I’d never thought to ask for myself Last week, the National Autistic Society came out and stated, definitively and for the first time, that autism is genetic. You’re born autistic and you’re autistic for life. It’s not something you can catch. It’s your neurology, and it’s inherited, most often from your parents. We’ve all known […]
I’d never thought to ask for myself Read More »
The joke wasn’t really about the spider This week I’ve been reflecting on something that happened years ago. I was talking to another parent recently about something that had happened at school for their child, and it resurfaced an old memory for me. At the time, my child was barely managing school. Attendance was patchy.
The joke wasn’t really about the spider Read More »
You put my life into words I opened my inbox this week to find an email from another parent. She had just read my article in Special Needs Jungle and felt compelled to get in touch. She told me I had “hit the nail on the head” and that reading it had made her realise
You put my life into words Read More »
It’s been a strange week We landed back in the UK and the heatwave was long gone. I don’t think it’s stopped raining since we got home. I have to admit our holiday didn’t entirely go to plan, which is not unusual for families like ours. We adapt and overcome. We understand fluctuating capacity. We
It’s been a strange week Read More »
When your child looks “fine” I want to share something that happened recently, because I think so many of us have been here. You know those moments when you share your child’s diagnosis and someone says, “But they don’t look autistic.” And it always leaves me thinking – what were you expecting? What does autism
When your child looks “fine” Read More »
Holding it all together when the world starts again Two weeks off for Christmas and New Year and I actually found myself looking forward to getting back to something resembling a normal routine. The break was lovely, it really was, but it was also over-stimulating, demanding, full of co-regulation, noise, emotional energy, big feelings, crossed
Holding it all together when the world starts again Read More »
They don’t melt down. They just fade. This time of year has a way of shining a light on things we usually manage to hold together. It’s always been very clear with my PDAer when school was too much. The sensory overload – too loud, too smelly, too bright, too many unpredictable children brushing past.
They don’t melt down. They just fade. Read More »
The forgotten children I created a post on Facebook this week that went – I guess you’d say – viral?! At the time of writing, it’s had over 1.9k reactions, 324 comments, and 853 shares. I think that’s testament to just how strongly this hits home for so many parents in a similar situation. It’s
The forgotten children Read More »
The things the world never sees Over the years, I’ve met many families whose children mask. Some of their stories will stay with me forever. One mum told me her daughter was known at school as the perfect pupil – polite, kind, no trouble at all. But the moment she got home, she’d go on
The things the world never sees Read More »
Why some of our kids are drawn to horror With Halloween just around the corner, it’s felt like the perfect time to talk about something I’ve noticed in our house lately. Halloween has always been a big favourite here – the costumes, the decorations, the excitement of it all – but this year there’s been
Why some of our kids are drawn to horror Read More »
