March 2, 2025 • 35 mins
Eli gets you caught up on his past week, tackles the misconceptions about autism, & answers your email questions.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. Each week, Elijah gets
you caught up on his work in the community, talks
with guests about issues and causes that are important to them,
while also answering your email questions. So sit back, relax,
and enjoy the show. Here's your host, Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello, folks, and welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I'm
Indija host Elijah Winfrey, and we have a terrific show
lined up for you today.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Folks.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
We're gonna dive a little bit into autism the first
half of the show, and then on the back half,
I'm going to answer some fun questions that my producer.
Shout out to my amazing producer, Greg Nice. He went
into the email bag and put out some fun questions
for me to answer today. But before we get into
(00:56):
any of that, let me get you caught up on
my past week. First and foremost, I hope that your
weekend has gone really well and you either rested, you're
having some very important self care time, or you know
you're working and you're you're you're making things happen. So
(01:17):
either way, I hope that your weekend has gone really
well and it has been pleasant. My past week. It
was business as usual. I am slowly posting things on
my personal website that is being run by a really
good friend of mine. We are you're slowly rolling out
(01:41):
where I'm going to be pertaining to my schedule this year,
and you know, I'm excited to be back in Springfield,
Missouri in June. I am also going to be playing
in the Chambers based Solstice charity event that's run by
the First Team Hearing Seattle. And you know, I thought
(02:02):
about that for a long time because I haven't picked
up a golf club and forever, you know, I teach it,
but my playing days have long been over. And for
those that don't know, you know, I have a pretty
pretty bad elbow, and so you know, I can't do
the things that I once did with a golf club.
(02:25):
I'm not able to practice as much as I would
like to, So I am very sporadic or spotty as to.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
When I'm going to play and how much I'm going
to play.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
This was an event that I've been thinking about for
a couple of years now and wanting to participate in.
It's more of a marathon, playing as many holes as
you can for the entire day, I definitely have I
have to get my body ready for that. But I
wanted to do it because I wanted to show my
support for the first Tea. They've done so much for
(02:56):
me entertaining to golf that, you know, I wanted to
find a way to really give back and be a
part of this event, and we were able to make
it happen. So that's gonna take place June twenty second,
so I have a little time to have some similance
(03:16):
of a game so I can really enjoy this event,
and I plan to. I'm going to be mentoring and
answering some very important questions from a very outstanding youth
group that has been put together by my good friend
(03:37):
and team member Gerald Donaldson, also known as mister D.
We worked hard on mentoring these boys. They do a
great job of mentoring, and you know, I'm just more
of a.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
A pit stop, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
They see me, you know, at the at the driving
range and we hit a few golf balls where we
talk about dreams and goals and the importance of really
working hard and persevering through things, you know, as you
as you endure you know, your life. So I'm excited
about that can't wait to do that. So I've been
working on those things, you know, kind of finalizing some things.
(04:16):
My My My Children's book in the Little East series,
it is in post production now. We're just tweaking a
couple of things and we hope to have an announcement,
if not this month, definitely in April. So stay tuned
on that. My role as a parent educator, you know,
(04:40):
nothing really changed regarding that. You know, I show up
there to Sunset Elementary and do the very best that
I can for the kiddos, and you know, it's it's
a continued learning process for me. Nothing surprises me anymore.
(05:01):
Let me just say that I hear and see a
lot of things, but I'm not surprised anymore. It is
what it is at this point. But it's progressing well.
And you know, I was asked yesterday about whether or
not this is really it. You know, I said I
was going to do three years, and after three years,
(05:22):
I was going to pivot to something else. At the moment,
that is still the that is still the plan, and
you know, I am going to meet with my team
and talk about, you know, what direction I want to
go in. Look, it's being a pair of educator is
(05:42):
always going to be on the table, just because I
think I'm able to do. I think you have I
think it's a ten year window or something like that
before you have to retest.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
I didn't really delve too deep into that process, but
I think that's what it is. So I could take
a break and maybe come back at another district, or
I can continue to do what I'm doing, you know,
at the current school. I think I'm really gonna sit
down and really think about that sometime, and I want
(06:15):
to say sometime in late April early May. You know,
I'm not gonna really drag it out like I've done
the first two years. I'm really gonna kind of come
to a conclusion then. But I enjoyed getting there and
and meeting with the teachers, the staff, and as I said,
(06:36):
the amazing students. So things are going well physically and mentally,
I'm doing okay. Outside of a few hiccups, I feel
pretty good. So there's nothing really to complain about that
(06:57):
on that end. Family is doing well. We're excited about
our crews coming up in April. That's going to be
a great getaway. I mean, I am looking forward to it.
So that's about it. That is about it from me
about what I've been up to this past week. Let's
get into today's topic sent in from Clara and Georgia.
(07:24):
And Clara wanted to know about the misconceptions pertaining autism
or centered around autism, and there are quite a few,
and I wanted to dive into, you know, some of
those myths because you know, I still see it, I
still hear it, and I first and foremost, I want
(07:47):
to say, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
A doctor, Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I get these facts from from from educated people, people
who are really professional in this field.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
As an avoc, I'm learning.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
From you, I'm learning from doctors, I'm learning from parents, uh,
and I'm learning from you know, these kids and adults
who are on the spectrum and they see and hear
a lot of things. It helps me grow in my
work and and not only educating myself, but educating others. So, Claire,
(08:21):
I wanted to talk about some of the misconceptions.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
And one of the misconceptions right off the bat is
that autism only affects younger boys. And that's that's a myth.
Autism is as it's a newer development, developmental disorder that's
(08:45):
present throughout life, and it can be diagnosed in a
boy or a girl. And I think we do so
much talking about the boys that we don't really spend
a lot of time on.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
The girls.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
On my co host was here, Tony Bouschet, who's fantastic.
By the way, I missed Tony a lot. We did
a show on this and we really talked about why
it's not really talked about with girls or women, and gosh,
(09:29):
I wish I knew what episode that was, but I
encourage you to go back through the archive and and
find that because I do think it's it's important because
we tend to only focus on the boys or the men,
(09:50):
and I just I think we have to do a
better job across the board and talking about it more
with girls because it's there. And you know, I think
(10:14):
one of the reasons we don't talk about it with
with girls nearly as much as we should is because
based on what I've learned UH and and speaking with
my co host Tony Bouchet, girls masket more to fit in.
(10:38):
And I think we have to find a way.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
To really to really talk about it.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And I think because girls and women masket more to
fit in. Many many girls are diagnosed much later in life,
or they missed the diagnosis completely. You know, when I
(11:18):
was you know, when I was becoming an advocate and
reading about it and studying it, you know, it was
always told I've always read that the male to female
ratio was like four to one, But in doing the research,
it's more like two point five to one. So I
(11:41):
think we have to do a better job of talking
about it, having it at as the center of conversation
when we're talking about advocating, because it's not just boys,
and I think we're getting there.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I do think that we are. We are.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
We're talking about it on some levels in the community.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think as the confidence continues to grow, we will.
I think we'll we'll get better at it. But it's
definitely important. Some of the other myths are you know,
autism is caused by bad parenting or vaccines. That's not
true at all. Autism is present at birth. It's not
(12:38):
caused by any external factors like vaccines or parenting styles.
You hear that quite a bit, the parenting style. You
hear vaccines also.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
But I.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
When I'm in the community or I'm talking with families,
or someone on the outside not looking in or not
able to look in. The first thing they do say
it's bad parenting. If you spank your child, it'll stop
all this behavior. That's not true, and that's very dangerous.
(13:11):
So it's not caused by vaccines, and I encourage anyone
who disagrees with that to go and study and educate yourself.
It's not caused by vaccines or bad parenting. It is
present at birth. Some people say autism is a new thing,
(13:34):
that it didn't exist back in the day. That's not true.
Autism has always existed. It's always existed.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
I think.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
We didn't do a good job in really talking about it.
Like most things, our communication is poor or has been poor,
and we have to be careful when we see these
things or there's incidents that takes place. You know, sometimes
(14:09):
I hear right away, well he's here or she's probably
on the spectrum. That's dangerous, especially if you're not a
doctor and you don't know for sure that that person
is diagnosed or they look autistic. That's not a good
(14:32):
thing to say either. And I've had to catch myself
in that way of thinking because I've been guilty of
saying that and you know, I've had to do a
better job of educating myself in that department, and I have.
(14:56):
But autism is not a new thing. It's always existed.
Autistic people don't feel empathy. That's not true. Autistic people
are capable of empathy, but they may display it in
different ways. Autism can be cured, it cannot be cured.
(15:21):
I got a text from a good friend of mine,
maybe a couple of months ago, and he said he
was in this deep conversation with someone about autism being
cured or was there a cure for autism. Autism cannot
be cured, folks. I see things all the time on
(15:45):
TV about these breakthroughs. I I'm not sure about any
of that. And again, I'm not a doctor. I'm just
basing a lot of this on the things that I've learned,
the things that I've encountered with doctors, the conversations I've
(16:09):
had when I when I when I go to Springfield, Missouri.
I'm learning about these new things that are absolutely great
that is helping these kids and these adults that are
on the spectrum. But at no point has anybody said
(16:31):
that this is a cure or that these are cures
in my humble opinion, autism cannot be cured. It's a
part of one's identity. So these are just a few
(16:53):
of the misconceptions about autism. And you know, I'm glad
that Clara sent these these you know, this question in
because I think these are the things that we need
to talk about and we really need to study. And
(17:18):
I still think that's something that we are not consistently doing.
So I encourage us all, and that includes myself, to
continue studying. One of the best things that I've learned
as an advocate is that you're always learning something new
(17:41):
every single day. I'm learning something every single day that's
about autism, and I encourage you to do the same.
(18:02):
All Right, We're gonna pivot to some questions now before
we close down the show.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
And each week I asked.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
You to send in questions to me at Elijah dot
Winfrey at gmail dot com. And you all never disappoint.
You never disappoint my amazing producer. He checks him out,
He pulls out a few and he he thinks he's
putting me on the spot, but he's not. So without
(18:39):
further ado, let's get into the first question. This question
is from Coorra in New Jersey. Chorra writes, Eli, I
love your show. I've been a big fan since you started.
What are the misconceptions about you? Misconceptions about me?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Maybe I'm I'm too quiet sometimes I don't know, which
is definitely a misconception. So yes, I could say that
that I'm pretty quiet about things sometimes, but that's not true.
You know, I think I've gotten better at using my voice.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
I I.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Do it in a way where I try to go
straight to the source. I can get up and grab
a microphone, and I feel like, in my humble opinion,
I'm confident enough to talk with the best of them
about an array of topics.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I could do that. I think what's worked for me.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Is that I like to go behind the scenes and
really get to the roots of things.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
I want to go to the base, let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
You know, when I'm passionate about something, or I feel
disrespected by someone who I can go straight to them
and pull them aside. I don't have to embarrass somebody,
and in front of a room full of people, I'd
rather not do that. I think another misconception now they're
(20:29):
starting to pop up in my head is that I'm in,
I'm in, I'm an easy mark, or it's okay to
kind of throw them under the bus.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
And that's a misconception.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I let people think that a lot of times, right Like,
I think the more people talk to me, I learned
more about them and they kind of feel themselves to me.
So when people think that way, and I've had people
think that way, I've lost friends because people have thought
that way, I just kind of sit back and let
them go and think to myself, Wow, this person is
(21:15):
really thinking that or really feels this way about me,
and it's just not true. I don't let things slide.
I think what I do. I just gather all the
information and I really think about what I'm going to say.
(21:36):
See a lot of times, I think the misconception is
I don't react right away, and that's not true. In
my head, I am reacting. I'm studying. I'm understanding what's happening,
whether to me or around me or about somebody else.
I'm always listening. So I think that's one misconception. Gosh,
(22:06):
what's cora, I don't I'm sure there there are some
out there. If you you if you talk to people
who really know me, They would tell you, you know,
the honest truth, the honest truth about you know, those misconceptions,
or if I, you know, really have any or if
I really care. But that's a that's a good question.
(22:27):
I have to I like most of these questions. I
have to like do some some thinking and pertaining to
myself because sometimes it takes a minute for me to
really grasp what is being asked. I need a minute
to kind of really process it. Not all the time,
but sometimes. Next question is from Madeleine in Saint Louis, Missouri.
(22:54):
Madeline writes, Elijah, what's the most rewarding part of hosting
the Elijah Winfrey Show. The most rewarding part of hosting
this show is that it's mine. I can say what
I want, when I want, how I want. It's my
(23:15):
platform and it brings me so much joy to sit
in the studio and to be doing something that I
dreamed about. It Is it any good? I think it's great.
(23:42):
I'm able to use my voice too impact others. There
are a lot of people who are thinking about starting
their own radio show or podcast, and I feel like
(24:03):
I'm somewhat responsible for that because I know a lot
of those people, especially those who are on the fence,
who text and talk to me daily about starting their own.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
So the show's rewarding because I think it.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
It allows the listeners to learn more about about me
in an honest way. I don't feel like I'm going
to be cut off, you know, when I'm talking or speaking,
and I'm okay with the consequences that come from that.
It's liberating to have a show and to talk about
(24:50):
topics that are important to me. And it's important to
talk about the work that I'm doing in the community
because I know that it inspires some even if it's
just one person, I know somebody's tuning into this show
every week, and that's one of the most rewarding parts.
(25:14):
It's a great question, Madam. Next question is from Natalia
and Texas. Italia writes, Elijah, if you could give a
TED talk on any topic other than self reflection, what
would it be?
Speaker 3 (25:27):
Mmm? Okay, what would it be? HM? Courage?
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Having courage, I think for all of us, courage is
the most important step that you must have and you
must take and doing anything or saying anything, you have to.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Have the courage.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
To deal with the consequences of what you may say,
or do, or what dream you are chasing, It starts
with courage, and I could talk about that because I
(26:35):
think that's one of the fundamentals of chasing your dreams
or building whatever it is you're trying to build, is
having the courage to do it and having the courage
to fail at it the first time or maybe the
second time. So I would say, I would say courage.
(27:01):
You know, I could do confidence, I can do perseverance,
but I think you gotta have courage to do it.
You gotta have the courage to try anything if you
want to be successful, and you gotta have the courage
to fail.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Because we all do.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Next question is from Lydia in California. Lydia rights Eli,
I love your show. What's one piece of advice you
give your younger self? Ugh, I think I've had this
question on the show before. This is a very tough question.
I'm not going to say I don't like the question,
(27:44):
because I think it's a good question. I just feel
like I don't know if I would say anything to
my younger self. That's the thing, right, Like, I don't
think I would if I were to go back to
talk to my younger self I don't think i'd be
in the position I'm in right now. I don't think
I would learn any of the lessons that I've learned
right now. So I have a tough time really dissecting
(28:10):
this question. And again, it's not a bad question. But
you know, if I could go back and and sit
down and have a conversation with my younger self, it
would definitely alter things I think. I mean, don't you
if I post that question to you, wouldn't you think
(28:33):
that would alter some of the things that you that
you thought about or that you did. Would you be
in a position that you're in now if you did that?
And I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad thing. I'm
not gonna say that, But to me, it would just
(28:55):
be hard for me to go back and do that
because I know I would probably alter something in my life,
and I honestly think I wouldn't be in a position.
I mean, maybe I'd be in a better position. I
don't know, but I wouldn't be here doing this that
I know for a fact. I can say that for
(29:15):
a fact. I could say that for a fact. All Right,
let's take one more question. This is from Alison and Seattle.
Alison writes Elijah, what's one thing most people don't know
about you? One thing people don't know about me? I
(29:45):
one thing people don't know about Alison. I don't know.
I h I I really, I really, I really don't know.
(30:09):
And I'm thinking really hard too, because I put myself
out there. I think people know that I'm loving, I'm caring.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
I can be.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Goofy and silly. I guess I could say this with confidence.
I can say this. I think, gosh, this is gonna
sound it's gonna sound crazy, but in.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
A good way, at least for me, in a good way.
I think.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
I'm smarter than you think I am. And that's all
I'm gonna say. I'm smarter than you think I am,
because I do think some people not all. I think
some people think that I don't I don't know a
(31:09):
lot of things about certain topics or you know, like
and it's not true. So I would I would say
that's one thing most people don't know about me, Like
I'm smarter than you think I am. And I think
(31:29):
this goes back to, like, you know, me being kind
of quiet and listening to things and not having a
response right away. I say this all the time. I
said this to a friend and his friend got really
upset about about it. To me, sometimes the loudest one
in the room is oftentimes the weakest one in the room.
(31:52):
Sometimes you sit back and you listen before you have
a response, you really dissect what someone's saying to you.
I'm that person. I'll sit back and listen even when
you think I'm not listening.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
I'm listening. I'm listening and I'm watching.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
And sometimes it's not just it's not always what you say.
I watch your body language. Your body language tells the
truth a lot of the times. So I I'm that
person that sits back and takes it in. I may
(32:33):
not have an answer right away, but I'm thinking, and
I'm reading you, and I'm reading the room, and I
think some people miss that about me, you know. So
as I said, i think I'm smarter than you think
I am. And I'll leave it at that, all right,
all right, that's it for questions this week, and folks,
(32:55):
that is it for the show. I would like to
think thank all of you for tuning in and downloading
each and every week. Really appreciate it and listen before
I go. And I should have lived with this at
the top of the shelf. It's Women's History Month, and
(33:21):
in my humble opinion, women rule the world.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
I watched my.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Mom raise two kids, My sister and I didn't have
a lot of money, didn't have really money at all,
food stamps. My mom would walk to work, walk home.
Those were not short walks to work. She'd come home,
clean the house. She taught us how to She taught
(33:51):
us how to cook, clean, be respectful, be responsible. Women
rule the world. That's how I feel. But I encourage
you all to celebrate the women, not not just past
(34:11):
but present, that are in your life, that you know,
that you've seen that's making a difference. Educate yourself on
Women's History Month and why it's important. It's important every day,
but this month we're celebrating it. If you follow me
(34:31):
on my social media pages, you know I've already started celebrating.
You know, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is up in my stories.
I encourage you all to study Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I
got more coming this month, but it's important that we
(34:52):
celebrate these amazing women. And I'm surrounded by a lot
of them every day at Sunset Elementary School, and I
can't begin to tell you the lessons that I'm learning
every day in that building being around those fantastic teachers.
(35:15):
They work extremely hard, and yes, I'll be posting about
them this month as well, so stay tuned for that,
all right, do me a favor, do me this one
solid this week. Get out in your communities and check
in on your family and friends. Put a smile on
someone's face, and remember it doesn't take a lot of
(35:37):
energy to do that at all. Thank you for listening
to The Elijah Winfrey Show. Please be sure to download
this show wherever you download your favorite podcast. Till next week,
Take care, God bless Bye bye,
Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. Each week, Elijah gets
you caught up on his work in the community, talks
with guests about issues and causes that are important to them,
while also answering your email questions. So sit back, relax,
and enjoy the show. Here's your host, Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello, folks, and welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I'm
Indija host Elijah Winfrey, and we have a terrific show
lined up for you today.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Folks.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
We're gonna dive a little bit into autism the first
half of the show, and then on the back half,
I'm going to answer some fun questions that my producer.
Shout out to my amazing producer, Greg Nice. He went
into the email bag and put out some fun questions
for me to answer today. But before we get into
(00:56):
any of that, let me get you caught up on
my past week. First and foremost, I hope that your
weekend has gone really well and you either rested, you're
having some very important self care time, or you know
you're working and you're you're you're making things happen. So
(01:17):
either way, I hope that your weekend has gone really
well and it has been pleasant. My past week. It
was business as usual. I am slowly posting things on
my personal website that is being run by a really
good friend of mine. We are you're slowly rolling out
(01:41):
where I'm going to be pertaining to my schedule this year,
and you know, I'm excited to be back in Springfield,
Missouri in June. I am also going to be playing
in the Chambers based Solstice charity event that's run by
the First Team Hearing Seattle. And you know, I thought
(02:02):
about that for a long time because I haven't picked
up a golf club and forever, you know, I teach it,
but my playing days have long been over. And for
those that don't know, you know, I have a pretty
pretty bad elbow, and so you know, I can't do
the things that I once did with a golf club.
(02:25):
I'm not able to practice as much as I would
like to, So I am very sporadic or spotty as to.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
When I'm going to play and how much I'm going
to play.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
This was an event that I've been thinking about for
a couple of years now and wanting to participate in.
It's more of a marathon, playing as many holes as
you can for the entire day, I definitely have I
have to get my body ready for that. But I
wanted to do it because I wanted to show my
support for the first Tea. They've done so much for
(02:56):
me entertaining to golf that, you know, I wanted to
find a way to really give back and be a
part of this event, and we were able to make
it happen. So that's gonna take place June twenty second,
so I have a little time to have some similance
(03:16):
of a game so I can really enjoy this event,
and I plan to. I'm going to be mentoring and
answering some very important questions from a very outstanding youth
group that has been put together by my good friend
(03:37):
and team member Gerald Donaldson, also known as mister D.
We worked hard on mentoring these boys. They do a
great job of mentoring, and you know, I'm just more
of a.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
A pit stop, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
They see me, you know, at the at the driving
range and we hit a few golf balls where we
talk about dreams and goals and the importance of really
working hard and persevering through things, you know, as you
as you endure you know, your life. So I'm excited
about that can't wait to do that. So I've been
working on those things, you know, kind of finalizing some things.
(04:16):
My My My Children's book in the Little East series,
it is in post production now. We're just tweaking a
couple of things and we hope to have an announcement,
if not this month, definitely in April. So stay tuned
on that. My role as a parent educator, you know,
(04:40):
nothing really changed regarding that. You know, I show up
there to Sunset Elementary and do the very best that
I can for the kiddos, and you know, it's it's
a continued learning process for me. Nothing surprises me anymore.
(05:01):
Let me just say that I hear and see a
lot of things, but I'm not surprised anymore. It is
what it is at this point. But it's progressing well.
And you know, I was asked yesterday about whether or
not this is really it. You know, I said I
was going to do three years, and after three years,
(05:22):
I was going to pivot to something else. At the moment,
that is still the that is still the plan, and
you know, I am going to meet with my team
and talk about, you know, what direction I want to
go in. Look, it's being a pair of educator is
(05:42):
always going to be on the table, just because I
think I'm able to do. I think you have I
think it's a ten year window or something like that
before you have to retest.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
I didn't really delve too deep into that process, but
I think that's what it is. So I could take
a break and maybe come back at another district, or
I can continue to do what I'm doing, you know,
at the current school. I think I'm really gonna sit
down and really think about that sometime, and I want
(06:15):
to say sometime in late April early May. You know,
I'm not gonna really drag it out like I've done
the first two years. I'm really gonna kind of come
to a conclusion then. But I enjoyed getting there and
and meeting with the teachers, the staff, and as I said,
(06:36):
the amazing students. So things are going well physically and mentally,
I'm doing okay. Outside of a few hiccups, I feel
pretty good. So there's nothing really to complain about that
(06:57):
on that end. Family is doing well. We're excited about
our crews coming up in April. That's going to be
a great getaway. I mean, I am looking forward to it.
So that's about it. That is about it from me
about what I've been up to this past week. Let's
get into today's topic sent in from Clara and Georgia.
(07:24):
And Clara wanted to know about the misconceptions pertaining autism
or centered around autism, and there are quite a few,
and I wanted to dive into, you know, some of
those myths because you know, I still see it, I
still hear it, and I first and foremost, I want
(07:47):
to say, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
A doctor, Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I get these facts from from from educated people, people
who are really professional in this field.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
As an avoc, I'm learning.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
From you, I'm learning from doctors, I'm learning from parents, uh,
and I'm learning from you know, these kids and adults
who are on the spectrum and they see and hear
a lot of things. It helps me grow in my
work and and not only educating myself, but educating others. So, Claire,
(08:21):
I wanted to talk about some of the misconceptions.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
And one of the misconceptions right off the bat is
that autism only affects younger boys. And that's that's a myth.
Autism is as it's a newer development, developmental disorder that's
(08:45):
present throughout life, and it can be diagnosed in a
boy or a girl. And I think we do so
much talking about the boys that we don't really spend
a lot of time on.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
The girls.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
On my co host was here, Tony Bouschet, who's fantastic.
By the way, I missed Tony a lot. We did
a show on this and we really talked about why
it's not really talked about with girls or women, and gosh,
(09:29):
I wish I knew what episode that was, but I
encourage you to go back through the archive and and
find that because I do think it's it's important because
we tend to only focus on the boys or the men,
(09:50):
and I just I think we have to do a
better job across the board and talking about it more
with girls because it's there. And you know, I think
(10:14):
one of the reasons we don't talk about it with
with girls nearly as much as we should is because
based on what I've learned UH and and speaking with
my co host Tony Bouchet, girls masket more to fit in.
(10:38):
And I think we have to find a way.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
To really to really talk about it.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And I think because girls and women masket more to
fit in. Many many girls are diagnosed much later in life,
or they missed the diagnosis completely. You know, when I
(11:18):
was you know, when I was becoming an advocate and
reading about it and studying it, you know, it was
always told I've always read that the male to female
ratio was like four to one, But in doing the research,
it's more like two point five to one. So I
(11:41):
think we have to do a better job of talking
about it, having it at as the center of conversation
when we're talking about advocating, because it's not just boys,
and I think we're getting there.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I do think that we are. We are.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
We're talking about it on some levels in the community.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think as the confidence continues to grow, we will.
I think we'll we'll get better at it. But it's
definitely important. Some of the other myths are you know,
autism is caused by bad parenting or vaccines. That's not
true at all. Autism is present at birth. It's not
(12:38):
caused by any external factors like vaccines or parenting styles.
You hear that quite a bit, the parenting style. You
hear vaccines also.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
But I.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
When I'm in the community or I'm talking with families,
or someone on the outside not looking in or not
able to look in. The first thing they do say
it's bad parenting. If you spank your child, it'll stop
all this behavior. That's not true, and that's very dangerous.
(13:11):
So it's not caused by vaccines, and I encourage anyone
who disagrees with that to go and study and educate yourself.
It's not caused by vaccines or bad parenting. It is
present at birth. Some people say autism is a new thing,
(13:34):
that it didn't exist back in the day. That's not true.
Autism has always existed. It's always existed.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
I think.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
We didn't do a good job in really talking about it.
Like most things, our communication is poor or has been poor,
and we have to be careful when we see these
things or there's incidents that takes place. You know, sometimes
(14:09):
I hear right away, well he's here or she's probably
on the spectrum. That's dangerous, especially if you're not a
doctor and you don't know for sure that that person
is diagnosed or they look autistic. That's not a good
(14:32):
thing to say either. And I've had to catch myself
in that way of thinking because I've been guilty of
saying that and you know, I've had to do a
better job of educating myself in that department, and I have.
(14:56):
But autism is not a new thing. It's always existed.
Autistic people don't feel empathy. That's not true. Autistic people
are capable of empathy, but they may display it in
different ways. Autism can be cured, it cannot be cured.
(15:21):
I got a text from a good friend of mine,
maybe a couple of months ago, and he said he
was in this deep conversation with someone about autism being
cured or was there a cure for autism. Autism cannot
be cured, folks. I see things all the time on
(15:45):
TV about these breakthroughs. I I'm not sure about any
of that. And again, I'm not a doctor. I'm just
basing a lot of this on the things that I've learned,
the things that I've encountered with doctors, the conversations I've
(16:09):
had when I when I when I go to Springfield, Missouri.
I'm learning about these new things that are absolutely great
that is helping these kids and these adults that are
on the spectrum. But at no point has anybody said
(16:31):
that this is a cure or that these are cures
in my humble opinion, autism cannot be cured. It's a
part of one's identity. So these are just a few
(16:53):
of the misconceptions about autism. And you know, I'm glad
that Clara sent these these you know, this question in
because I think these are the things that we need
to talk about and we really need to study. And
(17:18):
I still think that's something that we are not consistently doing.
So I encourage us all, and that includes myself, to
continue studying. One of the best things that I've learned
as an advocate is that you're always learning something new
(17:41):
every single day. I'm learning something every single day that's
about autism, and I encourage you to do the same.
(18:02):
All Right, We're gonna pivot to some questions now before
we close down the show.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
And each week I asked.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
You to send in questions to me at Elijah dot
Winfrey at gmail dot com. And you all never disappoint.
You never disappoint my amazing producer. He checks him out,
He pulls out a few and he he thinks he's
putting me on the spot, but he's not. So without
(18:39):
further ado, let's get into the first question. This question
is from Coorra in New Jersey. Chorra writes, Eli, I
love your show. I've been a big fan since you started.
What are the misconceptions about you? Misconceptions about me?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Maybe I'm I'm too quiet sometimes I don't know, which
is definitely a misconception. So yes, I could say that
that I'm pretty quiet about things sometimes, but that's not true.
You know, I think I've gotten better at using my voice.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
I I.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Do it in a way where I try to go
straight to the source. I can get up and grab
a microphone, and I feel like, in my humble opinion,
I'm confident enough to talk with the best of them
about an array of topics.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I could do that. I think what's worked for me.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Is that I like to go behind the scenes and
really get to the roots of things.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
I want to go to the base, let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
You know, when I'm passionate about something, or I feel
disrespected by someone who I can go straight to them
and pull them aside. I don't have to embarrass somebody,
and in front of a room full of people, I'd
rather not do that. I think another misconception now they're
(20:29):
starting to pop up in my head is that I'm in,
I'm in, I'm an easy mark, or it's okay to
kind of throw them under the bus.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
And that's a misconception.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I let people think that a lot of times, right Like,
I think the more people talk to me, I learned
more about them and they kind of feel themselves to me.
So when people think that way, and I've had people
think that way, I've lost friends because people have thought
that way, I just kind of sit back and let
them go and think to myself, Wow, this person is
(21:15):
really thinking that or really feels this way about me,
and it's just not true. I don't let things slide.
I think what I do. I just gather all the
information and I really think about what I'm going to say.
(21:36):
See a lot of times, I think the misconception is
I don't react right away, and that's not true. In
my head, I am reacting. I'm studying. I'm understanding what's happening,
whether to me or around me or about somebody else.
I'm always listening. So I think that's one misconception. Gosh,
(22:06):
what's cora, I don't I'm sure there there are some
out there. If you you if you talk to people
who really know me, They would tell you, you know,
the honest truth, the honest truth about you know, those misconceptions,
or if I, you know, really have any or if
I really care. But that's a that's a good question.
(22:27):
I have to I like most of these questions. I
have to like do some some thinking and pertaining to
myself because sometimes it takes a minute for me to
really grasp what is being asked. I need a minute
to kind of really process it. Not all the time,
but sometimes. Next question is from Madeleine in Saint Louis, Missouri.
(22:54):
Madeline writes, Elijah, what's the most rewarding part of hosting
the Elijah Winfrey Show. The most rewarding part of hosting
this show is that it's mine. I can say what
I want, when I want, how I want. It's my
(23:15):
platform and it brings me so much joy to sit
in the studio and to be doing something that I
dreamed about. It Is it any good? I think it's great.
(23:42):
I'm able to use my voice too impact others. There
are a lot of people who are thinking about starting
their own radio show or podcast, and I feel like
(24:03):
I'm somewhat responsible for that because I know a lot
of those people, especially those who are on the fence,
who text and talk to me daily about starting their own.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
So the show's rewarding because I think it.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
It allows the listeners to learn more about about me
in an honest way. I don't feel like I'm going
to be cut off, you know, when I'm talking or speaking,
and I'm okay with the consequences that come from that.
It's liberating to have a show and to talk about
(24:50):
topics that are important to me. And it's important to
talk about the work that I'm doing in the community
because I know that it inspires some even if it's
just one person, I know somebody's tuning into this show
every week, and that's one of the most rewarding parts.
(25:14):
It's a great question, Madam. Next question is from Natalia
and Texas. Italia writes, Elijah, if you could give a
TED talk on any topic other than self reflection, what
would it be?
Speaker 3 (25:27):
Mmm? Okay, what would it be? HM? Courage?
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Having courage, I think for all of us, courage is
the most important step that you must have and you
must take and doing anything or saying anything, you have to.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Have the courage.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
To deal with the consequences of what you may say,
or do, or what dream you are chasing, It starts
with courage, and I could talk about that because I
(26:35):
think that's one of the fundamentals of chasing your dreams
or building whatever it is you're trying to build, is
having the courage to do it and having the courage
to fail at it the first time or maybe the
second time. So I would say, I would say courage.
(27:01):
You know, I could do confidence, I can do perseverance,
but I think you gotta have courage to do it.
You gotta have the courage to try anything if you
want to be successful, and you gotta have the courage
to fail.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Because we all do.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Next question is from Lydia in California. Lydia rights Eli,
I love your show. What's one piece of advice you
give your younger self? Ugh, I think I've had this
question on the show before. This is a very tough question.
I'm not going to say I don't like the question,
(27:44):
because I think it's a good question. I just feel
like I don't know if I would say anything to
my younger self. That's the thing, right, Like, I don't
think I would if I were to go back to
talk to my younger self I don't think i'd be
in the position I'm in right now. I don't think
I would learn any of the lessons that I've learned
right now. So I have a tough time really dissecting
(28:10):
this question. And again, it's not a bad question. But
you know, if I could go back and and sit
down and have a conversation with my younger self, it
would definitely alter things I think. I mean, don't you
if I post that question to you, wouldn't you think
(28:33):
that would alter some of the things that you that
you thought about or that you did. Would you be
in a position that you're in now if you did that?
And I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad thing. I'm
not gonna say that, But to me, it would just
(28:55):
be hard for me to go back and do that
because I know I would probably alter something in my life,
and I honestly think I wouldn't be in a position.
I mean, maybe I'd be in a better position. I
don't know, but I wouldn't be here doing this that
I know for a fact. I can say that for
(29:15):
a fact. I could say that for a fact. All Right,
let's take one more question. This is from Alison and Seattle.
Alison writes Elijah, what's one thing most people don't know
about you? One thing people don't know about me? I
(29:45):
one thing people don't know about Alison. I don't know.
I h I I really, I really, I really don't know.
(30:09):
And I'm thinking really hard too, because I put myself
out there. I think people know that I'm loving, I'm caring.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
I can be.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Goofy and silly. I guess I could say this with confidence.
I can say this. I think, gosh, this is gonna
sound it's gonna sound crazy, but in.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
A good way, at least for me, in a good way.
I think.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
I'm smarter than you think I am. And that's all
I'm gonna say. I'm smarter than you think I am,
because I do think some people not all. I think
some people think that I don't I don't know a
(31:09):
lot of things about certain topics or you know, like
and it's not true. So I would I would say
that's one thing most people don't know about me, Like
I'm smarter than you think I am. And I think
(31:29):
this goes back to, like, you know, me being kind
of quiet and listening to things and not having a
response right away. I say this all the time. I
said this to a friend and his friend got really
upset about about it. To me, sometimes the loudest one
in the room is oftentimes the weakest one in the room.
(31:52):
Sometimes you sit back and you listen before you have
a response, you really dissect what someone's saying to you.
I'm that person. I'll sit back and listen even when
you think I'm not listening.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
I'm listening. I'm listening and I'm watching.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
And sometimes it's not just it's not always what you say.
I watch your body language. Your body language tells the
truth a lot of the times. So I I'm that
person that sits back and takes it in. I may
(32:33):
not have an answer right away, but I'm thinking, and
I'm reading you, and I'm reading the room, and I
think some people miss that about me, you know. So
as I said, i think I'm smarter than you think
I am. And I'll leave it at that, all right,
all right, that's it for questions this week, and folks,
(32:55):
that is it for the show. I would like to
think thank all of you for tuning in and downloading
each and every week. Really appreciate it and listen before
I go. And I should have lived with this at
the top of the shelf. It's Women's History Month, and
(33:21):
in my humble opinion, women rule the world.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
I watched my.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Mom raise two kids, My sister and I didn't have
a lot of money, didn't have really money at all,
food stamps. My mom would walk to work, walk home.
Those were not short walks to work. She'd come home,
clean the house. She taught us how to She taught
(33:51):
us how to cook, clean, be respectful, be responsible. Women
rule the world. That's how I feel. But I encourage
you all to celebrate the women, not not just past
(34:11):
but present, that are in your life, that you know,
that you've seen that's making a difference. Educate yourself on
Women's History Month and why it's important. It's important every day,
but this month we're celebrating it. If you follow me
(34:31):
on my social media pages, you know I've already started celebrating.
You know, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is up in my stories.
I encourage you all to study Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I
got more coming this month, but it's important that we
(34:52):
celebrate these amazing women. And I'm surrounded by a lot
of them every day at Sunset Elementary School, and I
can't begin to tell you the lessons that I'm learning
every day in that building being around those fantastic teachers.
(35:15):
They work extremely hard, and yes, I'll be posting about
them this month as well, so stay tuned for that,
all right, do me a favor, do me this one
solid this week. Get out in your communities and check
in on your family and friends. Put a smile on
someone's face, and remember it doesn't take a lot of
(35:37):
energy to do that at all. Thank you for listening
to The Elijah Winfrey Show. Please be sure to download
this show wherever you download your favorite podcast. Till next week,
Take care, God bless Bye bye,
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