen's mission with My Safe Place focuses on creating inclusive environments that cater specifically to the needs of neurodivergent families.Recognising the Need for Support: The lack of support for neurodivergent families in holiday settings highlights a significant gap in accessibility and understanding within the hospitality industry.Creating Safe Spaces: Karen's work is dedicated to fostering safe, welcoming spaces that allow families to enjoy stress-free holidays together.Industry Expertise Meets Compassion: Karen combines her professional background in the holiday sector with her passion for inclusion, showcasing how expertise can drive meaningful change.Mentioned in This Episodewww.mysafeplacesouthern.co.ukConnect with KarenEmail: karen@mysafeplacesouthern.co.ukFacebook: @mysafeplacesouthernInstagram: @mysafeplacesouthernukConnect with The Autism MumsWebsite – https://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theautismmumsFollow us on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@theautismmumsTranscriptCreating Inclusive Holidays for Neurodivergent Families with Karen MasonVictoria Bennion: [00:00:00] Welcome to the podcast. Karen,Karen Mason: Thanks.Victoria Bennion: could you start by talking us through your journey to starting my safe place please?Karen Mason: Yeah, sure. So I've actually worked in the park industry, holiday parks for over 35 years now, and worked in various roles operationally, managing parks, all sort of jobs. I decided about 18 months ago after an episode supporting my brother and his neurodivergent children that I wanted to pivot where I was in the business and help and encourage parks to become more inclusive when it came to neurodivergent guests.So I literally stopped what I was doing and. Spent now researching, talking to lots of families, working with local charities, and my Safe place evolved. And here we are. We're to ready to [00:01:00] go.Natalie Tealdi: Oh, that's brilliant. Excellent. I understand you pivoted overnight. Your business was it the experience with your nephew that was the catalyst for that?Karen Mason: Absolutely. So my brother has three neurodivergent children that I've helped support over the years and the stress of that situation actually led to my brother being admitted to hospital 18 months ago. So I stepped in to help support the family in many different ways. And it was a conversation one day with my brother where I was saying, look you guys.Need a holiday break. He just looked at me in disbelief, said where are we gonna go? Nowhere is geared up for us and we've tried to have two breaks on holiday parks and it failed and it was really stressful. And I just had a light bulb moment because I work in that industry and why hadn't I, it was so true that there isn't [00:02:00] accommodation that's safe and secure for neurodivergent families. There's no provision in terms of staff training, sensory areas, and I went to bed and I woke up the next day and I said to my husband, I'm setting up a new business and it's called My Safe Place, and this is what we're doing.Natalie Tealdi: how brilliant. Yeah, I can talk from my experience really. 'cause we used to have a caravan of our own and we. He took our son, I think only a handful of times, but every time was really difficult. I think he got overexcited and it just ended up being a really stressful experience for us. And I think you've really tapped into a gap there because if they were better set up, then there'd be places to go when they're dysregulated and just having that more supportive environment, you don't feel like such an outsider.Karen Mason: Absolutely. I've heard from so many families now I didn't realize it was such a problem actually to get [00:03:00] away. It evolved because originally I thought, okay, what can we do? Can we maybe just look at encouraging parks to maybe have a sensory room on site, and then you go one step further and think actually that's not enough.The main feedback I had from families was accommodation that wasn't safe. They were worried about. Damage to the property. Various other things. So because I've helped design a lot of park homes in my career and I've got a strong connection with the manufacturers, I was able to go and sit with them and design a diverse, friendly unit.Natalie Tealdi: Brilliant.Victoria Bennion: Yeah, could you talk to us about what that looks like?Karen Mason: Okay, so it's still slightly under wraps a little bit at the moment. However it's say the heart of it really was based around safety. So I know a lot of the parents were saying the caravan doors and windows were not lockable, and so they. [00:04:00] Children were trying to escape. That was a big issue.Things like in the kitchen, having safety door locks, the magnetic locks on the units. And we've also designed in things like robust furniture. With rounded edges. We've got flooring that's stain resistant. So all the things that as a mother, you'd be panicking a little bit about,Natalie Tealdi: Yeah.Karen Mason: The safety.And then we are going to be having, bedroom will be a purely sensory bedroom. So we'll have a safe bed in there and we'll have, a unit and various other items so that if the child is, needing to regulate you don't have to actually leave the accommodation, you can. You can just relax. And one of the main things I wanted was for the master bedroom and en suite to feel [00:05:00] comfortable and luxurious because let's face it, as parents, you need a break. You need to feel like you're at a holiday. So I didn't wanna design the unit so it looked like an accessible unit or clinical.It still would very much suit. Young children because it's got a lot of safety measures.Natalie Tealdi: SoundsVictoria Bennion: I think it's, yeah. It's great that you've actually spoken to families and you've used that to inform the changes. 'cause they. Sound so well thought out.Karen Mason: Yeah. I was really lucky as well to have worked with local charity, diverse abilities. They've been incredible. We spent some time with them talking to the staff. We actually did a photo shoot with them for our new website. So the feedback was great.It's difficult, 'cause one size doesn't fit all. 'cause as you'll be aware, each child is so different. But I just wanted. To have some provision. 'cause something's better than nothing at all. So even if a [00:06:00] park doesn't have all of the provisions that I would like, if they maybe didn't have the accommodation but had the sensory room or a sensory garden and we did some staff training, that would be music to my ears.Natalie Tealdi: Yeah. I think a big part of it is building that awareness, isn't it, as well, and the training's such a big part of that.Karen Mason: Yeah, I'm actually working with a training provider who specializes in activities for neurodivergent children. Because again, on some of the larger sites where they have entertainments and activities we decided the training we needed.Introduction to neuro diversity for seasonal staff and part-timers. Then we'd have training activity team leaders, management, and we would like them to have a site ambassador who is responsible for [00:07:00] overseeing all of the above. And if they tick those boxes that we then would benchmark them. Be part of our accreditation scheme that we'd like to roll out.Natalie Tealdi: Brilliant.Victoria Bennion: Yeah. Fantastic.Natalie Tealdi: And you mentioned your modular sensory garden rooms. Could you tell us more about that Karen Mason: so in the early days, because my husband is from a background of construction we. wanted to build sensory rooms for people at...