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Holiday Cooking & Baking: Meet Logan, Champion of Change Global Ambassador with Autism Speaks
Nov 19, 2024
Meet Logan, Champion of Change Global Ambassador with Autism Speaks - Paula's friend Logan Slaughter talks about his life with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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Learn more about Logan here: https://www.lovelikeloganslaughter.com/
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Learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder here: https://www.autismspeaks.org/
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0:00
(Logan gasping)
0:01
- Well, hey! (hands tapping)
0:02
- [Logan] Hey, Ms. Paula!
0:03
- Hey!
0:04
Oh my gosh!
0:06
- Oh. - I didn't think
0:07
you was ever gonna get here, Logan.
0:08
- [Logan] Hello.
0:08
- Oh, you're so sweet. - Aww.
0:10
I love you. - Now tell me
0:11
who this is, tell me.
0:12
- This is my traveling partner, Barbara,
0:15
and my BFF. - I'm Barbara.
0:16
- Oh, so nice to meet you. - This is Ms. Paula.
0:18
- Now, what is this, Barbara?
0:20
- Oh, we brought you some stuff
0:21
from Washington State.
0:22
- Oh, wonderful. - Yes.
0:24
- Well, it's in a Paula Deen bag!
0:25
- I know! - It is.
0:25
You'll have to guess what it is.
0:27
- She makes really good jelly.
0:28
(Logan and Paula laughing)
0:30
Actually, my-
0:31
- Oh, my husband.
0:34
- My boss makes the jelly.
0:36
- My husband is gonna love.
0:37
- It's really good-
0:38
- Blueberry jalapeno.
0:40
- Yes, and it was all grown out there
0:41
on the Indian reservation. - Garlic jalapeno.
0:44
- Yes, and it's so good
0:45
with cream cheese. (Logan laughing)
0:47
- With, uh-huh.
0:49
And habanero peach jam!
0:52
(Logan chuckling)
0:53
- Yes. - Michael's gonna be
0:54
in Heaven.
0:55
- So, yeah, so my boss, Cindy- - Oh, well, thank you.
0:57
- And we have a winery
0:59
and I brought you some- - Wonderful!
1:00
We'll eat, drink and be merry.
1:02
- [Logan] Well, we will.
1:03
- Y'all come on in! - And we love you.
1:05
- [Paula] Oh, and I love you, Logan.
1:06
- [Barbara] Yeah.
1:07
- So, one reason that I think Logan wanted to come, y'all,
1:14
and certainly a reason why I wanted him to come,
1:18
I mean, I'm so impressed by this young man.
1:20
- Aww, thank you.
1:22
- And introduce yourself to all of our friends out there.
1:26
- Okay.
1:27
- [Paula] And tell 'em who you are and what you're about.
1:31
- Okay, my name is Logan Slaughter.
1:35
I love Paula Dean.
1:36
She's one of my new friends,
1:38
and I'm so glad I got connected with her.
1:40
But I am a Champion of Change,
1:42
I have autism, and I'm a Champion of Change,
1:45
global ambassador for Autism Speaks
1:48
which I'm so proud to be a part of,
1:51
representing people with autism
1:53
and sharing my story
1:54
and my message with autism.
1:57
So I wanted to come and share my story with Paula.
2:01
- That is so wonderful. - And, so, yeah.
2:04
- And I wish we had an hour, but we don't so...
2:08
'Cause I could talk to you
2:09
for hours, Logan. - Yes.
2:11
- But tell people what your trials have been
2:15
and how you have overcome 'em
2:17
and how you can help other people out there
2:19
that may, I mean, there's a chance
2:22
they might not even realize they're autistic.
2:25
- Yeah, there's a lot of...
2:29
I think the first step
2:32
to overcoming autism is acceptance.
2:35
- [Paula] Mm-hmm.
2:36
- When you get the diagnosis, to accept it,
2:39
like your kids having that diagnosis,
2:42
just don't fear it, but accept it.
2:44
And that's the first step and to get help,
2:47
'cause getting help helps you cope and brings hope.
2:53
- Yes.
2:54
- And, so, don't fear it, but love it.
2:57
And don't fear the child, but embrace who they are.
3:02
And it's okay to be different.
3:04
- Right, it is okay. - You know,
3:04
we're all different, aren't we, Paula?
3:06
- Yes, we're all different.
3:07
- And we're all God's children.
3:09
- That's right.
3:10
- And we're all supposed to be loved for who we are.
3:12
- Right. - Yeah.
3:13
- Well, you are a wonderful example out there to people-
3:19
- Thank you so much. - Who deal with this problem.
3:21
And, you know, when I was growing up,
3:23
I never heard the word autism.
3:25
- Mm-hmm.
3:26
- I never heard it.
3:27
- Yeah.
3:27
- But now, you hear it so frequently.
3:32
And have you ever been informed as to why we appear
3:37
to see more of it now?
3:41
Do you think it's diet?
3:42
Do you think it's environmental?
3:47
Have you ever been told-
3:49
- I've never been told- - By a professional?
3:51
- I've never been told.
3:52
But it's one in 34 kids will have autism
3:55
and have been diagnosed, and that's a lot.
3:59
But, you know, you really don't know why.
4:01
And I'm not sure why, you know?
4:05
- Yeah, I don't know if it was in the past,
4:07
there just wasn't that diagnosis,
4:09
so I don't know if it's just more studies now
4:11
that they've pinpointed this particular piece of it
4:15
and you know-
4:17
- And they're not a bad kid, you know?
4:18
- No, they're just, they-
4:20
- They just need help.
4:21
- Yeah, things just are so much harder for them
4:25
because it's not understood
4:27
and it is frustrating for them and-
4:29
- [Paula] Yeah, very frustrating.
4:30
- Yeah, and so-
4:32
- [Paula] Barbara, I think Logan introduced her
4:36
as his traveling companion,
4:39
but she's actually his traveling nurse.
4:41
- Yes.
4:42
Yes she is, she's my traveling nurse.
4:44
- [Paula] And she gives you the courage
4:45
to get out there and-
4:47
- And keep fighting.
4:48
- He's got a good message. - And keep advocating.
4:50
- [Paula] He has a wonderful message.
4:51
- Thank you. - Yes, and he has-
4:53
- Barbara's awesome. - A heart for it.
4:54
And so, his mom, when I was a school nurse,
4:57
his mom was a teacher
4:59
and Logan had just graduated high school, I think,
5:03
and he would come and spend a lot of time
5:04
in my office at school.
5:06
So that's how me and Logan got to know each other was then
5:11
and we've just been friends ever since, I guess.
5:13
- Barbara's my dear friend,
5:15
she just loves me for who I am and-
5:18
- I do.
5:18
- And lets me just be myself and-
5:21
- Sometimes he gets outta hand.
5:22
- I said, "We gotta go to Paula's."
5:24
- [Paula] He does?
5:24
I can't imagine.
5:26
- We gotta go to Paul's house. - I can't imagine!
5:27
- I said, "We gotta go to Paula's house."
5:29
"Okay, we'll go down there."
5:30
- [Paula] That sweet child getting outta hand?
5:32
(Logan laughing)
5:34
- He's a mess. - I just love everybody.
5:36
- He's so funny.
5:37
He does, he loves everybody.
5:38
- [Paula] Yes, and then in that-
5:39
- Yeah, he's a good friend to have.
5:41
- Yes, oh, absolutely. - He really is.
5:44
- Can y'all give everybody some of the symptoms, things
5:48
that they need to look for
5:50
if they're having questions about their own child?
5:55
- They have to be an advocate, you know?
5:58
I think, and a lot of times people, they don't...
6:01
They have a hard time accepting the fact
6:03
that their child has autism
6:05
because in their mind, it's something terrible, but-
6:10
- Good, and I think that was the one thing,
6:14
my mom, her world fell apart
6:16
when she heard that I had autism
6:19
when I was a little kid
6:21
because we didn't know much about autism.
6:23
And so, when the doctor said that,
6:25
her world kind of fell apart,
6:27
but then she said, "Logan, what do you think the cure
6:32
for autism is?"
6:33
And I said, "Acceptance,"
6:35
and then that gave her a new light.
6:37
And she's like, "Well that's a good cure for it.
6:40
I never thought about it."
6:42
- That was very intuitive. - And I was a young boy.
6:44
Yeah. - And wise of you
6:46
at such a young age. - And that's true.
6:47
That's true- - And his mom
6:48
has been so supportive. - For everything.
6:49
- 'Of course, that's not gonna be the case
6:51
in everybody's case.
6:53
- But that's true, Paula, isn't that for everything?
6:55
And that gave her hope,
6:57
and that helps us get help.
7:01
And that's just the cure for Logan Slaughter
7:06
and that's the cure for every child.
7:07
- Yes, yes, yes.
7:11
So what are some of the symptoms?
7:14
What would a mother
7:16
or a father look for if they were concerned
7:19
about their child?
7:20
- I think that a lot of times the first,
7:22
you know, they have different milestones
7:28
that they hit a lot of times when they're younger,
7:31
depending on where they're at on the spectrum,
7:33
they're gonna have different symptoms.
7:37
But then once they get up,
7:39
you know, they have a hard time being overstimulated,
7:43
they'll have meltdowns,
7:45
they'll have, you know, things that-
7:46
- Sensory.
7:47
- Sensory things
7:48
that normally wouldn't bother a kid.
7:50
- Yes.
7:50
- And you might see it
7:53
as the kid being just a naughty kid.
7:55
They're having, you know, you see 'em in the store
7:57
and they're having a meltdown, whatever, it's just the-
8:00
- Cognitive delay. - Yeah.
8:02
- Developmental delay.
8:03
- Yeah.
8:04
- Not always going with everybody's pace.
8:07
- And the thing is, is that you might think
8:09
that they are,
8:12
that maybe they're not as smart as other kids and stuff.
8:14
A lot of times, they're so much smarter than the other kids.
8:17
- [Paula] Right.
8:18
- They're so much smarter
8:19
and it's really hard to live in a world
8:20
that's not built for you,
8:22
and the world isn't built for them.
8:24
And they are thinking so much further outside of the box.
8:28
They're thinking so much.
8:30
You know, they're in a different, you know, reality
8:36
than everybody else and so it's frustrating to 'em.
8:38
And so, that's something, you know, as sensory issues,
8:42
you know, they need a, you know, different sensory,
8:49
you know, I don't know-
8:51
- They need a plan that works for them.
8:53
- Yeah, it's so different for every kid,
8:56
it's so different.
8:56
- Each plan is different, each person is different.
9:01
It's a spectrum.
9:02
- [Paula] Uh-huh.
9:03
- It's a whole spectrum,
9:04
so there's sensory challenges,
9:09
there's-
9:10
- Social challenges. - Social challenges,
9:13
so just get their plan, get the help they need.
9:17
- It's definitely individualized, you know?
9:18
- That they need, you know?
9:19
- Some of the common ones
9:20
that they'll say, you know,
9:21
they don't look you in the eye
9:22
which isn't always so, you know?
9:25
Like we said yesterday, somebody said,
9:27
"You don't even look autistic!"
9:28
- Yes. (Barbara chuckling)
9:29
- So, you know, it is different for every child
9:32
and every person, you know, that they...
9:35
And a lot of times, they're good at masking,
9:37
so they can go into public
9:39
and they can pretend like they are just like everybody else.
9:42
And then when they get home,
9:43
they just totally shut down
9:45
because it was so much effort to go out there and act like-
9:48
- [Paula] And act normal.
9:49
- Yeah. - The real world,
9:50
right, right.
9:51
- Which they're falling apart inside,
9:53
which I've done before, you know?
9:56
- And you know, and autism's hard.
9:58
- It is hard.
9:59
- Logan, you know, he has a lot of struggles.
10:01
It's really hard, it's-
10:02
- You've dealt with depression, Paula,
10:05
you know, in your life.
10:06
- [Paula] Yes, yes.
10:07
- You don't wanna get out of bed,
10:08
you don't wanna do anything or leave the house.
10:10
You've gone through that.
10:11
- [Paula] Right.
10:12
- And so-
10:13
- And it's hard to connect
10:14
with somebody- - It is.
10:15
- To help you with that a lot of times
10:16
because of the autism, it's hard to make that connection.
10:19
- I suffered with agoraphobia for 20 years.
10:22
- Yes, yes.
10:23
- And I tried to explain to people
10:25
that you don't meet agoraphobics out in the world.
10:28
- No.
10:29
- They're at home, huddled under a blanket,
10:32
(buzzer ringing)
10:32
hiding from the world.
10:34
So Logan, you said that the important thing is
10:39
that you get help.
10:40
- Yeah.
10:41
- What kind of help did they offer you?
10:42
- I had therapy, I had speech therapy,
10:46
I had cognitive therapy.
10:48
Even when I was young in elementary school, Mom seeked out
10:52
that help and that helped me develop.
10:55
And I probably wouldn't be where I am today
10:57
without that help, and-
10:58
- [Paula] All right, now, which was the most important?
11:00
You said cognitive.
11:02
Now, what is actually cognitive therapy?
11:05
- Learning language and how to talk
11:07
and communicate and you know, how to use your hands
11:12
and stuff like that, that would be-
11:13
- Something, yeah, that would normally come natural
11:16
to somebody else- - Yeah.
11:18
Yeah. - Doing something.
11:18
- And autism is a developmental delay.
11:22
So you are behind than your peers.
11:25
- [Paula] Yes.
11:26
- Your peers. - Yes, yeah.
11:27
- And so, and speech language helped me a lot
11:32
to communicate better.
11:33
- And I think it was important also
11:34
that his mom was very proactive in the school
11:37
being a teacher and making sure
11:39
that the teachers were in line.
11:41
You have to be proactive with the school because-
11:43
- [Paula] Right, make everybody aware.
11:45
- Yes. - Yes,
11:46
and stay on top of it
11:48
and you know, continually reevaluate what is going on
11:52
and what is helping and what's not helping.
11:54
- I had a great mom.
11:55
- Mm-hmm. - Yeah.
11:57
- [Paula] That's wonderful.
11:58
- Yeah. - Yeah.
11:58
- [Paula] That's wonderful.
11:59
I look forward to meeting your mother.
12:01
- Yeah, yes.
12:02
- Although, I was thinking
12:04
that we had met at a book signing.
12:05
- You have met Mom.
12:06
Yeah. - Yeah.
12:07
- [Logan] You've met Mom.
12:08
- I thought so. - Yeah.
12:09
- Every time I go to Branson, y'all, Logan is there.
12:12
- I'm there. (Barbara laughing)
12:13
- And he gets first in line.
12:15
- I do, you're always so-
12:17
- They move him to the front of the line.
12:19
- I get the perks with Paula.
12:20
(Paula and Logan laughing)
12:22
- Well, you have become to mean a lot to me.
12:25
- Aww, you mean a lot to me.
12:27
- Over the time that I've gotten to know you.
12:30
Yeah, well, this has been so interesting
12:33
and I know that our friends out there,
12:37
enjoyed meeting you, Logan,
12:40
your pretty face and Barbara's pretty face
12:43
and you sharing with us some of the trials of autism
12:48
and one in 34 children is staggering.
12:51
- Yes.
12:53
- That's a staggering-
12:54
- [Barbara] It means there's a lot of families dealing
12:55
with it and they don't know what to do.
12:57
- Right, staggering number,
12:58
and they just think they have an unruly child.
13:03
- Yeah.
13:04
- [Paula] Well, like I said, I could sit here all day
13:06
and talk to y'all, but I know
13:08
that y'all are flying back out this afternoon.
13:10
- I know!
13:11
- [Paula] So we've got some cooking to do, honey bunny.
13:14
- And it smells good. (buzzer ringing)
13:14
- Hear the beep?
13:15
- [Paula] I hear the beep!
13:17
We hadn't even started yet!
13:18
- I know! (Barbara laughing)
13:20
I love you Ms. Paula. - Well, y'all, come on in
13:21
and get comfortable. - Okay.
13:22
- And I'll get y'all something to drink.
13:27
Hey, y'all, it's Paula Deen.
13:29
Now, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to like it
13:33
and click the subscribe button as well as the notification
13:37
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13:40
Love and Best Dishes Y'all.
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