 My name is Chris Sminey, just in case you're getting to join us. This is why we get to do great conversations, give you good music and you know tell you what's happening and now today we have strength of a woman, a conversation that happens every other Wednesday where we get to edify and strengthen the woman. In this week's episode I have Joyce Sminey, who is a teacher who teaches autism kids and you know how we do it. She's here to tell us more about it. Thank you so much. So I think you may be able to do an intro, a carafe intro about yourself. You can probably tell us who is Joyce. All right. Good morning to our viewers. My name is Joyce, what I do is I teach learners with autism and that's what I've been doing since 2020. Yes, I am a graduate from Kenyatta University. I pursued Bachelor of Education special needs and I specialized with emotional and behavior disorders. Yes, basically yes, I'm a teacher and I love what I do. I'm also a Sunday school teacher where I come from in my church. So yes, women can do everything. So I am glad that you have invited me to this show. It's a pleasure. Thank you. So probably someone is seated somewhere thinking, what is autism? Okay. Autism, it's developmental disorder, mostly in children. There are characteristics of children with autism. One of them is delayed speech. You can see that a child has taken more than the required duration for them to start speaking. Some are very hyper, so they have attention deficit and they are very hyper. They have hyperactivity. Also, you can see that they don't like to engage with the regular environments. They want to control individuals playing. They just want to play on their own. They don't want to engage with other kids. Yes, I know with that description, you can see there are some kids you have seen somewhere who have such characteristics. But yes, I help them and I teach them. And I have great feedback from the kids I have taught so far. Just out of curiosity, you see the way we say that anemia, sickle cell, or we... I'm looking for another one that is usually caused by racist factors. Because parents of different blood groups... That story, my biologist is not that important. But I think you understand what I'm saying. So what causes autism? Can we relate it to probably the way we can say sickle cell or something? Not really because there's no proper way to say that autism is caused by something. Because they are just suggestions that maybe your mother was a drunkard when they were pregnant. But actually, now in reality, it is not necessarily the cause. So I cannot say, maybe the result is still ongoing to see what's the real cause. But for now, we don't have a real cause. But one thing I know is that autistic children can be helped and they are able to live a normal life just like other children. Yes, it's just a developmental problem. When you are able to see it early and you start engaging and intervening in that child's life as early as possible, the child becomes better. Better, they become independent. They even go to regular schools because they are very high-functioning intelligence. They are very smart. So if you see it early and you deal with those symptoms early enough, as early as three years, you are able to help the child to become like a regular child. So in short, you can't control autism. You can't control and say, I won't get married to someone who has a blood group so that to see what kind of disease or condition. There are so many research outside there. Some say that it can also be genetic. It can be, what do I call it? The way a person used to behave when they were pregnant. But not necessarily, not necessarily, yes. Actually, there are some people, even when they are grown-ups, you may see a grown-up, but now it was not diagnosed early. But because now they have lived with regular people, no one ever noticed that they were autistic. I have an example. There's this person, he's a media personality. He's from the U.S. So he gave birth to a child who is autistic. So the mother was like, we need to know what's the root cause of all this. So they went, they did research, they did research. Later they realized that the dad was autistic and the dad did know. So yes, it can be genetic, yes, but it's not that really genetic, yes. So how do you present? In the area where it is very, how do I put it? In the areas that it is very advanced, what are the characteristics? One of the, one of the, like you can just see is they are very hyper. Hyper, like they cannot sit at such a setting. This is very uncomfortable. Yes, this quiet place, it's very uncomfortable. They want to, if it is the cameras they want to touch and then jump on the chairs, they just want to be hyper. Move, move, move, move, move. Yes, and some can, not because they have emotional breakdown, they are called meltdowns. When they have such they can even hit themselves on the floor or they want to hurt themselves, they want to bite themselves or they want to hurt someone. Those are the extremes, yeah. How many cases of extreme hybridism? Oh my God, there are several, there are several, yes. There's this aspect of stigmatization, especially when autism and other disorders are concerned, you know. Yeah. How do you handle that? I think the issue of stigmatization is, not necessarily to the children, but also to the parents. When you see a child, you feel that they are not well taught, their parents are not, they are negligent, because how can a child just be all over and you're wondering where is the mother, where are the parents? So that's mostly the parents go through that because they feel that no one understands them, mostly with the parents that I've dealt with, because people just assume because they are child, you can tell them, stop and they stop, but these ones you have to just know how to tell them. You cannot just be firm and say, stop, stop, stop and they will stop. They might even throw a tantrum just because you said stop. So you have to like just understand the parents and just allow them to handle the child the way they know best because that's the highest form of stigma and I want to tell people that our parents who have kids with autism, they are doing their best, that one I can assure you 100% that they go out of their way. They even pay money, a lot of money by the way so that their kids can get help. And these kids also, we say that autism is a brain problem. So you cannot speed or you cannot make a child be who they are not, you get. So you have to be patient with them. So what happens is just, if it is about learning, you can learn on how to handle people with autism and one other thing is just understand them. If they feel they are not comfortable in this room, just take them maybe outside. It's okay, don't force them because when you force them, their brain cannot comprehend that. So the issue of stigmatization, as we need to, of course we are pushing it so hard that people will understand and people will know that these kids, their parents are doing their best and also their kids, they go through a lot. Yes, so we just understand them, be patient with them and help where we can. So how many children do you have in one class? In one class setting, it depends on the school. Currently I'm not working in a school but in a very good setting, maybe six children, six, and then they are teacher and assistant and a caregiver. Yes, they are like three or four people needed to assist their children at one given time. Okay, thank you for staying tuned to Why In The Morning, where we're giving you great conversation, good vibes and great music. Before we went on that short, tiny little break, we were talking about autism with teacher Joyce and you know she's giving us a lot of wisdom concerning this thing. I think we left it at how many kids are in a class. Probably we can retake that. In a class setting, like you should ensure that they are adults, like if there are probably six children, there must be a teacher, a teaching assistant and a caregiver, someone who is assisting with the needs of the children at that particular moment. So three people for six children. So that means like every person is handling two people. Yes. Okay, why? Because they have different needs and just like regular children, they also have personalities. There are some who are quiet, there are some who have stories and they want to share their stories. There are some maybe they are still learning on how to talk, there are others who have developed speech. So you have to cater for all those needs. Yes. Like according to their specific abilities, they need their own attention. Yes. So let me just ask. You see the way we have, in a normal school we have kids in grade one, grade two, grade three, grade four, blah, blah, blah, blah. So is it the same in autism where you have different classes for these kids or they are all put in one class together? One thing is that these kids are really good. They are really good in studies. Yes. So we start from, maybe it's a special needs unit, we start from the PPs to the grades and then to the vocational and to the course they want to take. Yes. So do they study? Just a regular thing. Okay. So do they study the normal curriculum or do they have their own curriculum? They do their own, the regular curriculum, maybe the CBC one. Yes. They are able to. How equipped are they to do CBC? I've seen no CBC things and they are quite something. Actually for them it works because they love being engaged. They love being engaged. So that one really works. They want to know how to cook. They want to identify the environment. So by the time they are getting there they will have basics and they will be able to do what others are supposed to be doing at that particular level. Yes. Okay, okay. They are actually very smart. Very smart. I had a child, I think he was three or four and every time he would pass a place he would cram what he had seen like they have like a photographic memory. They would, if it is that written there, Y254, imagine, they would go and now start saying Y254, I-M-A-G-I-N-E, like everything. Like they have that and he would spell word by word. No matter how long it is or how complex they would still spell it and they were just four. That's not regular for a four year old. They are really good. Yes. There's this, okay, I don't know what to call it. I don't know if I should call it stigma. I don't know. I don't have good word for it. Yeah. But there's this aspect of people saying where, I don't know if I'm supposed to say that but excuse my ignorance for lack of a better word when I was young. What is, because I think people don't understand what this is and what madness is. Do you mind probably elaborating? Okay. Yeah. Yeah, people may term them as that but they are not mad. It's just, it depends because I have seen kids with the right, I think in the back days people need to know that there are ways you can intervene and change their lives. You get, but nowadays there are ways you can intervene as early as three and you can identify what works for them and then that's what you offer to them. What works for them is what you offer to them and they will be really regular. That when there was, if it is not really when there was, they are really normal, normal. It's just their temperaments are not like ours. You are able to control how you feel but for them sometimes the brain just can't. This one is too much. They don't even know how to bring it out. You see the way, like a two year old is trying to learn this life. Now they are a baby, now they are trying to get, to adjust into their new environment. Sometimes they just throw a tantrum and it's okay. This will just get to a point that they cannot identify with what is happening and to them it's a lot of pressure. To them they feel it is like their world is crashing. So for you is just see that they are suffering and they need help. So if you are able to assist, they are better because it is not like they need you to do something out of this world. If they feel that a place is nice, they just take them to a place that is quiet. If they feel that place is too crowded, they just take them to a place where they can be able to deal with it. It's just knowing how to deal with it. They are just okay. So for how long will this dealing with it take? Lifetime? Not really. A few years. What happens, even when you are raising a regular child, you teach them. Yes, as from church, we know that the Bible says that when you teach a child a place of God, they will never depart from it. Everything that you teach a child, they are developing you get. As they develop whatever you present to them, that's what they take. If you present to them that this is how I deal with this kind of emotion breakdown, that's how they are going to adjust. And they are really good in learning because if every time they see, maybe they are not comfortable with the lights they see that every time they are in a place that it's full of light, you tell them to leave. Every time that they are in that setting and they feel that the lights are too much, they will just walk to a place that they feel it is not that jiggering. So yes, like when you teach them, and they love routine. So if you keep on doing something for a while, they take it. And they will actually naturally, that's what they take. It's not for a long time. Yes. Nice. So how, if you are to describe, how has your experience been dealing with families of autism children? When I'm dealing with families with children with autism, my first, my heart goes to the parents first of all before the kids because I feel the parents go through a lot, a lot. They have to raise money. Most of these kids may have a diet because that if a child is hyper, they are supposed to eat things that are not sugary, things that are, that do not trigger their hyperactivity. So I go to, my heart goes to the parents. They spend a lot of money. They also need a lot of emotional guidance on how to handle themselves in dealing with these children. So parents really need a lot of support, a lot of support. To the children, if the parents are okay, I feel the children are in good hands. Yeah. Nice. What? Nice. Hey, grace to you. There is this aspect, a while back, especially during the autism awareness period, there was a while back that there was great outcry and campaign actually against parents who hide their children. How is the situation now? I can't say that it is completely dealt with. Some parents still hide, lack of a better word that they don't want their kids to be out there because they are fearing how people will take it. So still we have a long way to go, but I feel we have moved a step higher. So we are doing well. But just to encourage any parents, any parent who is watching today and they have a child who is autistic, that's not the end of their life. Yes, their life still continues and they have a great future. A child, the Bible says that the children are blessing. Yes, in Psalms it says that they are gift from God. It doesn't say that some children, it says all children. So that's a gift we have from God. You just know how to handle that gift and make that gift the best they can be. Don't hide them. They are channels. The government is really doing well. They are institutions that are helping kids with autism. Just bring your child. They will be helped. Just tell someone. There are even groups in their social medias. You cannot lack somewhere you can get help. Nowadays, information is out here. Just engage with the information and you get the help you need. Nowadays, it's not as bad as Kitambo how you used to go back door to door to take kids. Nowadays, not really. Mostly in Nairobi because I am now based in Nairobi. I feel people have really brought their kids out. Yes. Have you, what's the most challenging behaviour you've had to handle in a class? I think the most challenging one is just the child wanting to explore. They just want to jump out and run away. That's really. And they will run first. Oh! So before you catch up with them, you'll be very tired. And you don't know where they are going. And now when they see that you are chasing them, they can't just do anything. They are not in their right state of mind. They can just hurt themselves. When you are running without knowing where you are going, anything can happen. So that really scares someone because you are like, where are they going? Yes. There was a case, a child wanted to run away and they wanted to run out of the school. Where are they going? They are cars, they are roads. So you have to be really careful and have the right measures to ensure that they are, no matter, like any, you are able to see any extreme and be able to come it before something happens. Yes. So are they able to get into careers, like professional careers in the future? Oh yes. Yes they are. And they are able to perform? Yes. Oh. And they get married? Oh yes. I am asking, I am asking because probably we don't do this show for ourselves alone. Yeah. Someone is seated at home thinking I have known of autism but I have never known if these people can have careers. I have never known if these people can get married. I have never known. So at times it goes beyond just us having a conversation. Yeah. Yes. It's quite something. It's quite something. These kids can, if they love something because now you will see if they are into computers you will see it as early as possible and they pursue it with all of it. Like everything that they have they pursue what they love. If they love football they will pursue it. If they love tech they will pursue it. So what happens is when you guide them in that way they are the best, very best. They are geniuses most of them like whatever they choose to do they are extremely productive in that area. So yes, they will perform because now by the time they are getting to that age they have gone through different developmental stages they are able to handle their emotions or there is someone maybe who is assisting them in case of anything. So it's not about big deal when they are grown ups and now if they get married there is someone who of course by the time you are agreeing to get married to someone who has that background you know what you are getting into. So you assist them in the best way possible and any support, yes. So actually they are so good they are really awesome people. So what will do encourage if if a parent or guardian sees a talent they should push it. Just pursue it. That's their breakthrough. That's their breakthrough. Just pursue it. Don't just do anything that it takes because nowadays when you just pursue something God just opens those. Just somehow. God just opened us opened us and your child will be will be assisted. One thing I think I should mention is anytime you find any child whether they are regular or they are with special needs just show them that you love them. Don't even if you feel that their behavior is not the best don't give them that face of what are you doing. Just try to get their level and understand them. Any child sees someone who loves them and they take that. If you show a child that you don't love them they are going to repel you they are going to actually they can even misbehave because they see this one they can never understand me. So even children with autism they love being loved and they they just get to love you. If you show them that you love them they love you unconditionally like it is like a lifetime attachment so the best thing is just show them love that's the least you can give to them that will help them in their life very greatly. Yes. Does it take them long to learn speech therapy and etc etc? It doesn't take long it doesn't take long but what I advise most of the parents is the earlier the better. Yes the earlier the better because at two, three, four the brain is still developing so how you condition that brain to function is how that kid will be. So if you teach the brain that it is okay they can learn how to talk as early as possible just do intervention early so you are able to learn very quickly. Nice, nice. So moving away from autism what else do you do as a person? I think my life mostly revolves around teaching children with autism I also do business yes I'm a business person I sell beddings yes so you if you need bed sheets pillowcases I do and I also teach children in church Amazing, so how does your normal day look like? Wow my normal day looks like waking up early yes doing my devotions if I have a client nowadays I'm working with a client who needs me to assist them I go I help those children like it's a full-time job and then my business is I do them during the weekends yes So you are able to balance a bit Yes I'm able to you have to because in every area you are needed yes and we are the people to give solutions so anywhere you are needed your input yes amazing I think we are almost bringing this conversation to an end and I wanted to I don't know I'm turning between asking you cheek questions we usually have to cheek questions or asking you to give us a patting shot then we do the cheek question I'm not sure not sure what I want to do but I'll probably ask you to give us a patting shot first using that camera okay it's been great it's been amazing it's like a call out to everyone who is watching us just to ensure that our children have the right environment for them to grow whether they are regular whether they have disability let's help them because we are the society we are the community that helps those who are coming after us to be the best that they can and when we make them we make this world a better place for them they are going to have the best life in their future and they are also going to model that to those who come after them so yes it is just making life better for whoever is around you and whoever comes after you it's been great being in this show I feel that I have been able to they need to help our children because as we already are adults the people who are after us, they are their children and we have to ensure that they have the best life and we have to ensure that they get the best resources help, if they need help just offer something to them because you have it thank you so much and God bless you so what can you live the house without as a girl I think I live I think I live bound to on the road are you a cheetah or a tortoise I think I am a cheetah, I really walk fast he also flashes yes, any day makeup, no makeup I don't know makeup but not extreme not ass not to you, I love makeup but on a regular day or just do a touch up I am done thank you scuttle trousers wow, I think I really love dresses okay thank you thank you so much for making time thank you so much for sharing you're welcome for sharing your knowledge on what is it we've learnt a theme or two we do want to tell us your social media handle yeah yes on instagram I am at Joy Joyas the same as facebook yes, if anyone wants to reach me I can also give out my phone number yes, it's okay alright, so my phone number is 0707 621844 0707 621844 yes, thank you I want to say a few words please for anyone who needs help mostly with their children I don't know what to say I don't know I am single I like not to thank you so much thank you for coming you're welcome and that was Joyas Maena who is a teacher dealing with autism learners and she's been giving us a whole lot of insights towards what is autism, who are autism learners can they live a normal life can they do normal things and you know one thing I have loved about what she has said is that these people are very normal like they just have different abilities from your ability and that doesn't make them any lesser over person so when you see someone out there with autism or struggling with any other disability please show them love and care they need it but do not touch that tile Val is coming back with more that was the strength of a woman