WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:13.000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:16.969 --> 00:00:19.552 (somber music) 4 00:00:21.157 --> 00:00:23.375 (crew murmuring) 5 00:00:23.375 --> 00:00:26.125 (mouse clicking) 6 00:00:28.764 --> 00:00:31.931 (contemplative music) 7 00:00:39.385 --> 00:00:43.385 (contemplative music continues) 8 00:00:47.322 --> 00:00:49.537 (horns honking) 9 00:00:49.537 --> 00:00:50.557 (door shuts) 10 00:00:50.557 --> 00:00:53.640 (jackhammer rattles) 11 00:00:54.678 --> 00:00:58.428 (contemplative music builds) 12 00:01:02.573 --> 00:01:03.661 (train whirring) 13 00:01:03.661 --> 00:01:04.681 (sticks tapping) 14 00:01:04.681 --> 00:01:07.431 (gears whirring) 15 00:01:12.390 --> 00:01:14.880 - As an autistic person who commonly struggles 16 00:01:14.880 --> 00:01:18.240 with sensory challenges, I understand the importance 17 00:01:18.240 --> 00:01:20.403 of inclusive environments. 18 00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:26.220 Leaving the house is a lot to deal with. 19 00:01:26.220 --> 00:01:27.770 There's a lot of sensory input. 20 00:01:29.160 --> 00:01:31.650 I try to teach doctors the understanding 21 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:35.520 that our own biases play a huge role 22 00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:39.063 in how we interact with patients with sensory issues. 23 00:01:40.830 --> 00:01:43.650 - [Lola] When you have sensory-inclusive spaces, 24 00:01:43.650 --> 00:01:45.903 things are better for everyone. 25 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.670 - I believe there is a paradigm shift happening 26 00:01:50.670 --> 00:01:53.850 around our sensory health 27 00:01:53.850 --> 00:01:56.640 and I would love our low sensory spaces 28 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:00.240 to be more mainstream. 29 00:02:00.240 --> 00:02:03.360 - The world is slow to change, we all know that. 30 00:02:03.360 --> 00:02:06.090 But it's important for us to start a conversation 31 00:02:06.090 --> 00:02:08.523 and that's why advocacy is so important. 32 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:13.990 - I hope that people see families like mine 33 00:02:14.970 --> 00:02:18.423 as not some societal problem to fix. 34 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:24.810 We just wanna be seen and not gawked at or stared at. 35 00:02:24.810 --> 00:02:26.860 It's just a different way of being human. 36 00:02:28.050 --> 00:02:30.420 This world affects people different ways 37 00:02:30.420 --> 00:02:34.560 and I think knowledge is power. 38 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.170 Once you have the knowledge, 39 00:02:37.170 --> 00:02:39.370 then you could maneuver the way you want to. 40 00:02:46.393 --> 00:02:49.520 (contemplative music ends) 41 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.353 (microwave beeps) 42 00:02:55.769 --> 00:02:56.760 [Mom] Fela, do you want an apple 43 00:02:56.760 --> 00:02:58.590 or something to tie you over too or are you good? 44 00:02:58.590 --> 00:03:00.288 No, I'm good. 45 00:03:00.288 --> 00:03:01.121 Okay. 46 00:03:02.658 --> 00:03:03.575 Here we go. 47 00:03:04.490 --> 00:03:05.793 Do you want more water? 48 00:03:07.109 --> 00:03:08.100 All done done. 49 00:03:08.100 --> 00:03:08.933 All done done? 50 00:03:08.933 --> 00:03:09.766 You want milk? Juice? 51 00:03:12.370 --> 00:03:13.203 Fruit juice. 52 00:03:13.203 --> 00:03:15.900 Juice? Okay, I'll get you some juice. 53 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:20.443 My name is Lola Dada-Olley, I'm a mom, a wife, 54 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:23.973 an attorney, an advocate. 55 00:03:26.040 --> 00:03:28.680 My husband, Tosan, and I have been really blessed 56 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:30.273 to have two children. 57 00:03:32.419 --> 00:03:33.330 Take your salad, go back to the table. 58 00:03:33.330 --> 00:03:36.254 My daughter's autistic, my son's autistic. 59 00:03:36.254 --> 00:03:37.646 Come on, come on. 60 00:03:37.646 --> 00:03:38.729 Breathe, one. 61 00:03:40.081 --> 00:03:42.998 Two, two, three, four, five, six. 62 00:03:44.704 --> 00:03:46.860 - [Tosan] Okay, calm down, go, let's go again. 63 00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:49.110 [Lola] Alero is 11. 64 00:03:49.110 --> 00:03:49.943 [Tosan] Look. 65 00:03:52.200 --> 00:03:55.563 - She's what people would categorize as minimally speaking. 66 00:03:56.428 --> 00:03:57.445 - Go ahead. - I don't think 67 00:03:57.445 --> 00:03:58.443 she has fries in there. 68 00:03:58.443 --> 00:03:59.807 I think, water, okay. 69 00:03:59.807 --> 00:04:02.724 (Alero vocalizing) 70 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.983 But we call it minimally speaking, maximum opinionated. 71 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:11.203 [Tosan] Yummy? 72 00:04:11.203 --> 00:04:12.310 (Alero giggling) You got what you wanted? 73 00:04:15.030 --> 00:04:17.253 Then we have my son, Fela. 74 00:04:19.170 --> 00:04:21.663 He thinks he's 30, but he's 13 years old. 75 00:04:22.588 --> 00:04:25.200 Another burger bun, you need some? 76 00:04:25.200 --> 00:04:28.800 And he is very much highly verbal. 77 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:32.253 He, in school, is classified as gifted and talented. 78 00:04:34.590 --> 00:04:37.410 So we are balancing quite a bit 79 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:40.323 as we raise a pre-teen and teen. 80 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:46.233 Fela and Alero's diagnoses were one year apart. 81 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:50.823 They got the diagnosis and that was life changing. 82 00:04:52.469 --> 00:04:55.800 (sighs) And to now know you have two babies 83 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:57.870 on the autism spectrum and not knowing 84 00:04:57.870 --> 00:04:59.433 what the future can hold. 85 00:05:01.200 --> 00:05:03.360 I remember those early days being filled 86 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:06.510 with fear and deep concern. 87 00:05:06.510 --> 00:05:08.250 I'll do the back and sides first. 88 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:10.480 There's an aunt that I told this story to 89 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:16.110 and I cried 'cause I remembered the moment 90 00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:17.490 of all those things that happened 91 00:05:17.490 --> 00:05:20.343 and she let me, you know, do that Oprah, ugly cry. 92 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:24.180 And she looked at me and she held my hand 93 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:26.820 and she said, "I know you've been through a lot, 94 00:05:26.820 --> 00:05:30.030 but I think it's time to act like you went 95 00:05:30.030 --> 00:05:32.517 to the store and you bought it." 96 00:05:34.981 --> 00:05:39.210 And I sat back and it changed a lot. 97 00:05:39.210 --> 00:05:42.180 I stopped looking at it like something that happened to me. 98 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:45.780 I started looking at it like, okay, if I literally went 99 00:05:45.780 --> 00:05:49.603 to the store and I bought this life, how would it look? 100 00:05:49.603 --> 00:05:52.560 (upbeat music) 101 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:53.864 So which one? 102 00:05:53.864 --> 00:05:54.697 (Alero vocalizing) 103 00:05:54.697 --> 00:05:56.210 Want the black one? 104 00:05:56.210 --> 00:05:57.107 (Alero vocalizing) 105 00:05:57.107 --> 00:05:58.350 You're in your goth period? 106 00:05:58.350 --> 00:06:00.723 Okay, that's fine. We'll do black. 107 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:05.610 My brother, Kunle, he's on the spectrum too. 108 00:06:05.610 --> 00:06:07.740 This is back in the day when people referred 109 00:06:07.740 --> 00:06:10.110 to intellectual disability as the R-word, 110 00:06:10.110 --> 00:06:11.973 which I will not say. 111 00:06:12.930 --> 00:06:15.600 When you think about the type of resources 112 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.060 that did not exist in the eighties and nineties 113 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:22.443 versus what exists now, I wish my brother had that. 114 00:06:23.280 --> 00:06:26.700 And that also fuels me with my children 115 00:06:26.700 --> 00:06:29.580 because my daughter will require lifetime care. 116 00:06:29.580 --> 00:06:31.180 Mommy's turn, then Alero's turn. 117 00:06:34.588 --> 00:06:39.009 ♪ Ally-Olley doin' the big ♪ 118 00:06:39.009 --> 00:06:42.870 ♪ She's doing the big with her teeth brush ♪ 119 00:06:42.870 --> 00:06:45.510 I'm constantly thinking about the 18-year-old version, 120 00:06:45.510 --> 00:06:48.720 25-year-old version, 30-year-old version of them. 121 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:53.720 And I want to have as many neuro-inclusive experiences 122 00:06:54.060 --> 00:06:55.593 in their life as possible. 123 00:06:59.400 --> 00:07:01.110 I'm Virginia Spielmann. 124 00:07:01.110 --> 00:07:03.993 I'm a British-trained occupational therapist. 125 00:07:04.920 --> 00:07:07.920 I'm at the STAR Institute, a global center 126 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:11.643 for research into sensory integration and processing. 127 00:07:12.990 --> 00:07:15.406 We all have sensory sensitivities, 128 00:07:15.406 --> 00:07:16.650 (horn honking) but when we talk 129 00:07:16.650 --> 00:07:18.390 about sensory integration and processing, 130 00:07:18.390 --> 00:07:21.990 we're trying to understand part of that population of people 131 00:07:21.990 --> 00:07:25.020 who have sensory processing differences. 132 00:07:25.020 --> 00:07:28.440 There's a wide range of the ways people process 133 00:07:28.440 --> 00:07:31.290 and experience the world in their brains and bodies. 134 00:07:31.290 --> 00:07:33.630 And they have different enough ways 135 00:07:33.630 --> 00:07:35.490 of experiencing the world. 136 00:07:35.490 --> 00:07:40.470 They have different needs and contribute beautiful, 137 00:07:40.470 --> 00:07:44.760 diverse thoughts and ways of being. 138 00:07:44.760 --> 00:07:46.440 We really want to have a narrative 139 00:07:46.440 --> 00:07:49.410 around neurodevelopmental differences 140 00:07:49.410 --> 00:07:53.340 that recognizes the strengths, 141 00:07:53.340 --> 00:07:57.483 allows for pride, and recognizes the disabilities. 142 00:07:58.740 --> 00:08:01.083 But it's still a work in progress. 143 00:08:07.260 --> 00:08:08.093 My name is Spike Lee. 144 00:08:08.093 --> 00:08:10.170 I'm a filmmaker from the Peoples' Republic 145 00:08:10.170 --> 00:08:12.273 of Brooklyn, New York, Fort Greene. 146 00:08:13.590 --> 00:08:14.760 See, I grew up in the mid-sixties. 147 00:08:14.760 --> 00:08:16.983 It's a whole different world, you know. 148 00:08:18.553 --> 00:08:21.240 Growing up I didn't know what I had. 149 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:23.730 I never knew the words or terminology, 150 00:08:23.730 --> 00:08:27.280 it's like, I just get stuff mixed up and that was it. 151 00:08:27.280 --> 00:08:32.280 So it wasn't until my son got diagnosed with dyslexia 152 00:08:32.310 --> 00:08:34.593 that I had the right term. 153 00:08:35.610 --> 00:08:39.310 I just know that there's something in your brain 154 00:08:40.380 --> 00:08:42.843 that's different and different is great. 155 00:08:43.890 --> 00:08:46.323 And now I understand myself much more. 156 00:08:47.610 --> 00:08:49.757 So looking back, I think that's, to me, 157 00:08:49.757 --> 00:08:51.543 that's one of my superpowers. 158 00:08:53.004 --> 00:08:55.671 (calming music) 159 00:08:58.113 --> 00:09:01.363 (tea kettle whistling) 160 00:09:03.510 --> 00:09:04.343 I'm Burnett. 161 00:09:06.060 --> 00:09:11.060 I'm agender, non-binary, autistic, neurodivergent person. 162 00:09:14.010 --> 00:09:18.750 Well I describe myself as introverted 163 00:09:18.750 --> 00:09:20.433 and attention hyperactive. 164 00:09:23.520 --> 00:09:26.613 My whole childhood was hard. It was really hard. 165 00:09:29.730 --> 00:09:32.180 I have tried to explain saying that I'm autistic, 166 00:09:33.030 --> 00:09:35.480 but the doctors weren't listening to what I said. 167 00:09:39.947 --> 00:09:43.032 I have a feeling my mom was suspected that I was autistic, 168 00:09:43.032 --> 00:09:46.350 but it's also possible she didn't know about it back then, 169 00:09:46.350 --> 00:09:48.033 like, in the nineties and stuff. 170 00:09:51.095 --> 00:09:52.770 I never felt like I could do anything. 171 00:09:52.770 --> 00:09:53.940 I was just struggling for a long time 172 00:09:53.940 --> 00:09:56.280 to perform as a normal child, 173 00:09:56.280 --> 00:10:00.003 which is very much artificially constructed. 174 00:10:05.160 --> 00:10:07.683 Bernard is my twin sibling, right in the goal. 175 00:10:08.520 --> 00:10:11.320 We both had struggles with sensory challenges for years. 176 00:10:12.930 --> 00:10:15.270 We often go places together. 177 00:10:15.270 --> 00:10:18.180 It feels just safer and it makes things easier. 178 00:10:18.180 --> 00:10:21.030 Also, we seem to use less energy that way, 179 00:10:21.030 --> 00:10:22.930 and going out is so exhausting anyway. 180 00:10:24.570 --> 00:10:28.050 There's just a lot of sensory inputs, just a lot of stuff, 181 00:10:28.050 --> 00:10:32.670 and I'm always processing it, so I usually wear gloves 182 00:10:32.670 --> 00:10:36.903 and sunglasses just to make it easier to deal with. 183 00:10:42.150 --> 00:10:44.640 You've got your classical five systems 184 00:10:44.640 --> 00:10:48.420 of taste, touch, smell, sound, and sight. 185 00:10:48.420 --> 00:10:51.240 And then you've also got, in your inner ear, 186 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:54.990 a really cool piece of apparatus that tells you 187 00:10:54.990 --> 00:10:57.450 about motion. 188 00:10:57.450 --> 00:11:00.870 There's also my proprioceptive sense, 189 00:11:00.870 --> 00:11:04.230 which is about the force I'm using, 190 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:07.890 how fast or slow my muscles are contracting. 191 00:11:07.890 --> 00:11:10.260 And then there's all of our internal sense 192 00:11:10.260 --> 00:11:15.000 of what's going on in our body, which is interoception. 193 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:19.530 These systems within systems within systems 194 00:11:19.530 --> 00:11:23.733 all work together to give us our big picture of the world. 195 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:30.710 And as I am filled with sound, and sight, and smell, 196 00:11:31.170 --> 00:11:34.170 and so on, there is a threshold 197 00:11:34.170 --> 00:11:39.170 beyond which I'm processing more information 198 00:11:39.330 --> 00:11:43.320 than I can keep up with and my body starts 199 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:46.440 to find it difficult to detect threat, 200 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:49.110 so I'm gonna become even more overwhelmed 201 00:11:49.110 --> 00:11:51.390 as I become hypervigilant. 202 00:11:51.390 --> 00:11:55.443 It can result in lots of states of dysregulation. 203 00:11:58.260 --> 00:12:02.370 - It's the sensory input that's all unpredictable, 204 00:12:02.370 --> 00:12:03.963 which is all of it. 205 00:12:03.963 --> 00:12:04.830 (receipt printer clicking) 206 00:12:04.830 --> 00:12:06.813 The varying levels of voices, 207 00:12:09.210 --> 00:12:13.067 clattering of utensils, and people walking. 208 00:12:13.067 --> 00:12:14.730 (dishes clattering) 209 00:12:14.730 --> 00:12:16.200 But then also all 210 00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:18.128 of the movement. (bell dings) 211 00:12:18.128 --> 00:12:21.060 (meat sizzles) 212 00:12:21.060 --> 00:12:22.860 Makes it hard to have conversations. 213 00:12:25.110 --> 00:12:28.560 Sometimes voices sound very garbled or crackly. 214 00:12:28.560 --> 00:12:30.180 So if there's a lot of noise around, 215 00:12:30.180 --> 00:12:32.513 it's hard for me to understand what people are saying. 216 00:12:33.690 --> 00:12:35.430 Loops really help. 217 00:12:35.430 --> 00:12:37.230 They're kinda like earbuds. 218 00:12:37.230 --> 00:12:39.450 You put them in, but they have a filter. 219 00:12:39.450 --> 00:12:41.700 You can adjust sound levels and they tend 220 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:43.560 to block out a lot of noises 221 00:12:43.560 --> 00:12:45.663 and make people's voices easier to hear. 222 00:12:47.670 --> 00:12:50.880 As a person who struggles with sensory challenges, 223 00:12:50.880 --> 00:12:52.350 I understand there aren't 224 00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:54.303 enough sensory inclusive environments. 225 00:12:56.160 --> 00:12:58.953 - I believe there is a paradigm shift happening. 226 00:13:00.060 --> 00:13:04.560 We are seeing lots of different groups of people 227 00:13:04.560 --> 00:13:07.350 come to the same conclusion that what 228 00:13:07.350 --> 00:13:11.340 has been happening before cannot happen anymore. 229 00:13:11.340 --> 00:13:14.760 The narrative needs to move 230 00:13:14.760 --> 00:13:19.760 from sensory inclusive spaces being the exception 231 00:13:19.890 --> 00:13:21.603 to them being the norm. 232 00:13:23.029 --> 00:13:25.779 (birds chirping) 233 00:13:27.944 --> 00:13:31.444 (coffee machine whirring) 234 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.062 [Dr. Dent] Here's your coffee, love. 235 00:13:42.062 --> 00:13:42.895 Thank you! 236 00:13:42.895 --> 00:13:44.760 - [Dr. Dent] Welcome. Y'all have a great day. 237 00:13:44.760 --> 00:13:45.780 Thank you, you too. 238 00:13:45.780 --> 00:13:47.193 See y'all this afternoon. 239 00:13:49.641 --> 00:13:52.308 (calming music) 240 00:13:57.210 --> 00:14:00.390 How's the things at home been? Brushing's been good? 241 00:14:00.390 --> 00:14:01.650 You said she's losing some teeth? 242 00:14:01.650 --> 00:14:04.290 She's losing her molars, her back teeth. 243 00:14:04.290 --> 00:14:05.123 Are you ready? 244 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:07.560 [Molly] What you wanna do? 245 00:14:07.560 --> 00:14:10.170 You wanna brush 'em or you wanna play? 246 00:14:10.170 --> 00:14:11.760 You wanna brush? 247 00:14:11.760 --> 00:14:14.433 Well, get your blanket. Get your blanket. 248 00:14:15.568 --> 00:14:17.901 (skin pats) 249 00:14:20.430 --> 00:14:23.676 You're velcroed to the table, the floor. 250 00:14:23.676 --> 00:14:25.320 All right. Molly, can I have that tray, please? 251 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:26.250 [Molly] Sure. 252 00:14:26.250 --> 00:14:28.383 Thanks. All right. 253 00:14:29.396 --> 00:14:30.229 (Molly laughs) 254 00:14:30.229 --> 00:14:31.260 Let's see. 255 00:14:31.260 --> 00:14:34.110 Let's see how good of a job we're doing here, kiddo. 256 00:14:34.110 --> 00:14:37.410 My name is Jacob Dent. I am a general dentist. 257 00:14:37.410 --> 00:14:40.200 I've been practicing for the last 21 years 258 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:43.470 and I am a father of two 259 00:14:43.470 --> 00:14:46.920 and my son Ethan is on the autism spectrum. 260 00:14:46.920 --> 00:14:51.360 So my focus, most of my practice now, on neurodiverse 261 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:53.070 and neuro-sensitive populations. 262 00:14:53.070 --> 00:14:55.686 Yep, there's a wiggly one right there, mama. 263 00:14:55.686 --> 00:14:56.519 [Molly] Which one? 264 00:14:56.519 --> 00:14:58.222 Right there. 265 00:14:58.222 --> 00:14:59.055 [Molly] Okay. 266 00:14:59.055 --> 00:14:59.888 That one's, that's a baby tooth. 267 00:14:59.888 --> 00:15:00.900 - That one's coming out. - Is it? 268 00:15:00.900 --> 00:15:02.405 Yep. 269 00:15:02.405 --> 00:15:03.238 - And I kinda-- - Ethan didn't speak 270 00:15:03.238 --> 00:15:04.380 'til he was three. 271 00:15:04.380 --> 00:15:09.150 And so, you know, as a parent I was doing everything I could 272 00:15:09.150 --> 00:15:11.820 to not get that label. 273 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:14.130 I didn't want him to be autistic. 274 00:15:14.130 --> 00:15:15.873 I wanted him to be delayed. 275 00:15:17.520 --> 00:15:22.023 And, hindsight 20-20, you realize how ignorant that was. 276 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:28.680 But I always wanted to be able to teach Ethan the things 277 00:15:28.680 --> 00:15:31.533 that I think every young man should know, 278 00:15:32.370 --> 00:15:34.320 things that I was taught by my father. 279 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:38.280 And when we got the diagnosis, 280 00:15:38.280 --> 00:15:43.110 my biggest regret was I didn't think he was going 281 00:15:43.110 --> 00:15:44.493 to ever play sports. 282 00:15:46.140 --> 00:15:47.160 Wanna play next? 283 00:15:47.160 --> 00:15:47.993 Baseball. 284 00:15:47.993 --> 00:15:49.630 Baseball, all right, let's do it. 285 00:15:51.180 --> 00:15:54.450 And I don't know why, but that triggered me 286 00:15:54.450 --> 00:15:58.923 into a depression about how I looked at the diagnosis. 287 00:16:00.930 --> 00:16:03.030 Because in my mind, that took away something 288 00:16:03.030 --> 00:16:05.403 that I was hopeful for, for him. 289 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:10.620 He'll never drive a car, he's never gonna get married, 290 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:13.470 he's never going, and there was a lot of nevers 291 00:16:13.470 --> 00:16:15.450 that came through all of that. 292 00:16:15.450 --> 00:16:20.450 And again, it's not Ethan that's upset about it, it's me. 293 00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:23.610 What do you wanna play tomorrow? 294 00:16:23.610 --> 00:16:25.770 You're gonna finish up and dad cut the grass? 295 00:16:25.770 --> 00:16:27.720 I said, "Why me?" 296 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:31.437 You know, "Why did I get a child with autism?" 297 00:16:34.170 --> 00:16:35.823 And then they surprise you. 298 00:16:37.860 --> 00:16:42.860 His limitations are so much less than what I thought. 299 00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:47.853 I'm the biggest limiting factor for him. 300 00:16:51.900 --> 00:16:56.490 Until we got our diagnosis and until we started 301 00:16:56.490 --> 00:16:58.350 the personal journey with it, 302 00:16:58.350 --> 00:17:03.350 you realize how ignorant myself, as a doctor, 303 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:06.210 was to this population. 304 00:17:06.210 --> 00:17:09.150 In the beginning, we did find that we struggled a lot 305 00:17:09.150 --> 00:17:12.660 going to medical doctors because, you know, 306 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:14.610 as you went to a medical office, 307 00:17:14.610 --> 00:17:16.920 there's always a waiting room full of people, 308 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:20.943 loud noises and bright light, which is not sensory-friendly. 309 00:17:22.470 --> 00:17:25.050 For us, we started to realize that there's got 310 00:17:25.050 --> 00:17:27.420 to be an alternative way. 311 00:17:27.420 --> 00:17:30.330 We need more sensory-inclusive spaces 312 00:17:30.330 --> 00:17:32.643 because everyone deserves quality of care. 313 00:17:33.840 --> 00:17:37.530 And for someone with a sensory disability, they need 314 00:17:37.530 --> 00:17:40.430 that access to an environment that they're comfortable in. 315 00:17:44.130 --> 00:17:48.330 And so that's kinda really where my ramp 316 00:17:48.330 --> 00:17:50.100 as a professional came from. 317 00:17:50.100 --> 00:17:54.840 And, as the years have gone on, I actually converted half 318 00:17:54.840 --> 00:17:58.650 of my practice to be sensory-friendly. 319 00:17:58.650 --> 00:18:02.010 Because if you have a healthy mouth, 320 00:18:02.010 --> 00:18:03.690 you have a healthy body. 321 00:18:03.690 --> 00:18:07.890 People don't understand, when you start to lose your teeth 322 00:18:07.890 --> 00:18:10.830 and you start to decline because you don't 323 00:18:10.830 --> 00:18:13.800 get proper nutrition from chewing your food, 324 00:18:13.800 --> 00:18:16.953 then your life expectancy goes way down. 325 00:18:21.701 --> 00:18:23.760 - At the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing, 326 00:18:23.760 --> 00:18:26.940 our vision is for sensory health for the state, 327 00:18:26.940 --> 00:18:28.740 the nation, and the world. 328 00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:32.103 Universal design should be sensory design. 329 00:18:33.150 --> 00:18:36.930 When there's a ramp into the building, 330 00:18:36.930 --> 00:18:40.080 everyone can use the ramp, you know? 331 00:18:40.080 --> 00:18:44.913 And when the building accommodates sensory differences, 332 00:18:46.110 --> 00:18:49.593 you're gonna have more success, greater productivity, 333 00:18:50.850 --> 00:18:52.980 less burnout, less stress. 334 00:18:52.980 --> 00:18:55.080 When we don't deal with these differences 335 00:18:55.080 --> 00:18:59.280 as a community, the cost is exclusion. 336 00:18:59.280 --> 00:19:02.193 It's trauma every day, all day. 337 00:19:05.910 --> 00:19:07.350 Dr. Taylor, 338 00:19:07.350 --> 00:19:10.170 welcome to the "Not Your Mama's Autism" podcast. 339 00:19:10.170 --> 00:19:12.150 Thank you. I'm happy to be here. 340 00:19:12.150 --> 00:19:15.600 - From the start of your journey to the present day, 341 00:19:15.600 --> 00:19:19.200 can you tell us a little bit about trends you've seen, 342 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.900 maybe the way people look at autism, 343 00:19:21.900 --> 00:19:23.910 and developmental disabilities? 344 00:19:23.910 --> 00:19:26.850 Things have definitely changed overall. 345 00:19:26.850 --> 00:19:29.700 The research has definitely grown. 346 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:31.710 We understand a lot more 347 00:19:31.710 --> 00:19:35.520 about underlying causes of autism, what might-- 348 00:19:35.520 --> 00:19:38.940 - The "Not Your Mama's Autism" podcast was birthed out 349 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:43.350 of an idea that has been on my mind for a long time 350 00:19:43.350 --> 00:19:48.180 to chronicle a family's journey into autism 351 00:19:48.180 --> 00:19:49.683 and disability inclusion. 352 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:53.810 Because I can't tell you how many times 353 00:19:53.810 --> 00:19:56.220 in my private advocacy chapter, 354 00:19:56.220 --> 00:20:00.570 people would approach me and want to learn 355 00:20:00.570 --> 00:20:03.513 and want to talk to me about resources, 356 00:20:04.530 --> 00:20:06.900 but they often thought they were alone. 357 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:09.600 So I thought, okay, if we can take our advocacy journey 358 00:20:09.600 --> 00:20:13.140 and make it public, people will know they're not alone. 359 00:20:13.140 --> 00:20:16.200 - We have worked on some training for specialists. 360 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:20.190 One thing that we know is that women with autism 361 00:20:20.190 --> 00:20:24.930 do not get the kind of female healthcare that they need. 362 00:20:24.930 --> 00:20:26.280 And that goes even further. 363 00:20:26.280 --> 00:20:28.380 It goes to dentistry, it goes 364 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:31.530 to many other specialist conditions 365 00:20:31.530 --> 00:20:36.530 that require these really intense medical examinations 366 00:20:37.230 --> 00:20:39.630 that are aversive to anyone. 367 00:20:39.630 --> 00:20:41.730 They're not pleasant experiences. 368 00:20:41.730 --> 00:20:44.670 - [Lola] So we're working with her occupational therapist 369 00:20:44.670 --> 00:20:48.270 because she does have more significant sensory challenges. 370 00:20:48.270 --> 00:20:50.310 - [Dr. Taylor] I'm not on the autism spectrum, 371 00:20:50.310 --> 00:20:54.240 but I have sensory sensitivities, so I understand this. 372 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:58.440 - It's a form of thinking with a universal design mindset. 373 00:20:58.440 --> 00:21:03.390 So if you try and design something for one group, 374 00:21:03.390 --> 00:21:06.420 it ends up being beneficial for other groups as well. 375 00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:09.540 And sensory issues are a common challenge 376 00:21:09.540 --> 00:21:11.247 with autistic folks. 377 00:21:11.247 --> 00:21:14.670 - I completely agree, and I think when I've been 378 00:21:14.670 --> 00:21:18.060 giving trainings, particularly over the last several years, 379 00:21:18.060 --> 00:21:19.830 I really try to focus on the idea 380 00:21:19.830 --> 00:21:23.310 that we have sensory seeking and we have sensory aversion. 381 00:21:23.310 --> 00:21:25.920 And many of our autistic individuals 382 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:27.870 will have a combination of both. 383 00:21:27.870 --> 00:21:31.020 So some cases they might be seeking sensory experiences 384 00:21:31.020 --> 00:21:33.750 and then in some cases, they might be pulling away. 385 00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:36.630 So we have to be sensitive to that. 386 00:21:36.630 --> 00:21:40.380 The diagnosis itself is not, it's important 387 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:43.770 for the individual insofar as it helps them get the care 388 00:21:43.770 --> 00:21:45.510 that they need and the interventions 389 00:21:45.510 --> 00:21:47.460 that they need, maybe in the school, 390 00:21:47.460 --> 00:21:51.573 but we should be using these interventions for everyone. 391 00:21:52.710 --> 00:21:53.880 My name's Jonathan Martinez. 392 00:21:53.880 --> 00:21:56.250 I'm the Head of Federal Affairs over at Haleon. 393 00:21:56.250 --> 00:22:00.240 We are a consumer over-the-counter company. 394 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:03.630 We've known about neuro-inclusive needs 395 00:22:03.630 --> 00:22:06.930 and neurodivergent needs, specifically, for quite some time. 396 00:22:06.930 --> 00:22:10.020 Haleon is using its platform, its products, 397 00:22:10.020 --> 00:22:13.140 to help promote better outcomes 398 00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:15.210 for the neuro-sensitive community. 399 00:22:15.210 --> 00:22:19.020 We wanna make sure that this community has a voice. 400 00:22:19.020 --> 00:22:22.290 Part of the problem that you have with the current system 401 00:22:22.290 --> 00:22:25.890 is that there isn't a specific requirement, 402 00:22:25.890 --> 00:22:29.910 that we think about neuro-inclusivity in the classroom 403 00:22:29.910 --> 00:22:33.000 or neuro-inclusivity as part of a dental practice. 404 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:36.420 Creating more inclusive, sensory-friendly environments 405 00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:37.870 makes a meaningful difference 406 00:22:46.830 --> 00:22:49.893 - For the most part, I've been bullied out of workplaces. 407 00:22:51.330 --> 00:22:52.980 I've even just been fired for no reason 408 00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:54.660 or they made up a reason. 409 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:56.970 I've been fired because people said I was hostile, 410 00:22:56.970 --> 00:22:59.310 but they couldn't give a example. 411 00:22:59.310 --> 00:23:00.390 And I'm starting to think, now, 412 00:23:00.390 --> 00:23:02.670 that hostile means quietly doing your work 413 00:23:02.670 --> 00:23:03.970 and not talking to people. 414 00:23:05.490 --> 00:23:07.230 I've had some very strange experiences 415 00:23:07.230 --> 00:23:09.706 and it's hard to talk to people about them 416 00:23:09.706 --> 00:23:10.539 'cause they don't believe me. 417 00:23:10.539 --> 00:23:12.450 But I realized later that neurodivergent people 418 00:23:12.450 --> 00:23:14.190 have these experiences and they believe me 419 00:23:14.190 --> 00:23:15.210 and they understand them. 420 00:23:15.210 --> 00:23:16.950 But most people don't have these experiences 421 00:23:16.950 --> 00:23:18.960 because people don't treat them this way. 422 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:21.790 It's something about being autistic 423 00:23:23.970 --> 00:23:26.730 or just behaving differently from them. 424 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:28.800 Even if you're not doing, you're doing what you're paid 425 00:23:28.800 --> 00:23:31.500 to do, you're not misbehaving or anything, 426 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:34.323 you're in trouble or they're upset or they're angry. 427 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:38.190 I think the trauma is never gonna go away, 428 00:23:38.190 --> 00:23:40.803 it's just always gonna be a thing for me with jobs. 429 00:23:42.840 --> 00:23:44.010 I have dreams about it, like, every night 430 00:23:44.010 --> 00:23:46.653 about getting fired. 431 00:23:48.210 --> 00:23:51.273 'Cause it can happen any day, in my experience. 432 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:54.720 There doesn't have to be a reason 433 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:56.370 or there can be a made up reason. 434 00:23:58.290 --> 00:24:00.630 So at some point, I stopped worrying so much about trying 435 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:03.030 to fit into arbitrary social norms 436 00:24:03.030 --> 00:24:04.530 and just decided to be myself. 437 00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:09.963 And being myself is much less stressful and I'm happier. 438 00:24:13.290 --> 00:24:14.520 I work doing quality assurance 439 00:24:14.520 --> 00:24:16.023 in a food manufacturing plant. 440 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:21.873 I do a lot of FDA oversight and testing things. 441 00:24:24.300 --> 00:24:26.790 There's a sensory aspect to the work I do now. 442 00:24:26.790 --> 00:24:29.740 It makes that aspect very enjoyable to me 443 00:24:31.050 --> 00:24:33.713 and it's important for me to enjoy the work that I'm doing. 444 00:24:38.610 --> 00:24:41.340 Well it took, maybe it took me about a year, I think, 445 00:24:41.340 --> 00:24:45.927 to fully accept that I was safe at my job. 446 00:24:48.120 --> 00:24:51.900 - I started working with Burnett since May of last year, 447 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:55.110 so I've been knowing Burnett for about a year now. 448 00:24:55.110 --> 00:24:57.930 And Burnett is so open. 449 00:24:57.930 --> 00:25:00.510 Just speaking with Burnett throughout the year, 450 00:25:00.510 --> 00:25:03.180 I'm realizing, well, why do I believe certain things? 451 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:05.070 It's like, was it just taught to me 452 00:25:05.070 --> 00:25:07.290 and it been put in my head as normal 453 00:25:07.290 --> 00:25:10.200 or is it just an actual belief system of mine? 454 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:12.570 So it just kinda helped me grow as a person. 455 00:25:12.570 --> 00:25:15.750 My little cousin, he's actually autistic, too. 456 00:25:15.750 --> 00:25:16.860 Oh. 457 00:25:16.860 --> 00:25:18.480 - But just seeing how you, like, persevere, 458 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:20.490 it gave me, like, inspiration from my little cousin. 459 00:25:20.490 --> 00:25:23.160 Like, he can still go far. 460 00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:26.010 People are not, people's mindsets are changing. 461 00:25:26.010 --> 00:25:27.660 You are, like, legit one of the smartest people 462 00:25:27.660 --> 00:25:28.560 I've ever met, so. 463 00:25:29.790 --> 00:25:31.923 Ah, well, thanks. 464 00:25:34.560 --> 00:25:37.770 Not everyone in my community can speak up for themselves, 465 00:25:37.770 --> 00:25:40.050 so when people see me in the workplace, 466 00:25:40.050 --> 00:25:43.503 that can change their minds about what we're capable of. 467 00:25:44.520 --> 00:25:46.500 People have told me that I've inspired them 468 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:49.950 and taught them things, which surprised me. 469 00:25:49.950 --> 00:25:52.140 But I'm glad because they helped me 470 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:54.273 and I like to think I'm giving back. 471 00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:56.640 How could you check-- 472 00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:00.954 - I think it's really important to self-advocate. 473 00:26:00.954 --> 00:26:04.770 At STAR Institute, we have an adult-specific program. 474 00:26:04.770 --> 00:26:08.580 We're supporting this population to be successful 475 00:26:08.580 --> 00:26:11.790 and thrive, and that includes finding employment 476 00:26:11.790 --> 00:26:13.350 and holding a job. 477 00:26:13.350 --> 00:26:15.363 And it can be really hard. 478 00:26:18.300 --> 00:26:23.300 - For me, when I'm on a set, it's a sacred place. 479 00:26:25.080 --> 00:26:27.630 We're all here, in front or behind the camera, 480 00:26:27.630 --> 00:26:30.120 to do the best work we can. 481 00:26:30.120 --> 00:26:35.120 There's not a joke. This is some serious business. 482 00:26:37.590 --> 00:26:39.420 Where there's a great amount of concentration needs 483 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:44.420 to be had, has to be a setting where I can thrive. 484 00:26:47.340 --> 00:26:51.780 And film sets are very complex. 485 00:26:51.780 --> 00:26:53.430 But as a director, 486 00:26:53.430 --> 00:26:56.403 you wanna make the actors feel comfortable. 487 00:26:57.570 --> 00:27:02.040 They do a job and it's a hard job, 488 00:27:02.040 --> 00:27:03.440 and you have to concentrate. 489 00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:09.330 And if there's stuff going on the sides, 490 00:27:09.330 --> 00:27:12.578 that's breaking the concentration and, you know, 491 00:27:12.578 --> 00:27:13.995 it's not helping. 492 00:27:16.350 --> 00:27:20.130 - I realized that there was such a large gap 493 00:27:20.130 --> 00:27:25.130 between dentists and sensory-friendly dentists 494 00:27:26.190 --> 00:27:29.070 and even one step above that, 495 00:27:29.070 --> 00:27:31.170 dentists who are sensory friendly 496 00:27:31.170 --> 00:27:34.683 and can adapt how to actually provide dental care. 497 00:27:38.040 --> 00:27:40.590 So in my office in Houston, I took half 498 00:27:40.590 --> 00:27:44.673 of the physical space and we redesigned it 499 00:27:44.673 --> 00:27:47.163 to be more sensory friendly. 500 00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:51.270 There is nobody that goes into the dental office 501 00:27:51.270 --> 00:27:54.600 and goes, "Man, this is my favorite place in the world! 502 00:27:54.600 --> 00:27:55.884 I love it." 503 00:27:55.884 --> 00:27:57.015 Hey, how you doing? 504 00:27:57.015 --> 00:27:58.043 Dr. Dent, very nice 505 00:27:58.043 --> 00:27:58.945 - to meet you. - Nice to meet you. 506 00:27:58.945 --> 00:28:00.150 Come on back, let's go take a walk and get you into a room. 507 00:28:00.150 --> 00:28:02.490 We're gonna go visit for a little bit before we get started. 508 00:28:02.490 --> 00:28:06.090 It doesn't matter if you're a neurotypical person, 509 00:28:06.090 --> 00:28:09.960 you still have sensitivities that need to be understood 510 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:11.940 and need to be accepted 511 00:28:11.940 --> 00:28:15.690 and not viewed as just being a baby about it 512 00:28:15.690 --> 00:28:18.360 or just being overdramatic about it. 513 00:28:18.360 --> 00:28:21.750 Because some of those things can really cause someone 514 00:28:21.750 --> 00:28:24.090 a large amount of anxiety. 515 00:28:24.090 --> 00:28:29.090 And that anxiety can make people not go to the dentist. 516 00:28:29.220 --> 00:28:33.030 Tell me a little bit about what I can be 517 00:28:33.030 --> 00:28:34.290 of service for you today. 518 00:28:34.290 --> 00:28:35.240 What brings you in? 519 00:28:36.150 --> 00:28:36.983 A cleaning, 520 00:28:36.983 --> 00:28:37.816 - we're gonna do a cleaning. - A cleaning, okay. 521 00:28:37.816 --> 00:28:39.180 When was the last time that you were 522 00:28:39.180 --> 00:28:40.779 at the dentist and had a cleaning? 523 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:42.240 [Patient] A few years. 524 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:43.073 Okay. 525 00:28:43.073 --> 00:28:44.550 When I left dental school, 526 00:28:44.550 --> 00:28:48.720 I was a filling and restorative guy. 527 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:52.710 You know, I had zero training on special needs. 528 00:28:52.710 --> 00:28:57.210 All I knew was from basically what I saw in the movies. 529 00:28:57.210 --> 00:29:00.510 So what I wanna find out from you is what are those things 530 00:29:00.510 --> 00:29:03.690 that you're sensitive to and then we're gonna adjust 531 00:29:03.690 --> 00:29:06.480 our appointment to kinda fit around that, okay? 532 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:08.340 So let's just start with the basic five. 533 00:29:08.340 --> 00:29:10.620 So, sights, you said, "I don't like seeing 534 00:29:10.620 --> 00:29:11.640 the needle coming," okay. 535 00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:13.860 So if that happens, is there any other sights 536 00:29:13.860 --> 00:29:15.150 that bother you? 537 00:29:15.150 --> 00:29:16.111 No. 538 00:29:16.111 --> 00:29:19.053 What about taste? 539 00:29:19.980 --> 00:29:22.170 [Patient] Like, pumice makes me sick. 540 00:29:22.170 --> 00:29:23.700 Okay, so the things that we use 541 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:25.260 to brush your teeth makes you sick. 542 00:29:25.260 --> 00:29:28.530 Okay, is it the texture of the pumice 543 00:29:28.530 --> 00:29:30.450 or is it the flavor that they use? 544 00:29:30.450 --> 00:29:32.460 - Just the grittiness. - Just the grit, okay. 545 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:35.703 So minimal to no grit. 546 00:29:36.780 --> 00:29:41.160 It would be better, in my opinion, if we had two forms. 547 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:45.720 One health history, one sensitivity form. 548 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:49.320 Check the boxes on tell me what your preferences are, 549 00:29:49.320 --> 00:29:51.600 what you're hypersensitive to, 550 00:29:51.600 --> 00:29:54.840 and what would make this visit better for you? 551 00:29:54.840 --> 00:29:56.220 [Patient] Can I put my headphones in? 552 00:29:56.220 --> 00:29:57.150 [Dr. Dent] You're more than welcome 553 00:29:57.150 --> 00:29:58.473 to put your headphones on. 554 00:30:00.990 --> 00:30:03.270 All right, let's start right there at the top. Ready? 555 00:30:03.270 --> 00:30:05.910 The dentist is a really interesting one 556 00:30:05.910 --> 00:30:08.010 and there's been some lovely research done on how 557 00:30:08.010 --> 00:30:10.860 to support sensory differences at the dentist. 558 00:30:10.860 --> 00:30:15.210 I, personally, cry every single time 559 00:30:15.210 --> 00:30:16.320 I go to the dentist. 560 00:30:16.320 --> 00:30:21.127 I am not emotionally upset but cannot handle 561 00:30:22.860 --> 00:30:26.793 the sensory experience of being at the dentist. 562 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:33.150 So right before she goes under, 563 00:30:33.150 --> 00:30:34.710 and right when she comes out, 564 00:30:34.710 --> 00:30:37.590 we need to make sure she's comfortable, 565 00:30:37.590 --> 00:30:39.543 the things that are familiar to her. 566 00:30:43.350 --> 00:30:44.853 She loves this little fish. 567 00:30:48.675 --> 00:30:50.583 Put that in there. 568 00:30:50.583 --> 00:30:53.940 Then we have her old faithful here, Sharky. 569 00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:57.900 She's been using this since her first oral surgery. 570 00:30:57.900 --> 00:31:00.483 So let's keep it consistent. 571 00:31:04.116 --> 00:31:06.750 (contemplative music) 572 00:31:06.750 --> 00:31:11.100 Every year, because of Alero's sensory challenges, 573 00:31:11.100 --> 00:31:13.425 we take her on the pilgrimage. 574 00:31:13.425 --> 00:31:14.258 [Doctor] Good morning! 575 00:31:14.258 --> 00:31:15.990 Alero, are you ready to come back with me? 576 00:31:15.990 --> 00:31:17.970 - You guys ready, Mom? - Good morning, yeah! 577 00:31:17.970 --> 00:31:21.480 And that's where her dentist takes, like, 578 00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:23.400 a normal, conventional dental visit 579 00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:25.593 and kinda converts it to oral surgery. 580 00:31:27.120 --> 00:31:29.340 So it'd be the same oral examination 581 00:31:29.340 --> 00:31:32.463 within a hospital setting, but she would be sedated. 582 00:31:33.750 --> 00:31:35.748 [Lola] Thank you. Hi, Dr. Smith! 583 00:31:35.748 --> 00:31:37.430 Good morning! 584 00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:39.480 Do you guys have any concerns 585 00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:42.600 for her teeth at this time in particular? 586 00:31:42.600 --> 00:31:43.950 How's she been doing with her home care? 587 00:31:43.950 --> 00:31:45.720 Are you guys still able to brush her well 588 00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:47.670 or is she being more resistant? 589 00:31:47.670 --> 00:31:49.908 How is she transitioning? 590 00:31:49.908 --> 00:31:52.260 We are having minimal toothpaste 591 00:31:52.260 --> 00:31:55.710 because she still struggles with rinsing and spitting out. 592 00:31:55.710 --> 00:31:58.860 - Sometimes she seems to have some tooth pain. 593 00:31:58.860 --> 00:32:01.590 It goes in and out, so we're not exactly sure. 594 00:32:01.590 --> 00:32:05.430 We think it might be tied to her chewy sometimes. 595 00:32:05.430 --> 00:32:08.310 - So last time that we did her treatment in the hospital, 596 00:32:08.310 --> 00:32:13.310 I extracted several chewies from her teeth and her gums, 597 00:32:13.710 --> 00:32:16.770 so we are gonna have to kinda collaborate 598 00:32:16.770 --> 00:32:19.350 and see if she'll accept, like, certain teething tools 599 00:32:19.350 --> 00:32:21.600 that would be more beneficial 600 00:32:21.600 --> 00:32:24.480 that aren't gonna leave, like, debris in her mouth. 601 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:27.420 So now that she's transitioning into being a pre-teen, 602 00:32:27.420 --> 00:32:30.780 teenager, she is gonna have all of her permanent teeth, 603 00:32:30.780 --> 00:32:32.010 so we definitely wanna make sure 604 00:32:32.010 --> 00:32:35.280 that we are focusing on her gum health, both at home 605 00:32:35.280 --> 00:32:38.670 and when she comes in for the yearly exams. 606 00:32:38.670 --> 00:32:40.650 Peace of mind is a form of wealth, 607 00:32:40.650 --> 00:32:43.574 so thank you for keeping us wealthy. 608 00:32:43.574 --> 00:32:44.824 - (all laugh) - Thank you. 609 00:32:45.903 --> 00:32:46.736 [Lola] Sit down. 610 00:32:46.736 --> 00:32:48.090 All right, just sit. We're just sitting. 611 00:32:48.090 --> 00:32:50.913 We're just sitting and talking. We're friends. 612 00:32:52.151 --> 00:32:53.490 All right, can I have the bracelets 613 00:32:53.490 --> 00:32:55.620 - to get them to Mom? - While she's under sedation, 614 00:32:55.620 --> 00:33:00.620 we do a full blood workup in additional to her dental care. 615 00:33:01.320 --> 00:33:04.950 Blood work would then be sent to our endocrinologist, 616 00:33:04.950 --> 00:33:09.840 to her allergy team, to her pediatrician. 617 00:33:09.840 --> 00:33:11.790 - Okay, no bib. - Making sure that, 618 00:33:11.790 --> 00:33:16.230 as she grows up, we can get that at least once a year 619 00:33:16.230 --> 00:33:19.800 of blood work so we can have somewhat of an idea 620 00:33:19.800 --> 00:33:21.843 of what's going on within her body. 621 00:33:23.769 --> 00:33:26.602 (machine beeping) 622 00:33:30.609 --> 00:33:33.699 (contemplative music) 623 00:33:33.699 --> 00:33:35.820 My hope is there's more of a push 624 00:33:35.820 --> 00:33:40.820 towards a holistic view of this from cradle to grave. 625 00:33:43.860 --> 00:33:47.640 I think we need to be better being inclusive 626 00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:51.180 and understanding that not everybody is going 627 00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:53.913 to have healthcare delivery in the exact same way. 628 00:33:56.558 --> 00:33:58.980 (birds chirping) 629 00:33:58.980 --> 00:34:03.980 - On any given day, our routine is very, very ritualistic. 630 00:34:04.230 --> 00:34:08.010 Ethan gets up in the morning, he eats the same breakfast, 631 00:34:08.010 --> 00:34:09.510 he does the same routine 632 00:34:09.510 --> 00:34:11.943 because that's comfort zone for him. 633 00:34:13.290 --> 00:34:14.730 All right, ganglios. 634 00:34:14.730 --> 00:34:16.176 Can you reach that? 635 00:34:16.176 --> 00:34:19.696 - We try to avoid high-populated areas 636 00:34:19.696 --> 00:34:24.630 or areas that are very loud or kind of obnoxious 637 00:34:24.630 --> 00:34:27.663 'cause that does tend to trigger some of his sensitivities. 638 00:34:30.569 --> 00:34:31.503 Oh, and here. 639 00:34:33.090 --> 00:34:37.170 There's a local arcade with pizza and we always like to go, 640 00:34:37.170 --> 00:34:40.863 but we are very selective about the times that we go. 641 00:34:42.721 --> 00:34:45.693 Hey, when you need a refill, let Dad know if you need more. 642 00:34:47.130 --> 00:34:50.070 Here is all of the condiments. 643 00:34:50.070 --> 00:34:52.203 [Mother] Oh, hey, there's this time. 644 00:34:53.220 --> 00:34:55.070 [Dr. Dent] Whatcha lookin' at, bud? 645 00:34:56.636 --> 00:34:57.469 It's a little loud? 646 00:34:59.010 --> 00:35:02.310 There are certain times where they make it 647 00:35:02.310 --> 00:35:06.690 more sensory-friendly and it gives us the opportunity 648 00:35:06.690 --> 00:35:08.433 as a family to go enjoy that. 649 00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:12.150 Because you don't wanna keep him isolated, 650 00:35:12.150 --> 00:35:15.660 just up in his room playing video games or watching movies. 651 00:35:15.660 --> 00:35:17.490 He needs that socialization. 652 00:35:17.490 --> 00:35:22.470 But if you can control the sensory environment for them, 653 00:35:22.470 --> 00:35:25.980 it's a whole lot better as far as the outcomes 654 00:35:25.980 --> 00:35:29.220 and how he desensitizes to environments 655 00:35:29.220 --> 00:35:30.753 that are not sensory-friendly. 656 00:35:31.710 --> 00:35:32.753 All right, here it comes. Shoot 'em up. 657 00:35:34.191 --> 00:35:36.393 Keep going. Good shot! 658 00:35:39.540 --> 00:35:40.373 Put it in there. 659 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:43.350 Nice shot. 660 00:35:43.350 --> 00:35:44.787 [Mom] Two more! 661 00:35:44.787 --> 00:35:46.537 [Dr. Dent] Curl 'em up. One more! 662 00:35:48.510 --> 00:35:50.433 - Nice, good shot. - Nice, good job! 663 00:35:51.463 --> 00:35:53.670 - Fantastic, all right, what do you wanna play now? 664 00:35:53.670 --> 00:35:54.900 I don't remember. 665 00:35:54.900 --> 00:35:56.250 It's good to be inclusive 666 00:35:56.250 --> 00:35:58.020 where we can all do things as a family, 667 00:35:58.020 --> 00:36:00.573 we don't have to do separate activities. 668 00:36:00.573 --> 00:36:03.843 That really helps build that family base. 669 00:36:05.087 --> 00:36:06.295 Look! 670 00:36:06.295 --> 00:36:07.917 There you are! 671 00:36:07.917 --> 00:36:08.897 - You like it? - Yes. 672 00:36:08.897 --> 00:36:10.380 - [Dr. Dent] All right, let's go play another game. 673 00:36:10.380 --> 00:36:11.839 You wanna go do Space Invaders? 674 00:36:11.839 --> 00:36:12.874 Space Invaders. 675 00:36:12.874 --> 00:36:14.040 - [Dr. Dent] Space Invaders, that looks like a fun game. 676 00:36:14.040 --> 00:36:16.228 Let's go sit in the Space Invaders. 677 00:36:16.228 --> 00:36:18.811 (game beeping) 678 00:36:22.740 --> 00:36:23.850 You wanna play ski ball? 679 00:36:23.850 --> 00:36:24.683 [Ethan] Ski. 680 00:36:24.683 --> 00:36:25.516 All right, good. 681 00:36:30.510 --> 00:36:31.923 Good, real hard, real hard. 682 00:36:33.750 --> 00:36:34.743 Good job! 683 00:36:36.180 --> 00:36:39.780 Their sensory-friendly hours really focus on some 684 00:36:39.780 --> 00:36:41.370 of the most common triggers, 685 00:36:41.370 --> 00:36:44.700 which are the loud noises from the games, 686 00:36:44.700 --> 00:36:46.083 the fluorescent lights. 687 00:36:55.470 --> 00:36:58.530 When they transition out of sensory-friendly 688 00:36:58.530 --> 00:37:02.520 to just general public sights, sounds, everything, 689 00:37:02.520 --> 00:37:06.153 it creates a whole different level of anxiety in Ethan. 690 00:37:07.595 --> 00:37:10.512 (machines beeping) 691 00:37:11.820 --> 00:37:16.820 We've learned him so well that when we start to sense that, 692 00:37:17.640 --> 00:37:19.560 it triggers our sensitivities 693 00:37:19.560 --> 00:37:23.463 and we are able to transfer him out of that situation. 694 00:37:29.520 --> 00:37:33.330 I think we have a tremendous mandate 695 00:37:33.330 --> 00:37:38.330 to unlearn the things that have become assumptions 696 00:37:40.560 --> 00:37:42.183 in the way that we do life. 697 00:37:43.170 --> 00:37:48.170 It's time to sort of be awake and intentional 698 00:37:50.075 --> 00:37:53.490 about embracing different ways, 699 00:37:53.490 --> 00:37:54.930 different ways of being human, 700 00:37:54.930 --> 00:37:57.003 different ways of experiencing the world. 701 00:37:58.350 --> 00:37:59.823 The wisdom of the body. 702 00:38:00.912 --> 00:38:03.579 (water rushing) 703 00:38:11.400 --> 00:38:13.920 - Well, since I lit it, you can blow it out. 704 00:38:13.920 --> 00:38:14.941 Well, that sounds fair. 705 00:38:14.941 --> 00:38:15.774 Yeah, and it's your ice cream. 706 00:38:15.774 --> 00:38:16.607 Okay. 707 00:38:17.552 --> 00:38:18.385 Oh. 708 00:38:18.385 --> 00:38:19.311 Okay, happy birthday. 709 00:38:19.311 --> 00:38:20.144 Happy birthday. 710 00:38:20.144 --> 00:38:21.480 How's it feel to be 38? 711 00:38:21.480 --> 00:38:22.620 Nothing feels different. 712 00:38:22.620 --> 00:38:23.836 [Bernard] Yeah? 713 00:38:23.836 --> 00:38:26.640 (laughing) 714 00:38:26.640 --> 00:38:28.920 Do you feel more optimistic about the next year? 715 00:38:28.920 --> 00:38:31.020 - More optimistic than-- 716 00:38:31.020 --> 00:38:32.550 I feel more optimistic about turning 38 717 00:38:32.550 --> 00:38:33.850 because I won't see there. 718 00:38:34.710 --> 00:38:36.723 And even numbers are very good for me. 719 00:38:39.732 --> 00:38:41.070 [Burnett] Oh that's cold on my teeth. 720 00:38:41.070 --> 00:38:43.133 - Do you need to go back to the dentist this year? 721 00:38:44.126 --> 00:38:48.210 - Yeah, I think I'm running out of excuses. 722 00:38:48.210 --> 00:38:50.400 I think I'm getting too old, so it's, like, 723 00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:51.870 irresponsible at this point. 724 00:38:51.870 --> 00:38:52.703 [Bernard] Yeah. 725 00:38:52.703 --> 00:38:53.850 So yeah, I'm think I'm going to. 726 00:38:53.850 --> 00:38:56.970 - [Bernard] Why don't you impose the deadline on yourself? 727 00:38:56.970 --> 00:38:58.560 Can you make one for me? 728 00:38:58.560 --> 00:38:59.610 A week from Monday. 729 00:39:00.630 --> 00:39:03.210 That way you have all week to do it. 730 00:39:03.210 --> 00:39:04.410 Like I can help you 'cause I can be 731 00:39:04.410 --> 00:39:05.710 at your computer with you. 732 00:39:06.630 --> 00:39:08.250 We could find the dentist together 733 00:39:08.250 --> 00:39:09.810 and I can dial the number for you. 734 00:39:09.810 --> 00:39:10.643 Oh, okay. 735 00:39:10.643 --> 00:39:11.580 And give you the phone. 736 00:39:11.580 --> 00:39:14.580 That'll remove some, a lot of executive functioning for you. 737 00:39:14.580 --> 00:39:17.010 Yeah, okay. Okay, that's a lot of work. 738 00:39:17.010 --> 00:39:19.320 So find a dentist a week from Monday. 739 00:39:19.320 --> 00:39:20.814 I think it's easy to just, 740 00:39:20.814 --> 00:39:22.950 to just justify reasons not to go. 741 00:39:22.950 --> 00:39:25.770 Yeah. I've done five years. 742 00:39:25.770 --> 00:39:27.384 [Burnett] Okay. 743 00:39:27.384 --> 00:39:30.360 (patrons murmuring) 744 00:39:30.360 --> 00:39:34.980 That's 2029, I should make it round up to go 2030. 745 00:39:34.980 --> 00:39:37.590 - [Burnett] Yeah, you're just, yeah, we're prolonging it. 746 00:39:37.590 --> 00:39:39.152 - You're pushing it back. - I'll go to the dentist 747 00:39:39.152 --> 00:39:40.503 - in 2030. - Oh, okay. 748 00:39:42.030 --> 00:39:44.382 Don't you think you should go this year? 749 00:39:44.382 --> 00:39:45.663 [Bernard] Of course I should! 750 00:39:45.663 --> 00:39:46.517 Oh, okay. 751 00:39:46.517 --> 00:39:49.470 - [Bernard] Of course I do. I'm a logical person. 752 00:39:49.470 --> 00:39:50.373 I'm not going to. 753 00:39:52.325 --> 00:39:56.337 I have an electric toothbrush, so (laughs). 754 00:39:58.634 --> 00:39:59.820 So you'll just keep coming up 755 00:39:59.820 --> 00:40:02.377 with ways to rationalize not going. 756 00:40:02.377 --> 00:40:05.703 - [Bernard] I got $750 of dental work done in 2013. 757 00:40:08.160 --> 00:40:10.170 That's more than a decade ago! 758 00:40:10.170 --> 00:40:12.660 - I'm saying, and I haven't had any cavities since. 759 00:40:12.660 --> 00:40:13.560 [Burnett] Okay. 760 00:40:13.560 --> 00:40:18.165 - So I think that dental work was all I needed. 761 00:40:18.165 --> 00:40:21.614 (Burnett laughing) 762 00:40:21.614 --> 00:40:24.840 - I'm afraid to tell a dentist that I'm autistic. 763 00:40:24.840 --> 00:40:26.513 I don't know if they're gonna get scared. 764 00:40:28.740 --> 00:40:29.703 And reactive. 765 00:40:32.700 --> 00:40:37.510 I expect them to have a bunch of stereotypes 766 00:40:38.520 --> 00:40:41.160 and misrepresentations that I don't even understand, 767 00:40:41.160 --> 00:40:43.320 like, this person's gonna bite me. 768 00:40:43.320 --> 00:40:45.030 I expect them to just be afraid of me 769 00:40:45.030 --> 00:40:47.280 or not taking me serious. 770 00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:48.840 I'm pretty cynical about it. 771 00:40:48.840 --> 00:40:49.950 I kinda just don't wanna go to dentist 772 00:40:49.950 --> 00:40:52.080 until I'm in pain, in really bad pain. 773 00:40:52.080 --> 00:40:53.850 But I need to stop thinking that way. 774 00:40:53.850 --> 00:40:58.200 - I think that there's a tremendous amount of work to get 775 00:40:58.200 --> 00:41:02.220 to a place where we're all sensory informed 776 00:41:02.220 --> 00:41:05.520 and sensory health is prioritized, 777 00:41:05.520 --> 00:41:09.510 that we're supporting people to feel 778 00:41:09.510 --> 00:41:14.250 and sense the world in the best way for their brain 779 00:41:14.250 --> 00:41:17.640 and body to be well and flourish. 780 00:41:17.640 --> 00:41:22.640 A big bulk of the work is about unlearning and change. 781 00:41:32.910 --> 00:41:35.284 I didn't have a purpose in dentistry 782 00:41:35.284 --> 00:41:38.523 other than being Dr. Dent. 783 00:41:40.650 --> 00:41:43.800 And then when I had Ethan, I found purpose. 784 00:41:43.800 --> 00:41:46.308 Please help me welcome Dr. Jacob Dent. 785 00:41:46.308 --> 00:41:48.090 Thank you, appreciate it. 786 00:41:48.090 --> 00:41:49.650 - Good luck. Let me know if you need anything. 787 00:41:49.650 --> 00:41:50.580 Yes sir. 788 00:41:50.580 --> 00:41:53.460 All right, so our goal today is going to be 789 00:41:53.460 --> 00:41:57.690 to really focus on the basics of sensory issues. 790 00:41:57.690 --> 00:41:59.820 And I just want y'all to be thinking kinda 791 00:41:59.820 --> 00:42:01.020 that outside the box. 792 00:42:01.020 --> 00:42:06.020 Like, what can we do that is not the standardized dentistry? 793 00:42:06.840 --> 00:42:09.450 I wanna leave a legacy that's different 794 00:42:09.450 --> 00:42:12.330 than just being a traditional dentist. 795 00:42:12.330 --> 00:42:16.650 Why is it so hard for us as dentists and hygienists 796 00:42:16.650 --> 00:42:20.940 and providers to see special needs patients? 797 00:42:20.940 --> 00:42:25.940 I use the acronym TIM, time, ignorance, money. 798 00:42:26.550 --> 00:42:28.470 Having the platform of being able 799 00:42:28.470 --> 00:42:31.620 to go teach continuing education classes, 800 00:42:31.620 --> 00:42:33.990 it really gives me a little bit more 801 00:42:33.990 --> 00:42:36.840 of a podium to speak to 802 00:42:36.840 --> 00:42:39.330 'cause I can talk to it from both angles. 803 00:42:39.330 --> 00:42:42.990 I can talk to it as a parent, I can talk to it as a doctor. 804 00:42:42.990 --> 00:42:46.800 And everybody has a heart, I truly believe that. 805 00:42:46.800 --> 00:42:48.900 There is nobody that I've ever come across 806 00:42:48.900 --> 00:42:51.870 that says, "I'm not going to treat this population 807 00:42:51.870 --> 00:42:56.547 because they are disabled or because they're different." 808 00:42:56.547 --> 00:42:58.177 What they're gonna tell me is, 809 00:42:58.177 --> 00:43:00.390 "I don't know what I'm doing." 810 00:43:00.390 --> 00:43:01.500 That's why I'm here. 811 00:43:01.500 --> 00:43:04.260 I've been on a 20 year residency with my son, 812 00:43:04.260 --> 00:43:06.630 you know, trying to figure out autism, 813 00:43:06.630 --> 00:43:08.400 trying to figure out sensory issues. 814 00:43:08.400 --> 00:43:12.120 And that's not, it's not an easy class. 815 00:43:12.120 --> 00:43:15.150 So my whole reason for doing it is to show them 816 00:43:15.150 --> 00:43:17.430 that here's the model that I've done, 817 00:43:17.430 --> 00:43:19.650 here's how I've been successful doing it. 818 00:43:19.650 --> 00:43:22.380 If anybody has any questions in regards to the kits 819 00:43:22.380 --> 00:43:26.670 or how to build a sensory room, just let me know, okay? 820 00:43:26.670 --> 00:43:29.280 I hope y'all have a good rest of y'all's conference. 821 00:43:29.280 --> 00:43:30.880 We'll see y'all next time, okay? 822 00:43:31.950 --> 00:43:34.080 My goal at the end of my classes 823 00:43:34.080 --> 00:43:37.680 is that one person will take the lead 824 00:43:37.680 --> 00:43:40.590 and start to incorporate that into their practice 825 00:43:40.590 --> 00:43:43.410 because there will be a day that I'm not here 826 00:43:43.410 --> 00:43:45.750 and there'll be a day that Ethan needs another dentist 827 00:43:45.750 --> 00:43:47.310 that isn't Dad. 828 00:43:47.310 --> 00:43:51.000 And the hope is one of those people that I taught 829 00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:53.880 was inspired enough to be able to open their doors 830 00:43:53.880 --> 00:43:58.880 to my son and continue his healthcare, well after I'm gone. 831 00:43:59.490 --> 00:44:03.510 - My biggest fear is that we're not acting quickly enough 832 00:44:03.510 --> 00:44:06.750 to take into account the neuro-inclusive community's needs. 833 00:44:06.750 --> 00:44:08.820 How do we make that experience a little bit more pleasant? 834 00:44:08.820 --> 00:44:12.900 And to the credit of doctors and dentists, they try. 835 00:44:12.900 --> 00:44:15.330 Should they have more resources? Yes. 836 00:44:15.330 --> 00:44:19.140 Should we make sure that there are more options available 837 00:44:19.140 --> 00:44:21.300 so that we can make dentistry 838 00:44:21.300 --> 00:44:22.740 a little bit more neuro-inclusive? 839 00:44:22.740 --> 00:44:25.470 Absolutely. There are two conversations here. 840 00:44:25.470 --> 00:44:27.510 The first is making sure that the healthcare system 841 00:44:27.510 --> 00:44:28.650 is more inclusive. 842 00:44:28.650 --> 00:44:31.710 But then the second is, how do we think about making sure 843 00:44:31.710 --> 00:44:34.890 that patients and providers are able to meet each other 844 00:44:34.890 --> 00:44:38.250 where they're at, regardless of someone identifying 845 00:44:38.250 --> 00:44:40.460 as neurodiverse? 846 00:44:40.460 --> 00:44:43.127 (hopeful music) 847 00:44:52.632 --> 00:44:54.840 (door squeaking) 848 00:44:54.840 --> 00:44:56.670 - Burnett, I'm gonna go ahead and have you fill out 849 00:44:56.670 --> 00:44:59.880 some forms for me and then you can have a seat 850 00:44:59.880 --> 00:45:01.140 in the waiting room, fill these out, 851 00:45:01.140 --> 00:45:03.294 and bring 'em back up to me when you're finished. 852 00:45:03.294 --> 00:45:05.040 [Burnett] Okay, thank you. 853 00:45:05.040 --> 00:45:07.560 When I first walked in and sat in the waiting area, 854 00:45:07.560 --> 00:45:08.553 I was overwhelmed. 855 00:45:09.570 --> 00:45:12.660 I knew I should be there, but my anxiety was telling me 856 00:45:12.660 --> 00:45:14.410 that I wasn't supposed to be there. 857 00:45:16.920 --> 00:45:19.737 How do you feel about your appointment? 858 00:45:19.737 --> 00:45:21.453 Oh, not very well. Anxious. 859 00:45:22.980 --> 00:45:25.440 When I brought my sibling with me, 860 00:45:25.440 --> 00:45:27.563 we helped each other when we went to the office. 861 00:45:28.674 --> 00:45:31.650 At least you'll be less likely to miss the appointment 862 00:45:31.650 --> 00:45:34.653 or to leave or anything if someone else is with you. 863 00:45:36.900 --> 00:45:38.820 Take a lot of pressure off, 864 00:45:38.820 --> 00:45:39.990 which I guess is just the pressure 865 00:45:39.990 --> 00:45:41.340 is just negative self-talk. 866 00:45:44.310 --> 00:45:46.043 [Nurse] Burnett, are you ready? 867 00:45:47.189 --> 00:45:48.022 Hey. 868 00:45:48.022 --> 00:45:48.855 [Nurse] How are you today? 869 00:45:48.855 --> 00:45:49.688 Good, how are you? 870 00:45:49.688 --> 00:45:50.633 Well, thank you. This way. 871 00:45:51.870 --> 00:45:54.360 Then we're gonna step over here 872 00:45:54.360 --> 00:45:56.190 and then right in this room right here. 873 00:45:56.190 --> 00:45:57.923 And you can have a seat right here. 874 00:45:57.923 --> 00:45:58.756 Okay. 875 00:46:04.230 --> 00:46:05.160 [Nurse] How long has it been for you 876 00:46:05.160 --> 00:46:07.680 since you've had your teeth cleaned? 877 00:46:07.680 --> 00:46:09.487 [Burnett] About three years. 878 00:46:09.487 --> 00:46:10.787 [Nurse] Well, that's not so bad. 879 00:46:10.787 --> 00:46:13.214 Do you have any teeth that are bothering you? 880 00:46:13.214 --> 00:46:14.486 [Burnett] Yeah, a few. 881 00:46:14.486 --> 00:46:16.319 [Nurse] A few, okay. 882 00:46:20.621 --> 00:46:24.141 [Burnett] Can you lower the lights? 883 00:46:24.141 --> 00:46:24.974 - [Nurse] Did you bring your own sunglasses 884 00:46:24.974 --> 00:46:26.040 or would you like to wear these? 885 00:46:26.040 --> 00:46:28.102 - Oh, I left mine in the car. I'll wear those. 886 00:46:28.102 --> 00:46:28.935 [Nurse] You'll wear those? 887 00:46:28.935 --> 00:46:30.210 Okay, I'll take your glasses, if you'd like. 888 00:46:30.210 --> 00:46:31.043 Okay. 889 00:46:32.130 --> 00:46:33.879 [Nurse] All right, thank you! 890 00:46:33.879 --> 00:46:36.855 Thanks. 891 00:46:36.855 --> 00:46:37.688 [Nurse] All right. 892 00:46:37.688 --> 00:46:38.910 Okay, I'm gonna put in my Loops. 893 00:46:38.910 --> 00:46:39.743 [Nurse] Okay. 894 00:46:42.450 --> 00:46:45.360 - I calmed down not too long after being there 895 00:46:45.360 --> 00:46:47.460 because of all the natural lighting. 896 00:46:47.460 --> 00:46:51.243 Oh, that was immediately calming. Surprisingly calming. 897 00:46:53.310 --> 00:46:55.853 - [Nurse] I'm gonna use this bright light on my head. 898 00:46:59.340 --> 00:47:02.347 And open and turn towards me a little bit, thank you. Ah! 899 00:47:10.860 --> 00:47:15.750 - It's important to go into spaces to help people learn 900 00:47:15.750 --> 00:47:18.240 how to become better allies if we're 901 00:47:18.240 --> 00:47:20.493 to create a more inclusive world. 902 00:47:21.960 --> 00:47:24.674 - [Nurse] All right, everything looks good for me. 903 00:47:24.674 --> 00:47:26.520 [Burnett] Okay. 904 00:47:26.520 --> 00:47:28.470 - [Nurse] Now I'll go get the doctor and she'll come in 905 00:47:28.470 --> 00:47:29.760 and do your exam. 906 00:47:29.760 --> 00:47:31.380 Would you like to sit up while you wait? 907 00:47:31.380 --> 00:47:32.230 [Burnett] Sure. 908 00:47:34.710 --> 00:47:39.710 - I think we have to start normalizing the accommodations 909 00:47:40.410 --> 00:47:42.180 and the different environments rather 910 00:47:42.180 --> 00:47:44.490 than trying to normalize people. 911 00:47:44.490 --> 00:47:47.370 And I would love our sensory spaces 912 00:47:47.370 --> 00:47:52.370 and our low sensory spaces to be more mainstream, 913 00:47:54.960 --> 00:47:59.960 we don't bat an eyelid at using them, there's more of them. 914 00:48:00.262 --> 00:48:03.095 (water trickling) 915 00:48:04.597 --> 00:48:08.340 Our daughter, Alero, loves water. 916 00:48:08.340 --> 00:48:11.223 Water is one of her favorite places to be. 917 00:48:13.740 --> 00:48:16.560 But that is buttressed against the fact she has 918 00:48:16.560 --> 00:48:18.480 to be around a lot of people. 919 00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:19.980 So there's the conflict there. 920 00:48:21.294 --> 00:48:22.473 (Alero vocalizing) 921 00:48:22.473 --> 00:48:23.890 Yeah, it's there. 922 00:48:26.802 --> 00:48:28.385 Alero, ready to go? 923 00:48:30.210 --> 00:48:33.960 Alero's perfect scenario is a giant pool, 924 00:48:33.960 --> 00:48:36.063 secluded, nobody's there. 925 00:48:39.900 --> 00:48:43.443 The work I do is because we need inclusive space. 926 00:48:45.240 --> 00:48:48.270 I see the impact because, when you have them, 927 00:48:48.270 --> 00:48:53.270 things are better for everyone, including Alero and Fela. 928 00:48:58.640 --> 00:49:00.990 At a public place like a pool, 929 00:49:00.990 --> 00:49:04.953 you do see the reaction in her body. 930 00:49:12.540 --> 00:49:14.730 I could sense there was a bit 931 00:49:14.730 --> 00:49:18.930 of hesitation on her heart, 932 00:49:18.930 --> 00:49:21.180 so a couple of things I tried to run through, 933 00:49:21.180 --> 00:49:25.920 one being, okay, Daddy's gonna go in, it's safe. 934 00:49:25.920 --> 00:49:29.544 Daddy's having fun. Can you come join me? 935 00:49:29.544 --> 00:49:30.377 (water splashing) 936 00:49:30.377 --> 00:49:31.770 (kids shrieking) 937 00:49:31.770 --> 00:49:33.193 That didn't work. 938 00:49:34.935 --> 00:49:37.173 Come on kiddo. All it takes is one. 939 00:49:38.760 --> 00:49:42.180 Another thing I tried was more verbal cues. 940 00:49:42.180 --> 00:49:44.880 You know, "Come, come to Daddy. 941 00:49:44.880 --> 00:49:47.067 Hold my hand, I'll catch you." 942 00:49:48.183 --> 00:49:49.110 And it almost worked, you know. 943 00:49:49.110 --> 00:49:52.290 You could see her rocking a little bit, 944 00:49:52.290 --> 00:49:54.150 trying to lean and trying to decide 945 00:49:54.150 --> 00:49:55.953 if she was gonna jump into the pool. 946 00:49:57.728 --> 00:50:00.540 [Mother] Don't run, hey! 947 00:50:00.540 --> 00:50:02.610 The final thing that actually did work 948 00:50:02.610 --> 00:50:07.610 was literally walk her to the step down part of the pool, 949 00:50:08.760 --> 00:50:13.320 where she could enter the environment 950 00:50:13.320 --> 00:50:15.630 a little bit at a time, right? 951 00:50:15.630 --> 00:50:19.283 So she stepped literally one foot in, walk back out. 952 00:50:25.680 --> 00:50:29.373 Step two feet in, walk back out. 953 00:50:32.490 --> 00:50:34.913 Step three feet in, walk back out. 954 00:50:43.260 --> 00:50:45.873 And finally decided it was worth taking the plunge. 955 00:50:51.420 --> 00:50:56.420 All of that took 45 minutes before she actually got in. 956 00:50:56.970 --> 00:50:59.793 And once you got her in, she had a blast. 957 00:51:07.480 --> 00:51:09.310 Alero in the water 958 00:51:11.092 --> 00:51:14.597 is Alero truly at one of her happiest places. 959 00:51:16.710 --> 00:51:21.710 I would say water, music, and jumping all bring out 960 00:51:23.490 --> 00:51:28.490 a version of Alero that's highly playful, that loves life, 961 00:51:29.640 --> 00:51:32.190 that loves the people around her. 962 00:51:32.190 --> 00:51:35.400 She laughs more than she normally would. 963 00:51:35.400 --> 00:51:37.740 It truly is her happy place. 964 00:51:37.740 --> 00:51:40.620 It's like when people come alive when they write 965 00:51:40.620 --> 00:51:44.670 or when they, you know, speak in public, when they paint 966 00:51:44.670 --> 00:51:48.243 that's how Alero comes alive in those situations. 967 00:51:50.400 --> 00:51:54.990 In the span of an afternoon, we saw both sides. 968 00:51:54.990 --> 00:51:58.713 We saw sensory overload and then we saw genuine joy. 969 00:52:03.330 --> 00:52:07.290 The beauty of love is the humanity in it, 970 00:52:07.290 --> 00:52:10.560 and humanity is both beautiful 971 00:52:10.560 --> 00:52:12.510 and not so beautiful at times. 972 00:52:12.510 --> 00:52:14.850 And when you look at the totality of it 973 00:52:14.850 --> 00:52:18.603 and the level of authenticity that I now live in, 974 00:52:20.460 --> 00:52:21.603 I do love my life. 975 00:52:23.514 --> 00:52:26.310 And I don't know if I would've said that five years ago, 976 00:52:26.310 --> 00:52:27.840 but I have embraced it all. 977 00:52:27.840 --> 00:52:30.420 I listened to my aunt, I acted like I went 978 00:52:30.420 --> 00:52:32.760 to the store and I bought it. 979 00:52:32.760 --> 00:52:34.950 And do I cry sometimes? Absolutely. 980 00:52:34.950 --> 00:52:37.383 But I cry and I still move forward. 981 00:52:41.100 --> 00:52:46.100 I hope that people who watch this see families like mine 982 00:52:48.630 --> 00:52:52.053 as not some societal problem to fix. 983 00:52:54.300 --> 00:52:56.943 I hope they genuinely see our humanity. 984 00:52:59.520 --> 00:53:02.223 That's what I hope and that's why we do what we do. 985 00:53:03.866 --> 00:53:06.199 (inaudible) 986 00:53:11.360 --> 00:53:14.527 (contemplative music) 987 00:53:20.583 --> 00:53:24.583 (contemplative music continues) 988 00:53:30.900 --> 00:53:32.730 - I wanna thank you for doing this documentary 989 00:53:32.730 --> 00:53:35.190 because not that many people really understand 990 00:53:35.190 --> 00:53:37.800 what dyslexia is and, you know, 991 00:53:37.800 --> 00:53:41.250 or might even know people are dyslexic. 992 00:53:41.250 --> 00:53:43.653 And knowledge is powerful. 993 00:53:45.736 --> 00:53:49.736 (contemplative music continues) 994 00:53:54.640 --> 00:53:58.640 (contemplative music continues) 995 00:54:04.461 --> 00:54:08.461 (contemplative music continues) 996 00:54:14.819 --> 00:54:18.819 (contemplative music continues) 997 00:54:24.435 --> 00:54:28.435 (contemplative music continues) 998 00:54:34.490 --> 00:54:38.490 (contemplative music continues) 999 00:54:44.500 --> 00:54:48.500 (contemplative music continues) 1000 00:54:55.462 --> 00:54:59.462 (contemplative music continues) 1001 00:55:06.764 --> 00:55:10.764 (contemplative music continues) 1002 00:55:17.821 --> 00:55:21.821 (contemplative music continues) 1003 00:55:28.418 --> 00:55:32.418 (contemplative music continues) 1004 00:55:38.462 --> 00:55:42.462 (contemplative music continues) 1005 00:55:48.320 --> 00:55:52.320 (contemplative music continues) 1006 00:55:57.874 --> 00:56:01.874 (contemplative music continues) 1007 00:56:07.744 --> 00:56:11.744 (contemplative music continues) 1008 00:56:19.133 --> 00:56:22.716 (contemplative music ends)