December 8, 2025 • 27 mins
In this episode of Quality Living With Peaceful Support, host Amanda Whittemore and Ben McQuade explore the power of collaboration among local radio personalities to amplify diverse community voices. The discussion centers on autism, with Ben sharing personal insights into the unique sensitivities and talents often found in autistic individuals. The discussion highlights the importance of empathy, respect, and nurturing environments, both in media and daily life, to help everyone thrive. Practical examples like Universal Studios’ inclusive programs underscore the value of supportive initiatives. The show encourages volunteering, education, and open conversations about autism to foster acceptance, empowerment, and a stronger, more inclusive community.
Host: Amanda Whittemore; Producer: Amanda Whittemore
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual participants. Curry Coast Community Radio takes no position on issues discussed in this program.
If you enjoy this program and want to hear more like it, consider supporting Curry Coast Community Radio. Here’s How.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:14):
We are here in the KCIW
radio station here in Brookings, Oregon, right on
the Southern Coast
Of Oregon.
And we're right at the ocean
having a lovely day.
Every day in Brookings is beautiful.
It really is. We're very fortunate to be
(00:35):
in this banana belt of Brookings
right at the base of Oregon.
And the Chetco. In the Chetco. Yeah. Yeah.
The coastline of the Chetco.
We're really, really, really fortunate. And listeners,
if you're not from this area
and you're tuning in from some other faraway
land, we thank you for taking the time
(00:56):
to listen and hear all about this special
little place in the world.
And mostly, we're here to hear from you.
So if you have some questions or comments,
please call
(541)
661-4098.
Soon enough, I'll figure out where that phone
number goes to.
But
for the time being, hopefully,
(01:16):
it goes to
the Quality Living Show with peaceful support. I
am Amanda Whittemore, and we have
a really special guest, Ben McQuade. And we
are we did so much so good. We
had so much fun that we're pretty much
just gonna invite Ben on to be a
cohost here on the Quality Living Show.
And, you know, he can chime in or
tune in anytime he wants and pop on
(01:39):
a show, do what he wants. So that's
just what's really going to expand
the quality of quality living.
Well, that that's awesome. Thank you so much.
Yeah.
Because
you
as we talked about before in our first
show Mhmm.
Definitely do that. So if I can be
(01:59):
a part of that in any way, that
is fantastic.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We got it happening. Got
it going on, and there's, you know, tons
of airspace. And
a lot of us talk about, like, there's
a gentleman who came on who did the
Comic Con in at the Elks Lodge and
a couple other places. Do you know about
that show? I do not. Yeah. So it's
where at the Elks Lodge, but not the
(02:20):
Comic Con. Okay. So all the gamers who
do cards and have fun and dress in
anime costume or, like, you know, play the
game like, do all that, you know, board
games, card games, all the things.
It's a huge activity and it's super big
out there in the world. Like, like,
biggest production I've ever seen is Comic Con.
(02:40):
Yeah. And, I mean, I don't know if
you've seen it in other movies, but we
have one here in Brookings, Oregon.
And it comes up usually in March. And
when he was on the show, we were
really
all about pushing
a card game
show
here on the radio. I just thought it
would be
so fitting. There's another couple other people, the
guy who owns
(03:02):
Whimsical Gifts
Mhmm.
Right there next next door to us, a
couple doors down here on Main Street.
And Vincent is his name, not the guy.
Sorry, Vincent.
We love you.
And
he he was in here on our show
also as a guest. And just even with
all of them, even if they rotated host
(03:23):
or co host or character personalities
of the radio program,
I just feel that there's so much more
airtime and so much more
available space that when we collaborate
and we collectively work together,
we can set the pieces. And as it
gets, you know, exponentially
grander than us, then we bring more shows.
(03:43):
And that's always welcome too. And healthy
living,
comes in so many ways. Oh, yeah. Do
you know what I mean? I do. Like,
a card game, for example, you know.
My brother in Junction City, Brian, you're gonna
love this,
because he's into that as well. Yeah. He's
gone to almost every Comic Con in his
(04:03):
area. Really? Yeah.
Yeah. Like I said, healthy living comes in
so many different ways, and I think that's
one of the best things that we do
here. It is. It is. And if it
fuels
us from the inside out, like, we just
have that
invisible
gas line that just keeps us happy and
motivated and feeling good and loving what we're
(04:24):
doing,
who cares?
Exactly.
Exactly.
You know, you you are appreciated.
Absolutely.
You really are.
And
speaking of appreciated,
everyone who's donated to the KCIW radio station,
we really, really do thank you.
And it really is the only way that
the radio station has made it this far
(04:45):
with all this beautiful equipment in the station.
If you've donated and you've never been into
the KCIW radio station,
we invite you to get in here, do
a tour, bring your kids, bring your family,
learn about radio,
and just see how rewarding it is to
be part of something more that you listen
to. It's there's something more about radio that's
(05:07):
really tangible.
Well, I mean,
I I think a lot of people don't
realize they have a voice. Mhmm. You know?
And we're trying to give people
their voice through us. Never mind, hey, you
can come bring your own voice. We have
three empty microphones right across the way from
us.
Not that we're lonely,
(05:27):
but but There's room. There's space for everybody.
Absolutely. Great point. Everybody should have a voice,
does have a voice.
And that's, I think, one of the things
that we are trying to
accomplish
and facilitate.
Mhmm. Absolutely.
Very much so. And so tell us a
little bit more because you do have a
(05:47):
little bit of radio background. I'm not sure
if we touched on that last show you
were on with us.
We didn't a whole lot. It was more
of
a,
radio show as far as music
in Key West. Oh, nice. Two of my
very best friends
had a
show, and there would be, I think, two
(06:07):
and a half minutes of content between Mhmm.
Certain times of whatever we were playing Oh,
cool. For,
what's the Key West radio station? Is
it's not KWST.
I can't remember at the moment off the
top of my head. I apologize. That's okay.
I kinda put you on the spot with
that one. No. I know. But and it's
(06:27):
been a while. But,
but that was really
it was a lot of fun. And it
was a lot of
letting us know
letting other people know, rather,
what to do around the area
in between
great songs that we were playing. Oh, so
like the action packed key hook and line
and sinker of, like, stay active, keep listening,
(06:49):
go do cool stuff. Yep. Tune tune in.
Stay tuned in for all the hot info.
Yeah.
Meanwhile, here's your song.
Yeah.
This
is something that I prefer
much better because we have so much more
time for actual content Mhmm.
Which I think
(07:09):
the the whole community needs.
We really do. We really do. Even I
was listening to Joni
Lindenmeyer's
show that she has on, which she's a
phenomenal radio DJ, host, character,
personality,
all just human being, just beautiful spirit.
And she really had on a guest
(07:29):
that was,
saying the same thing. Like, we just really
need more time to listen,
more time to really be present
and really set energy and time to like
a digestion
of our thoughts. Like, what are do we
just put in our body?
Where is it going?
And those are thoughts. Doesn't have to be
something in your belly. Right. Right. And, you
(07:51):
know, things in your mind. Like,
how does that come in? Where does it
go? And what do you do with it?
Exactly.
That's very much very true. And that's that's
kinda why, you know, that's that's these tools
that we have here in with the radio
program is to just be that platform.
Mhmm.
Mhmm. No. It's wonderful.
I mean, and it's
(08:12):
and again, thank you, Mike.
You doing, man? Yeah. And everybody else who
makes this possible because
it is needed.
And
it is something that a lot of people
don't know about
and can get information about
and can make you happy in your day,
you know? And that's the whole one of
the biggest things that we wanna do on
(08:32):
this show that I know. Absolutely.
And I'm trying to look up Michael's last
name so we can get proper recognition.
He's shaking his head at me. We'll get
it on the next one.
We so we are on the quality living
program with peaceful support. I'm Amanda Whittemore. We
(08:54):
have Ben McQuaid in our studio,
and he is
a brand new host, video radio
personality that you'll be listening to more often.
And you can always email contact
at k c I w dot o r
g. I'm not sure about you guys, but
when I'm listening to radio talk,
I love it. I'm I'm intrigued. I've got
(09:15):
it on. I turn it up a little
bit louder so I can really hear what
they're saying.
But sometimes, I have no idea what they're
talking about or who the heck is in
the studio. Sure. So if I repeat who
I am and what I'm doing and what
you're listening to,
that's why.
She does not have ADHD
or anything like that. It's alright.
(09:36):
That five minute, what just happened? Where am
I? Yeah. Who am I? Yeah. You're fine.
Excellent.
Okay. So we do have a topic of
the day, believe it or not.
And, Ben, why don't you go ahead and
introduce it for us? Okay.
And this could be a two to three
to four parter, honestly. Maybe for the rest
(09:58):
of our life. Could be. Yeah. It's about
autism.
And
there I am I'm gonna preface this with
I am not an expert in any way
about anything.
I'm just talking about my family experience and
people that I know,
that are in my extended family. Okay.
(10:20):
You know, it was first diagnosed in 1943.
I think it's been misdiagnosed
a lot. Mhmm.
And I think there's been a stigma
about it.
Okay. And one of the things that
I have found
and my family and
the people that I know with
this situation,
(10:42):
because it's not a disease, I don't think,
it's, you know, in my mind,
It's a hypersensitivity.
Right. Right. You know, of different
say we're all at, you know, 50
when it comes to smell, taste, sound, you
know, all the senses. Right.
A lot of autistic people have one of
those ramped up to one sixty
(11:03):
or lower down to zero.
A million percent. Yeah.
So
I've just found that
everybody, they all have their own special
gift. Mhmm. I have a cousin, for example.
She's not very she's very socially awkward. Mhmm.
Mhmm. But she won she's a champion downhill
(11:24):
skier.
I have another cousin who
was socially awkward coming into his life,
became an engineer. Mhmm.
Worked for the Salem law enforcement department
and is doing amazing.
Yeah.
It's definitely
a broad spectrum of
(11:47):
sensitivity levels, and I've experienced that
in my life with multiple different people
within my own self in different times. And
I've
recognized that
depending on what we're doing, like you're talking
about, like depending if it's acknowledged,
accepted, accelerated,
it could either it could go any way.
(12:08):
Sure. As with most of our talents
or what people
may think is a disorder or may people
may think is
a disease. I mean, it could be cancer.
We're talking about autism right now. However,
when we treat something a certain way without
quality, without peacefulness, without support,
it's disruptive and it just will ignite in
(12:29):
a fire and just disintegrate and just eat
itself up. But if it's given love and
respect and all the quality peaceful yumminess,
it blossoms into this beautiful garden.
And that's exactly why I wanted to bring
it up on our show.
I have a one of my best friends,
Darren McCaffrey, I was just with this past
July for my friend's Celebration Life. Mhmm. And
(12:50):
his son, Patrick, is 16.
And he is a very high functioning
but very autistic
person.
And at the end of the show, I
would like to, you know, send out his
link, because he is now becoming a chef.
Oh. Because he got he got the right
environment
and he started out doing dishes Uh-huh. Then
(13:12):
making salads. Right. And he took a while
Uh-huh. But all the salads were perfect.
No, they were.
So now he's sauteing. He's Oh, yeah. Doctor.
Joshua Nelson And what I found out, I
was talking to
his dad, Darryl,
before I came here,
they're going to Universal Studios in three days.
I guess they have a program. I'm not
(13:32):
sure how you get this, but anybody who
wants to do this, who has an autistic
child,
they give you
someone to walk with you through the park
the whole time
and they get to ride the rides as
long as they want. They don't have to
wait in lines.
They can do all these different things. Yes.
I didn't know that either. Like, literally, just
before I came here. No way. Yep.
(13:55):
And again, I'm not sure what it's called
or How it works. How it works, but
it is completely possible.
Everything is possible.
Exactly. Including nothing, but that is something.
Right? Yeah.
We would high five right now. Yep.
But I thought that was just amazing because
(14:16):
it just takes a little bit of extra
time. It does. And I think a lot
of that comes into with everything
Mhmm. In
healthy, healing living. And I mean, anything that
we're trying to do, if you just take
a little bit of extra time, like we
talked about in the first show,
open a door for somebody, that kind of
thing.
But with autism,
if you
(14:38):
just take a little bit of time to
take it take yourself back and put yourself
in somebody else's shoes Mhmm. Per se,
you can help figure out what they need
and give it to them. Right.
Yeah. Because,
a lot of people, I think, just don't
and,
don't wanna have the time
(15:01):
kinda thing. And it does take time. It
does take understanding. It does take,
all kinds of hits and misses, shall we
say. Mhmm. But it's super, super possible. And
my friend is going through a divorce at
the moment. Mhmm. His 16 year old autistic
son is keeping him
(15:22):
happy, guided,
focused right now. Of course.
So you know what I mean? So Yeah.
They
they get us too. Yeah.
Absolutely. And that's, you know, when given the
space. Absolutely. And it kinda reminds me for
some reason I mean, we go we all
go through the same things. Like, when you
were speaking about the scenario that he's, you
(15:43):
know, graduated from dishes to the salads to
the it's like, I can find that in
my own self, in my own experiences. I
remember even doing that with you. And this
is even kind of funnier,
is Austin.
Yep. I reached out to Austin. He's actually
gonna call in from Bend, Oregon, give us
an update.
Nice. He's like a savant.
Like, I and when I think of somebody
(16:03):
who's super intelligent
and has different sensory units, I I think
of it autism as a positive,
as something as I guess, a special gift.
And even if it's not physical,
I just feel that those traits are like
something really like superhero powers. I absolutely agree.
That's what I was saying about the
levels of, you know, if we're all at
(16:23):
50 for this. Yeah. There's gonna be a
120,
there's gonna be five. There's gonna be all
these other things. Right. And it's funny because
I still keep in, contact with Austin as
well. Nice. No, I do. He was one
of my absolute favorites that we work with.
Me too. What's even funnier
is when we we had
we weren't speaking the same language when I
(16:45):
first started,
even though we speak three languages and common.
And Austin actually
brought us in the back room and had
to sit down to Yeah. He could figure
out how to be best friends. And then
we got it. Yes. Yeah. No. You're absolutely
right. That's funny. Yeah. I forgot what
that
(17:05):
Yeah. So everything is possible. And so and
it just takes somebody who sees the bigger
picture
to, like, just sit down
and take the time to show us the
path that maybe, you know, we know is
more beneficial for us. For sure. Because we
always don't know, you know, and especially when
you're,
you know, helping other people, as we talked
(17:26):
about in the last show, you know, surviving
versus living kind of thing. Oh, yeah. You
know, and when you're surviving, a lot of
times you're just trying to help other people
so you don't have to deal with your
own stuff. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You know? But
That sucks. You can't. It totally does. And
it's totally
all you all you're doing is pushing that
away.
(17:46):
Whereas
once you go, hey, okay,
this person's telling me this or, you know,
that and that. Wow. I get it.
And that was easy.
Like, that was super easy.
Yeah. Yeah. It's and it's what's even more
noticeable,
not to get off the topic too much,
but when we
(18:07):
we are on the Quality Living with Peaceful
Support show, and it's just kind
of just goes wherever we let it go.
So we're okay with that.
And,
so when we are talking about taking care
of ourselves or taking care of others and
being able to be responsive
and
see, okay, this needs attention or be,
what's the word? It starts with a p.
(18:28):
Perceptive or Perceptive.
A different one?
Processing.
Prevent
oh gosh, Amanda. What's the word? Preventive maintenance?
No. I mean, basically is what we're trying
to say. But it's like,
when in a prediction where you can, like,
predict what they want, predictable actions. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. And
so no matter who it is, like, if
(18:49):
they're to be able to predict and see
and it's not necessarily predicting. It's reading the
present,
you know, and seeing, okay. Well, if I
just hand him a water, like, he's probably
gonna live.
Because if you predict, you're putting your own
thought into it. Mhmm. Whereas if you're just
trying to perceive it Mhmm. You know, and
be perceptible about it Yeah. Then you're accepting
(19:11):
their
Right. Issue at the present moment. Yeah. And
you're not putting yourself in there. And then
you can help better. Exactly.
Yeah. Makes a lot. I have found anyway.
Yeah. Yeah. No, that's for sure. Again, I
am no
I am no,
expert
on any of this, but it is so
prevalent in not only my family,
(19:32):
my friends' families,
and I know I was misdiagnosed
for a very long time.
Like I said, 1943,
Donald Triplett was the first person diagnosed with
with
autism.
And I'm sure
there were so many people before him Mhmm.
That were not diagnosed
(19:52):
or misdiagnosed,
you know?
And now,
again, it's just it's
levels of
perception
and ability,
you know? And a lot of them are
emotional. A lot of them are,
communicative.
Mhmm.
And a lot of people don't understand that.
But if you just
(20:13):
listen, learn, like, because, you know, a lot
of autistic kids like to touch certain things,
you know what I mean? Or don't wanna
touch. Right. Yeah.
Or don't in that way. You know? But
if you listen
and if you just,
you know, take a step back
Do you know the guy,
Fred, I think is his name. Pardon me.
(20:34):
I keep saying that, the guy. So I
believe his name is Fred. He was on
her show also. He has all the poodles.
I believe so. Yeah. And he drives around
and he delivers
these poodles
to different locations. Because when people with autism,
all of us, no matter who we are,
if we have anxiety or PTSD or whatever
it is, we all go places.
(20:56):
And we don't always have our cozy special
chair or our special thermos or our nice
cuddly blanket that calms us down.
He brings these dogs to do
support
wherever he goes and he always seems to
find somebody who's, you know, has PTSD moment
or is going through an autism,
sequence or a a phase where they're just
(21:17):
having a meltdown.
And these cuddle
labrador Labradoodles? Labradoodles. Yeah. Yeah. They
are they're trained to work with them. And
same thing with vets. Yeah. You know? Yeah.
Exactly. I live a lot of
I've come from a military family.
I did not serve, but my brother did
two tours in Afghanistan. My grandfather was a
(21:38):
machine gunner in World War Two.
My father was a marine to Paris Island,
you know, so all the PTSD
is
very similar
in that same regard. Mhmm. Mhmm. And you
and you can use the same techniques, I
guess, is what we're trying to say. Oh,
yeah. Absolutely. And that's that's kinda the beauty
of speaking about what we're talking about right
now, just having a normal conversation about something
(21:59):
that most people don't talk about or even
take time to learn about
because these are all normal things that are
just normal Yeah. Normal ways to support people
in our community. Don't be afraid, folks. Don't
be afraid. Yeah. You know, there are so
many people
there, especially here in the Brookings area, there
are so many outlets
and,
(22:22):
places of support
for all kinds of things. Mhmm. Mhmm. Us
included. Yeah. So give a call, (541) 661-4098.
We'll link you up. If you don't have
the resources, just just a volunteer
activity that we will provide.
And
also,
well,
(22:42):
volunteering
is, like, the coolest way to actually get
involved and learn about something or anything. You
don't have to pay.
You don't have to,
you know, sign up and be committed to
any type of hours. It's just a real
fancy way to say, hey, I'm here to
learn about this.
Sure. Mhmm. Great way to put it.
I would just like to add one more
(23:03):
thing as well.
My friend Dara's son, Patrick,
he's Patrick McCaffrey. You can look him up
on YouTube,
and he's
at p mcmaster
and that is his
basically cooking channel that you can find and
he is awesome.
He did a whole
(23:23):
when he first got 200 followers Oh my
gosh. He did a whole,
like, you know, hey.
Like like infomercial about it. Oh my gosh.
And again, he is helping take care of
his dad
right now. Tell me what it is so
I can look it up on YouTube. It
is at pmcmaster.
I just put at
p. Oh, wait. The at or around sign.
(23:45):
Yep. Capital p. Capital P.
Okay.
M c
m a s t e There's another Patrick
McCaffrey that plays basketball for Iowa State. Not
the same guy.
Cooking show.
We're gonna have to search through the YouTube
because
(24:06):
It is. But he's he's wonderful. And again,
he because my friend is going through a
divorce at the moment, and,
that's that's what I'm saying about, you know,
autistic people
being in tune with us,
you know, more than we're in tune with
them. Oh, yeah. Because they I think a
lot of times, they get it more than
(24:27):
we do, honestly.
Because they have different senses
that they're
connected with. Exactly.
Exactly.
I'm trying to find his cooking show right
now. Can they go to where he works
at the restaurant and taste get like, enjoy
his presence?
Yes. And that's what we'll do on the
next show when we do the follow-up. Okay.
(24:48):
Okay. Because again, there's
there's a lot more to talk about about
the subject. Okay. I knew this wasn't gonna
be easy to do in twenty eight minutes.
Okay. So
I would like us to do another,
you know, at least a half version of
it. YouTube.
Yeah. Absolutely.
We could definitely do that. Patrick McCaffrey,
YouTube,
look him up. He's awesome.
(25:10):
How excited. And he,
just for a quick example, I know we're
running out of time.
So I had a bunch of change in
my pocket because I stayed with them when
I was in Florida for my friend's celebration
of life. And I had all this change
and I'm like, hey, you know, does Patrick
have a change jar? He's like, well, no.
But just leave it on his bed. I'm
like, I'm not gonna leave it on his
bed.
(25:31):
So I left it on his nightstand with
a $5 bill. Mhmm. And he's like, Uncle
Benzo. Thank you for the money. I love
you.
And it was one of the best things
that could have possibly been said to me
at that time.
Oh. You know?
Yeah. Seriously.
Aw.
I love it.
(25:52):
And highlighting,
you know, highlighting the achievements that we make,
the simplest ones
or the most extravagant ones. Like, you know,
when we look at an achievement all as
an achievement, like, it's to be celebrated. Celebrate
each day,
bring in a little bit more appreciation for
yourself
and the quality that you have
(26:14):
around you. You know? Some people when they
show up to my yoga classes, they don't
realize that
they're able to do the things. And I
said, the fact that you made it to
class is a miracle. Let's celebrate that everyone's
in class today and all clap and we're
so grateful that we made it. I mean,
this the simplest thing is just celebrate.
And Just to get there. Be be present.
(26:34):
Be present. And this looks like the best
cooking show ever. We're gonna hear more all
about it on our next episode.
Thank you, Ben. Thank you, listeners.
Thank you, Amanda. Yeah. Woo hoo.
KCIW,
100.7.
We are here in the KCIW
radio station here in Brookings, Oregon, right on
the Southern Coast
Of Oregon.
And we're right at the ocean
having a lovely day.
Every day in Brookings is beautiful.
It really is. We're very fortunate to be
(00:35):
in this banana belt of Brookings
right at the base of Oregon.
And the Chetco. In the Chetco. Yeah. Yeah.
The coastline of the Chetco.
We're really, really, really fortunate. And listeners,
if you're not from this area
and you're tuning in from some other faraway
land, we thank you for taking the time
(00:56):
to listen and hear all about this special
little place in the world.
And mostly, we're here to hear from you.
So if you have some questions or comments,
please call
(541)
661-4098.
Soon enough, I'll figure out where that phone
number goes to.
But
for the time being, hopefully,
(01:16):
it goes to
the Quality Living Show with peaceful support. I
am Amanda Whittemore, and we have
a really special guest, Ben McQuade. And we
are we did so much so good. We
had so much fun that we're pretty much
just gonna invite Ben on to be a
cohost here on the Quality Living Show.
And, you know, he can chime in or
tune in anytime he wants and pop on
(01:39):
a show, do what he wants. So that's
just what's really going to expand
the quality of quality living.
Well, that that's awesome. Thank you so much.
Yeah.
Because
you
as we talked about before in our first
show Mhmm.
Definitely do that. So if I can be
(01:59):
a part of that in any way, that
is fantastic.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We got it happening. Got
it going on, and there's, you know, tons
of airspace. And
a lot of us talk about, like, there's
a gentleman who came on who did the
Comic Con in at the Elks Lodge and
a couple other places. Do you know about
that show? I do not. Yeah. So it's
where at the Elks Lodge, but not the
(02:20):
Comic Con. Okay. So all the gamers who
do cards and have fun and dress in
anime costume or, like, you know, play the
game like, do all that, you know, board
games, card games, all the things.
It's a huge activity and it's super big
out there in the world. Like, like,
biggest production I've ever seen is Comic Con.
(02:40):
Yeah. And, I mean, I don't know if
you've seen it in other movies, but we
have one here in Brookings, Oregon.
And it comes up usually in March. And
when he was on the show, we were
really
all about pushing
a card game
show
here on the radio. I just thought it
would be
so fitting. There's another couple other people, the
guy who owns
(03:02):
Whimsical Gifts
Mhmm.
Right there next next door to us, a
couple doors down here on Main Street.
And Vincent is his name, not the guy.
Sorry, Vincent.
We love you.
And
he he was in here on our show
also as a guest. And just even with
all of them, even if they rotated host
(03:23):
or co host or character personalities
of the radio program,
I just feel that there's so much more
airtime and so much more
available space that when we collaborate
and we collectively work together,
we can set the pieces. And as it
gets, you know, exponentially
grander than us, then we bring more shows.
(03:43):
And that's always welcome too. And healthy
living,
comes in so many ways. Oh, yeah. Do
you know what I mean? I do. Like,
a card game, for example, you know.
My brother in Junction City, Brian, you're gonna
love this,
because he's into that as well. Yeah. He's
gone to almost every Comic Con in his
(04:03):
area. Really? Yeah.
Yeah. Like I said, healthy living comes in
so many different ways, and I think that's
one of the best things that we do
here. It is. It is. And if it
fuels
us from the inside out, like, we just
have that
invisible
gas line that just keeps us happy and
motivated and feeling good and loving what we're
(04:24):
doing,
who cares?
Exactly.
Exactly.
You know, you you are appreciated.
Absolutely.
You really are.
And
speaking of appreciated,
everyone who's donated to the KCIW radio station,
we really, really do thank you.
And it really is the only way that
the radio station has made it this far
(04:45):
with all this beautiful equipment in the station.
If you've donated and you've never been into
the KCIW radio station,
we invite you to get in here, do
a tour, bring your kids, bring your family,
learn about radio,
and just see how rewarding it is to
be part of something more that you listen
to. It's there's something more about radio that's
(05:07):
really tangible.
Well, I mean,
I I think a lot of people don't
realize they have a voice. Mhmm. You know?
And we're trying to give people
their voice through us. Never mind, hey, you
can come bring your own voice. We have
three empty microphones right across the way from
us.
Not that we're lonely,
(05:27):
but but There's room. There's space for everybody.
Absolutely. Great point. Everybody should have a voice,
does have a voice.
And that's, I think, one of the things
that we are trying to
accomplish
and facilitate.
Mhmm. Absolutely.
Very much so. And so tell us a
little bit more because you do have a
(05:47):
little bit of radio background. I'm not sure
if we touched on that last show you
were on with us.
We didn't a whole lot. It was more
of
a,
radio show as far as music
in Key West. Oh, nice. Two of my
very best friends
had a
show, and there would be, I think, two
(06:07):
and a half minutes of content between Mhmm.
Certain times of whatever we were playing Oh,
cool. For,
what's the Key West radio station? Is
it's not KWST.
I can't remember at the moment off the
top of my head. I apologize. That's okay.
I kinda put you on the spot with
that one. No. I know. But and it's
(06:27):
been a while. But,
but that was really
it was a lot of fun. And it
was a lot of
letting us know
letting other people know, rather,
what to do around the area
in between
great songs that we were playing. Oh, so
like the action packed key hook and line
and sinker of, like, stay active, keep listening,
(06:49):
go do cool stuff. Yep. Tune tune in.
Stay tuned in for all the hot info.
Yeah.
Meanwhile, here's your song.
Yeah.
This
is something that I prefer
much better because we have so much more
time for actual content Mhmm.
Which I think
(07:09):
the the whole community needs.
We really do. We really do. Even I
was listening to Joni
Lindenmeyer's
show that she has on, which she's a
phenomenal radio DJ, host, character,
personality,
all just human being, just beautiful spirit.
And she really had on a guest
(07:29):
that was,
saying the same thing. Like, we just really
need more time to listen,
more time to really be present
and really set energy and time to like
a digestion
of our thoughts. Like, what are do we
just put in our body?
Where is it going?
And those are thoughts. Doesn't have to be
something in your belly. Right. Right. And, you
(07:51):
know, things in your mind. Like,
how does that come in? Where does it
go? And what do you do with it?
Exactly.
That's very much very true. And that's that's
kinda why, you know, that's that's these tools
that we have here in with the radio
program is to just be that platform.
Mhmm.
Mhmm. No. It's wonderful.
I mean, and it's
(08:12):
and again, thank you, Mike.
You doing, man? Yeah. And everybody else who
makes this possible because
it is needed.
And
it is something that a lot of people
don't know about
and can get information about
and can make you happy in your day,
you know? And that's the whole one of
the biggest things that we wanna do on
(08:32):
this show that I know. Absolutely.
And I'm trying to look up Michael's last
name so we can get proper recognition.
He's shaking his head at me. We'll get
it on the next one.
We so we are on the quality living
program with peaceful support. I'm Amanda Whittemore. We
(08:54):
have Ben McQuaid in our studio,
and he is
a brand new host, video radio
personality that you'll be listening to more often.
And you can always email contact
at k c I w dot o r
g. I'm not sure about you guys, but
when I'm listening to radio talk,
I love it. I'm I'm intrigued. I've got
(09:15):
it on. I turn it up a little
bit louder so I can really hear what
they're saying.
But sometimes, I have no idea what they're
talking about or who the heck is in
the studio. Sure. So if I repeat who
I am and what I'm doing and what
you're listening to,
that's why.
She does not have ADHD
or anything like that. It's alright.
(09:36):
That five minute, what just happened? Where am
I? Yeah. Who am I? Yeah. You're fine.
Excellent.
Okay. So we do have a topic of
the day, believe it or not.
And, Ben, why don't you go ahead and
introduce it for us? Okay.
And this could be a two to three
to four parter, honestly. Maybe for the rest
(09:58):
of our life. Could be. Yeah. It's about
autism.
And
there I am I'm gonna preface this with
I am not an expert in any way
about anything.
I'm just talking about my family experience and
people that I know,
that are in my extended family. Okay.
(10:20):
You know, it was first diagnosed in 1943.
I think it's been misdiagnosed
a lot. Mhmm.
And I think there's been a stigma
about it.
Okay. And one of the things that
I have found
and my family and
the people that I know with
this situation,
(10:42):
because it's not a disease, I don't think,
it's, you know, in my mind,
It's a hypersensitivity.
Right. Right. You know, of different
say we're all at, you know, 50
when it comes to smell, taste, sound, you
know, all the senses. Right.
A lot of autistic people have one of
those ramped up to one sixty
(11:03):
or lower down to zero.
A million percent. Yeah.
So
I've just found that
everybody, they all have their own special
gift. Mhmm. I have a cousin, for example.
She's not very she's very socially awkward. Mhmm.
Mhmm. But she won she's a champion downhill
(11:24):
skier.
I have another cousin who
was socially awkward coming into his life,
became an engineer. Mhmm.
Worked for the Salem law enforcement department
and is doing amazing.
Yeah.
It's definitely
a broad spectrum of
(11:47):
sensitivity levels, and I've experienced that
in my life with multiple different people
within my own self in different times. And
I've
recognized that
depending on what we're doing, like you're talking
about, like depending if it's acknowledged,
accepted, accelerated,
it could either it could go any way.
(12:08):
Sure. As with most of our talents
or what people
may think is a disorder or may people
may think is
a disease. I mean, it could be cancer.
We're talking about autism right now. However,
when we treat something a certain way without
quality, without peacefulness, without support,
it's disruptive and it just will ignite in
(12:29):
a fire and just disintegrate and just eat
itself up. But if it's given love and
respect and all the quality peaceful yumminess,
it blossoms into this beautiful garden.
And that's exactly why I wanted to bring
it up on our show.
I have a one of my best friends,
Darren McCaffrey, I was just with this past
July for my friend's Celebration Life. Mhmm. And
(12:50):
his son, Patrick, is 16.
And he is a very high functioning
but very autistic
person.
And at the end of the show, I
would like to, you know, send out his
link, because he is now becoming a chef.
Oh. Because he got he got the right
environment
and he started out doing dishes Uh-huh. Then
(13:12):
making salads. Right. And he took a while
Uh-huh. But all the salads were perfect.
No, they were.
So now he's sauteing. He's Oh, yeah. Doctor.
Joshua Nelson And what I found out, I
was talking to
his dad, Darryl,
before I came here,
they're going to Universal Studios in three days.
I guess they have a program. I'm not
(13:32):
sure how you get this, but anybody who
wants to do this, who has an autistic
child,
they give you
someone to walk with you through the park
the whole time
and they get to ride the rides as
long as they want. They don't have to
wait in lines.
They can do all these different things. Yes.
I didn't know that either. Like, literally, just
before I came here. No way. Yep.
(13:55):
And again, I'm not sure what it's called
or How it works. How it works, but
it is completely possible.
Everything is possible.
Exactly. Including nothing, but that is something.
Right? Yeah.
We would high five right now. Yep.
But I thought that was just amazing because
(14:16):
it just takes a little bit of extra
time. It does. And I think a lot
of that comes into with everything
Mhmm. In
healthy, healing living. And I mean, anything that
we're trying to do, if you just take
a little bit of extra time, like we
talked about in the first show,
open a door for somebody, that kind of
thing.
But with autism,
if you
(14:38):
just take a little bit of time to
take it take yourself back and put yourself
in somebody else's shoes Mhmm. Per se,
you can help figure out what they need
and give it to them. Right.
Yeah. Because,
a lot of people, I think, just don't
and,
don't wanna have the time
(15:01):
kinda thing. And it does take time. It
does take understanding. It does take,
all kinds of hits and misses, shall we
say. Mhmm. But it's super, super possible. And
my friend is going through a divorce at
the moment. Mhmm. His 16 year old autistic
son is keeping him
(15:22):
happy, guided,
focused right now. Of course.
So you know what I mean? So Yeah.
They
they get us too. Yeah.
Absolutely. And that's, you know, when given the
space. Absolutely. And it kinda reminds me for
some reason I mean, we go we all
go through the same things. Like, when you
were speaking about the scenario that he's, you
(15:43):
know, graduated from dishes to the salads to
the it's like, I can find that in
my own self, in my own experiences. I
remember even doing that with you. And this
is even kind of funnier,
is Austin.
Yep. I reached out to Austin. He's actually
gonna call in from Bend, Oregon, give us
an update.
Nice. He's like a savant.
Like, I and when I think of somebody
(16:03):
who's super intelligent
and has different sensory units, I I think
of it autism as a positive,
as something as I guess, a special gift.
And even if it's not physical,
I just feel that those traits are like
something really like superhero powers. I absolutely agree.
That's what I was saying about the
levels of, you know, if we're all at
(16:23):
50 for this. Yeah. There's gonna be a
120,
there's gonna be five. There's gonna be all
these other things. Right. And it's funny because
I still keep in, contact with Austin as
well. Nice. No, I do. He was one
of my absolute favorites that we work with.
Me too. What's even funnier
is when we we had
we weren't speaking the same language when I
(16:45):
first started,
even though we speak three languages and common.
And Austin actually
brought us in the back room and had
to sit down to Yeah. He could figure
out how to be best friends. And then
we got it. Yes. Yeah. No. You're absolutely
right. That's funny. Yeah. I forgot what
that
(17:05):
Yeah. So everything is possible. And so and
it just takes somebody who sees the bigger
picture
to, like, just sit down
and take the time to show us the
path that maybe, you know, we know is
more beneficial for us. For sure. Because we
always don't know, you know, and especially when
you're,
you know, helping other people, as we talked
(17:26):
about in the last show, you know, surviving
versus living kind of thing. Oh, yeah. You
know, and when you're surviving, a lot of
times you're just trying to help other people
so you don't have to deal with your
own stuff. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You know? But
That sucks. You can't. It totally does. And
it's totally
all you all you're doing is pushing that
away.
(17:46):
Whereas
once you go, hey, okay,
this person's telling me this or, you know,
that and that. Wow. I get it.
And that was easy.
Like, that was super easy.
Yeah. Yeah. It's and it's what's even more
noticeable,
not to get off the topic too much,
but when we
(18:07):
we are on the Quality Living with Peaceful
Support show, and it's just kind
of just goes wherever we let it go.
So we're okay with that.
And,
so when we are talking about taking care
of ourselves or taking care of others and
being able to be responsive
and
see, okay, this needs attention or be,
what's the word? It starts with a p.
(18:28):
Perceptive or Perceptive.
A different one?
Processing.
Prevent
oh gosh, Amanda. What's the word? Preventive maintenance?
No. I mean, basically is what we're trying
to say. But it's like,
when in a prediction where you can, like,
predict what they want, predictable actions. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. And
so no matter who it is, like, if
(18:49):
they're to be able to predict and see
and it's not necessarily predicting. It's reading the
present,
you know, and seeing, okay. Well, if I
just hand him a water, like, he's probably
gonna live.
Because if you predict, you're putting your own
thought into it. Mhmm. Whereas if you're just
trying to perceive it Mhmm. You know, and
be perceptible about it Yeah. Then you're accepting
(19:11):
their
Right. Issue at the present moment. Yeah. And
you're not putting yourself in there. And then
you can help better. Exactly.
Yeah. Makes a lot. I have found anyway.
Yeah. Yeah. No, that's for sure. Again, I
am no
I am no,
expert
on any of this, but it is so
prevalent in not only my family,
(19:32):
my friends' families,
and I know I was misdiagnosed
for a very long time.
Like I said, 1943,
Donald Triplett was the first person diagnosed with
with
autism.
And I'm sure
there were so many people before him Mhmm.
That were not diagnosed
(19:52):
or misdiagnosed,
you know?
And now,
again, it's just it's
levels of
perception
and ability,
you know? And a lot of them are
emotional. A lot of them are,
communicative.
Mhmm.
And a lot of people don't understand that.
But if you just
(20:13):
listen, learn, like, because, you know, a lot
of autistic kids like to touch certain things,
you know what I mean? Or don't wanna
touch. Right. Yeah.
Or don't in that way. You know? But
if you listen
and if you just,
you know, take a step back
Do you know the guy,
Fred, I think is his name. Pardon me.
(20:34):
I keep saying that, the guy. So I
believe his name is Fred. He was on
her show also. He has all the poodles.
I believe so. Yeah. And he drives around
and he delivers
these poodles
to different locations. Because when people with autism,
all of us, no matter who we are,
if we have anxiety or PTSD or whatever
it is, we all go places.
(20:56):
And we don't always have our cozy special
chair or our special thermos or our nice
cuddly blanket that calms us down.
He brings these dogs to do
support
wherever he goes and he always seems to
find somebody who's, you know, has PTSD moment
or is going through an autism,
sequence or a a phase where they're just
(21:17):
having a meltdown.
And these cuddle
labrador Labradoodles? Labradoodles. Yeah. Yeah. They
are they're trained to work with them. And
same thing with vets. Yeah. You know? Yeah.
Exactly. I live a lot of
I've come from a military family.
I did not serve, but my brother did
two tours in Afghanistan. My grandfather was a
(21:38):
machine gunner in World War Two.
My father was a marine to Paris Island,
you know, so all the PTSD
is
very similar
in that same regard. Mhmm. Mhmm. And you
and you can use the same techniques, I
guess, is what we're trying to say. Oh,
yeah. Absolutely. And that's that's kinda the beauty
of speaking about what we're talking about right
now, just having a normal conversation about something
(21:59):
that most people don't talk about or even
take time to learn about
because these are all normal things that are
just normal Yeah. Normal ways to support people
in our community. Don't be afraid, folks. Don't
be afraid. Yeah. You know, there are so
many people
there, especially here in the Brookings area, there
are so many outlets
and,
(22:22):
places of support
for all kinds of things. Mhmm. Mhmm. Us
included. Yeah. So give a call, (541) 661-4098.
We'll link you up. If you don't have
the resources, just just a volunteer
activity that we will provide.
And
also,
well,
(22:42):
volunteering
is, like, the coolest way to actually get
involved and learn about something or anything. You
don't have to pay.
You don't have to,
you know, sign up and be committed to
any type of hours. It's just a real
fancy way to say, hey, I'm here to
learn about this.
Sure. Mhmm. Great way to put it.
I would just like to add one more
(23:03):
thing as well.
My friend Dara's son, Patrick,
he's Patrick McCaffrey. You can look him up
on YouTube,
and he's
at p mcmaster
and that is his
basically cooking channel that you can find and
he is awesome.
He did a whole
(23:23):
when he first got 200 followers Oh my
gosh. He did a whole,
like, you know, hey.
Like like infomercial about it. Oh my gosh.
And again, he is helping take care of
his dad
right now. Tell me what it is so
I can look it up on YouTube. It
is at pmcmaster.
I just put at
p. Oh, wait. The at or around sign.
(23:45):
Yep. Capital p. Capital P.
Okay.
M c
m a s t e There's another Patrick
McCaffrey that plays basketball for Iowa State. Not
the same guy.
Cooking show.
We're gonna have to search through the YouTube
because
(24:06):
It is. But he's he's wonderful. And again,
he because my friend is going through a
divorce at the moment, and,
that's that's what I'm saying about, you know,
autistic people
being in tune with us,
you know, more than we're in tune with
them. Oh, yeah. Because they I think a
lot of times, they get it more than
(24:27):
we do, honestly.
Because they have different senses
that they're
connected with. Exactly.
Exactly.
I'm trying to find his cooking show right
now. Can they go to where he works
at the restaurant and taste get like, enjoy
his presence?
Yes. And that's what we'll do on the
next show when we do the follow-up. Okay.
(24:48):
Okay. Because again, there's
there's a lot more to talk about about
the subject. Okay. I knew this wasn't gonna
be easy to do in twenty eight minutes.
Okay. So
I would like us to do another,
you know, at least a half version of
it. YouTube.
Yeah. Absolutely.
We could definitely do that. Patrick McCaffrey,
YouTube,
look him up. He's awesome.
(25:10):
How excited. And he,
just for a quick example, I know we're
running out of time.
So I had a bunch of change in
my pocket because I stayed with them when
I was in Florida for my friend's celebration
of life. And I had all this change
and I'm like, hey, you know, does Patrick
have a change jar? He's like, well, no.
But just leave it on his bed. I'm
like, I'm not gonna leave it on his
bed.
(25:31):
So I left it on his nightstand with
a $5 bill. Mhmm. And he's like, Uncle
Benzo. Thank you for the money. I love
you.
And it was one of the best things
that could have possibly been said to me
at that time.
Oh. You know?
Yeah. Seriously.
Aw.
I love it.
(25:52):
And highlighting,
you know, highlighting the achievements that we make,
the simplest ones
or the most extravagant ones. Like, you know,
when we look at an achievement all as
an achievement, like, it's to be celebrated. Celebrate
each day,
bring in a little bit more appreciation for
yourself
and the quality that you have
(26:14):
around you. You know? Some people when they
show up to my yoga classes, they don't
realize that
they're able to do the things. And I
said, the fact that you made it to
class is a miracle. Let's celebrate that everyone's
in class today and all clap and we're
so grateful that we made it. I mean,
this the simplest thing is just celebrate.
And Just to get there. Be be present.
(26:34):
Be present. And this looks like the best
cooking show ever. We're gonna hear more all
about it on our next episode.
Thank you, Ben. Thank you, listeners.
Thank you, Amanda. Yeah. Woo hoo.
KCIW,
100.7.
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