Transcript - Episode One

Welcome to SEND Parenting Podcast Trailer

Please excuse any errors as this transcript has been automatically generated

Dr. Olivia Kessel

Welcome to the very first episode of the Send Parenting Podcast, focused on supporting and empowering parents and their Neurodiverse children. I'm your Neurodiverse host, Dr. Olivia Kessel. I was diagnosed with dyslexia in university and I can tell you I wish I had been diagnosed much earlier. It would've explained a lot of the issues I was having in school. This podcast though, was really inspired by my daughter, Alexandra. She was diagnosed with an MRI scan at nine months after having had in encephalitis from a viral infection at nine weeks while we were living in Africa. She's also more recently been diagnosed with dyslexia like mother, like daughter, and in fact, my father has dyslexia as well. I know, speaking for myself, that it can feel very lonely.  I often struggle to find the right information, the right resources for my daughter.

A lot of my friends and their children weren't neurodiverse and they weren't experiencing what I was experiencing, and so the impetus of creating this podcast is really I would like to support other parents who have neurodiverse children on their journey so that it doesn't feel so monumentous and that we're all in it together helping and supporting each other one step at a time, whether your child already has a diagnosis of neurodiversity, whether that be autism, whether that be ADHD, whether that be dyslexia or a rare condition, or whether they haven't been diagnosed yet and maybe you suspect or, um, you're on the journey to getting assessments, this is the podcast for you.

I want you to join the Send Parenting . Please hit subscribe because weekly I will be bringing you the experts into your living room or on your walk or as you're dropping your kids off to school or on the way home. We'll bring together the experts in education, the experts in legal advice for what your rights are, which assessments should you get, who are the right assessors. We will also speak to subject matter experts for each of the Neurodiverse diagnosis, looking at criteria for diagnosis and then how to navigate life after that diagnosis. Most importantly though, we will have other parents on the podcast sharing their journey with their Neurodiverse children to empower and support you on yours. I know that that's been really key for me in terms of connecting with people who have gone on the same journey and who have realized that their children are different and they're maybe not normal, but they have superpowers and that we as their parents are there to nurture and develop them and really, I think, you know, based maybe somewhat in my medical background as well, but I really firmly believe knowledge is power and we don't have to reinvent the wheel.

If we can share our knowledge and share the knowledge of experts, we can really empower our children to reach their full potential. Every week, I will discuss with you strategies, tools, and resources so that you can be empowered to help your child reach their full potential. We all know we have to be warriors for our children. We have to be their champions in the school systems. It really is reliant upon us as their parent. But most importantly, I'm also here and this podcast is here for you. You're not alone. We're in this together. The ups and the downs, the happy times and the sad times, the times where you don't know how you are going to go on. I want be here for you at Send Parenting. I would love to hear from you and learn more about what questions and topics are important to you and what you'd like to learn more about so that I can help support you on your Send Parenting Journey.

 Please reach out via email feedback@sendparenting.com or visit the website www.sendparenting.com. I will dedicate a section of the podcast weekly to address any questions that you have, and if there's a particular topic you want to be explored, we can dedicate an entire podcast to that subject. This is about us joining together as a tribe, as a community, and making sure that our children get the best opportunities in life so that they can reach their full potential. If you haven't done so already, please hit the subscribe button so you can make sure to join US Weekly as part of the Send Parenting Community. Until next week, goodbye and wishing you and your children a great week ahead.