Hey everyone,

In our last episode, my husband and I discussed how our family introduced a medical-grade probiotic called Neuralli into our home exactly one year ago. Since then we have experienced significant positive results and we wanted to share our experience. One today's show, I actually will be speaking with the Chief Science Officer from Bened Life Dr. Noelle Patno.

Bened Life is on the leading edge of microbiome and health science innovation, producing effective and safe microbiome solutions for unmet neurological and mental health needs. 

PS128, the sole probiotic strain in Bened Life’s Neuralli Medical Probiotic, has been the subject of 12 human clinical studies across four categories - neurodevelopment,neurodegeneration, mental health, and exercise performance. It was shown to help balance serotonin, dopamine, cortisol, and other molecules that affect mood, mind,and movement, while also helping regulate gastrointestinal tract health. 

Noelle Patno, PhD, Bened Life’s chief science officer, discusses these key points:

- L. plantarum PS128 is not available in fermented foods like sauerkraut or yogurt. According to global definitions of fermented foods, they should contain at least 1million CFU of microbes per gram of food. 

- In preclinical models that had lowered levels of dopamine or serotonin in the brain, oral administration of L. plantarum PS128 resulted in increasing levels ofserotonin and dopamine in the brain.

- L. plantarum PS128 has been shown to benefit autistic individuals in four clinical trials. 

Gut-brain axis communication is bidirectional – meaning the gut and brain talk to each other vs one-way communication – which helps regulate gut function as well asoverall behavior – including mood, stress, sleep, focus, and more. 

Extra interventions may be needed for those who aren’t getting everything they need through diet, sleep, and exercise. 

That’s where Bened Life and PS128 come in. 

SPECIAL NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PAID SPONSORSHIP, ONLY A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

THIS IS NOT A PAID ADVERTISEMENT OR SPONSORSHIP. THIS IS A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

Susan Mills and her husband Cameron Mills have a candid conversation about a new medical-grade probiotic their son (and occasionally Cameron) is taking with amazingly positive results. www.BenedLife.com has a probiotic Neuralli that is being used by many for neurological disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parkinson's Disease, and ADHD. Listen to how it is helping to improve certain qualities of life.

FROM BENED LIFE:

"The trillions of microorganisms inside your gut play a crucial role in healthy gastrointestinal function and in your overall health. Scientists have long known about the link between the microbiome, inflammation and the immune system. Now we know that a healthy microbiome can also lead to a healthier brain. L. plantarum PS128 in Neuralli can have neurological health benefits without ever leaving the inside of your intestine - bringing the body into balance, naturally. Unlike pharmaceuticals, which can overpower the body's natural functions, Neuralli works WITH your body and your microbiome to gently adjust imbalances."

Have you ever had a private celebration when discovering something about your child, but then had to discipline them? Susan Mills and her husband Cameron Mills lovingly share a funny story about a time when their son disobeyed his teacher.

Is there such a thing as a "standardized student"? What happens when your child on the spectrum takes a standardized test, but fails to understand questions that are more "gray" in nature? Listen as Susan Mills and her husband Cameron discuss why changes need to be made at state levels for neurodiverse students.

Hi, friends! Thanks so much for joining me on this podcast! I feel like each time I do a podcast now, I’m apologizing for not being consistent in the recordings. I was doing so well before COVID, and even early on during the pandemic.  Then what happened? Well, virtual school happened, my work life was thrown upside down on its head, and I started experiencing extreme anxiety. I’ve battled with anxiety for nearly all of my life, but everything really just imploded.  I had to take a step back to focus on getting healthy, being there for my family, and keeping my business afloat. It was a lot, but I feel like we’re on the other side and I’ve been able to start getting back into the swing of things…and have even added a few more projects to my plate. Not sure my mother agrees with this, but these projects are ones that feed my soul, and give me energy…so that’s good, right? So, I wanted to take some time to do a reintroduction and an update on what has actually been going on. There are so many exciting things happening, and I really do feel like there has been a shift in mindset.

I live in Kentucky with my amazing husband Cameron, and the beat of my heart, my son, Alex. He’s NINE years old now and in the third grade. That sounds so unreal. I’m not sure where all the time is going!

Several months ago, My Autism Tribe hosted an event at one of our local hotels in the community. It was just a fun event, but while having fun, we also educated our community about the autism spectrum, and Alex even took the microphone, introduced himself, and we shared some back-and-forth Q&A. I had absolutely no expectations on how the evening would go, but there were so many great questions asked, relationships that were developed, and Alex was amazing! So that kinda kicked off our reintroduction with the nonprofit. Then, another amazing thing happened!

We were connected with a local sheriff's department wanting to provide autism training to their officers. So, after a few meetings and several months later, My Autism Tribe partnered with them to create a video series that can be uploaded into their system so that officers can watch them in their spare time. Why is this important? Well, you can’t take all the officers off the road at the same time to conduct in-person training, so with the videos, all of them can still participate in the training…which is absolutely critical in the education and awareness of how first responders need to provide service in emergency situations with those on the spectrum. And because of this partnership, we have also now been contacted with other surrounding counties to provide the same. And if any of you listening know of someone that would like more information on how we created the video segments, reach out and let us know!

On a slightly different path, but with the passion coming from the same place and the inspiration being my son, I’ve also been working on creating a children’s book series. It all started about four years ago, when I wrote a couple of stories for my son to help explain differences and challenges he was experiencing. I was told by several people that I should write more, so I did. Well, this eventually led to the creation of this series called DinoSprout, and is published by Rainbow Sparrow Books. Through the DinoSprout book series, the overall mission is to provide children, parents AND teachers/therapists with resources that cultivate healthy conversations. I really wanted a way to provide children with a mirror and a window into the special needs world. A mirror would provide children with special needs to see and learn about themselves, and a window would provide children without certain special needs to learn about others. And it’s an A-Z collection of dinosaurs! So you have the first two books, “Stella, the Sweet and Spunky Stegosaurus”, and Toby, the Terrific and Talented T-Rex”. Stella is nonverbal, Toby has sensory processing challenges, and other dinosaurs in the A-Z are also woven through each story. Drew the Dyrosaurus has ADHD, Brody the Brachiosaurus has a brace on his leg, Alex the Allosaurus has anxiety, Hadley the Hadrosaurus has food allergies. You get the idea. I researched illustrators for over a year, and then my husband finally said, “Why don’t you illustrate them yourself??” I do paint, but my paintings look nothing like a children’s illustration, but I thought I would give it a whirl. I wanted the books to be fun, simple, with drawings that children could easily connect with. Think of Pete the Cat. My son loved those books, and illustrations. So, over a year later we have released the first two books on Amazon, AND I’ve even partnered up with a Ph.D. professor Sarah Hawkins-Lear to create educational activities and curriculum that teachers can incorporate into the educational environments. It’s something that I’m not only extremely proud of, but am also so passionate about. We need to start these conversations at a young age! I’ve visited several classrooms, and it’s amazing to see the children have these AHA! Moments. Hearing things like “I know someone that has to use headphones”, “My sister can’t say words”, “Sometimes I don’t know how to make friends”. I’ve literally left classrooms and have cried. These children are yearning for connections, and they really do want to be inclusive! It’s the crazy world around us, and sadly some of the home environments, that turn this behavior in other directions. So, we need to reach them young, and reach them when they are hungry for positive relationships! The books are for ages 3-8ish, so if you or anyone else would like more information, check ‘em out! Stella and Toby are both on Amazon, or you can go to RainbowSparrowBooks.com for more information as well. I’m planning on having Sarah, the professor that I’m working with, on a podcast as well so she can share how they are being integrated. She’s a wealth of information, and such an amazing human being. I’ll provide some links in the show notes.

Thank you so much for allowing me to join you today. Reach out to me on social media, send me a note, ask a question. I really do want to be with you on your journey, and I would love to have you as part of my tribe. We all need one. Love each and every one of you. Be well, and I’ll speak with you soon!

www.RainbowSparrowBooks.com

Books Currently on Amazon:

1. Stella, the Sweet and Spunky Stegosaurus:

https://www.amazon.com/Stella-Spunky-Stegosaurus-DinoSprout-Educational/dp/B0BJCCQ78Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23FD15EC1YLCO&keywords=stella+the+sweet+%26+spunky+stegosaurus&qid=1671226104&sprefix=%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1

1. Toby, the Terrific and Talented T-Rex:

https://www.amazon.com/Terrific-Talented-T-Rex-DinoSprout-Educational/dp/B0BJY55BTX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ACEXIPO6KABD&keywords=toby%2C+the+terrific+and+talented+t-rex&qid=1671226113&sprefix=%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

EPISODE 70: The Building Blocks Program is an individualized behavior program to help support children with autism. Marshall Pediatric Therapy offers both a comprehensive and collaborative approach to your child's therapeutic treatment with a focused-based model.

EPISODE 69: Thanks so much for joining us today! My husband, Cameron Mills, will be co-hosting with me as we discuss the most recent big four-letter word in our home this year. It's not what you think. It's R-A-I-N, and all the challenges it brings to us personally.

A trip to an amusement park, how my son is "stretching" himself to grow stronger in dealing with his challenges - we give examples and tell stories.

Be sure to check out the My Autism Tribe website at www.MyAutismTribe.org in addition to our social platforms with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

EPISODE 68: Welcome to My Autism Tribe, an organization of advocates that are educating, supporting and empowering those in our communities. We are one voice made stronger. I'm your host, Susan Mills.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room. We haven't done a podcast in awhile. We've essentially been surviving during Covid, but we wanted to get back in the game. My husband, Cameron Mills, joins me on this episode.

Check out MyAutismTribe.org for more information, and be sure to follow us on social platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Thanks so much for listening, and we look forward to connecting with everyone again!

EPISODE 67: Remarriage with a Child on the Spectrum

With husband, Cameron Mills

INTRO:

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to My Autism Tribe. It’s been awhile since my last podcast. Many of you have been following my family’s journey for a while, so you know many of the struggles, as well as the celebrations, we have experienced over the last couple of years. This episode will feature a very special guest, my husband. From dating, to engagement, to marriage, to homeschooling during the pandemic, we talk about it all. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode, as much as we did recording it. Thanks so much for tuning in!

SEGMENT:

My husband and I met for the first time over a year ago. We started out as friends, hanging out in group settings, and started dating last October of 2019. Dating after divorce took a bit of time for me, and with me being a super protective mama, I had my standards set pretty high…some might say unreasonably high. But this man, my husband, still leaves me in awe. He’s amazing, and I’m excited to introduce him to you. Please give a warm to my husband, Cameron!

CONCLUSION:

I admit that I was skeptical about ever finding someone after my divorce. I truly never thought there would be anyone that would be a teammate with me, and would love my son as I do. No one would ever be good enough…but I was wrong. So very wrong. Cameron is my person, and I’m so thankful to have him at my side, helping me to navigate this crazy journey of parenthood. Thank you for being a part of My Autism Tribe, and for embracing my husband. Cameron, I love you. Thank you for choosing to share your life with Alex and me.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Cameron Mills Ministry:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cameronmillsministries

Cameron Mills Radio:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cameronmillsradio

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cameronmillsradio/

Twitter - Twitter - https://twitter.com/cameronradio

Cameron Mills (personal):

Twitter - Twitter - https://twitter.com/CameronMillz

EPISODE 66: Behavioral Health Therapy for ASD

With Sean Inderbitzen

INTRO:

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to My Autism Tribe. We’ll be speaking with Sean Inderbitzen on today’s show. He’s a mental health clinician who is on the autism spectrum, and reached out a couple of weeks ago because he wanted to share his voice. It makes me so happy when people reach out to me – it truly does. I want to make sure that everyone is able to share their voice, because that’s how we learn, how we expand and stretch ourselves, and at the end of the day – accept one another regardless if our views and opinions may sometimes vary from others. Thanks so much for listening!

SEGMENT:

Sean was diagnosed with autism at the age of 18, and is now a practicing behavioral health therapist. He’s so passionate about helping his clients, and letting others know about the importance of having counseling services available to people who have autism. He notes, however, that in a study 43 out of 44 clinicians are not comfortable in counseling patients on the spectrum. It’s pretty special that Sean has this personal experience as a way to relate and empathize with those lives that he touches. Please welcome Sean to our show!

CONCLUSION:

“The process of therapy for clinicians who work with individuals on the spectrum requires a unique subset of therapeutic skill that is not always taught in graduate training. While it’s important to utilize all of the common microskills (like showing empathy, active listening, open-ended questioning) with the ASD population, it’s also important to recognize these individuals may have an additional set of needs for the therapy room. For example, they may not have the cognitive capacity to follow metaphors and/or analogies that are often used in therapy.” Providing continuing professional development for clinicians will help increase the number of competent professionals in providing these appropriate services, and I’m so happy that individuals like Sean Inderbitzen are advocating. Thanks so much for being a part of My Autism Tribe, and I’ll see ya soon!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Email: [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYJdX4NCous

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYgqa_FbTok

EPISODE 65: NEURODIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

With Joseph Riddle

INTRO:

There are really important skills that people with autism have, that make them, in some cases, the best employees you could have. This is something that small businesses could benefit from, and is already something that many large corporations are already using to their advantage. Today, we’re speaking with Joseph Riddle, the Director of The Neurodiversity in the Workplace team, a dedicated group of talented individuals who work tirelessly for the people they serve. Thanks so much for listening!

SEGMENT:

Because of certain traits of autism, individuals with autism often have trouble getting past the interview stage for a job or maintaining a position once they are hired. Joseph Riddle has led a team to design and partner in implementing hiring programs for neurodiverse individuals. Companies such as SAP and their Autism at Work program, Dell, and Bank of America have participated in hiring programs allowing the creation of a network of employers and talented individuals on the spectrum. These companies, with support from Joe and his team, are leading the way in demonstrating to the American workforce that neurodiverse talent is both valuable and productive.

CONCLUSION:

Few resources have been allocated to understanding autistic adults. According to a 2017 report from the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, only 2 percent of autism research funding goes into understanding the developmental disorder for the adult population. Autism isn’t just something for young individuals, and more needs to be done to propel and prepare this population. With organizations like Neurodiversity in the Workplace, we can not only become inspired, but also determined to make the workforce a better and more welcoming environment for our loved ones. Thanks so much for being a part of My Autism Tribe, and I’ll see you soon.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Email: [email protected]  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeurodiversityInTheWorkplace/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurodiversityintheworkplace/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/4Neurodiversity