Special educational needs is a broad term used to describe any disability that creates a barrier to a child’s learning; this can range from physical impairments such as cystic fibrosis …
Read More “10 things for parents of special needs children to do when they are stuck indoors”
Today in 31 Days of Learning, we have the wonderful Steph from Steph’s Two Girls, who has a truly inspirational blog that helps many to understand autism and pathological demand …
Read More “How to explain autism to children #31DaysOfLearning”
We all know that play is extremely important for children. In addition to being fun, playing helps children to learn to socialise and communicate, and to develop an understanding …
Read More “10 awesome ways to incorporate sensory play into the playroom”
It’s September and there are pictures being sent around, happy pictures of children in their new school uniform, smart uniform for a new term. I was sent one such picture …
Read More “Childminding – the end of an era when a new term starts”
I got annoyed with myself recently. Really annoyed. A “why on earth did I do that?” annoyed. Both T and D’s school reports came home before the end of …
Reading is something we all take for granted, I can remember immersing myself in the bookshelves at my grandparents and really looking forward to staying with them because it meant …
Now that we’ve successfully received a place for T after going through the appeal process, it’s time to think about September and preparing for secondary school. It’s taken me …
Read More “Tips for preparing your special needs child for school”
I’ve been feeling a little (ok, well rather a lot!) “aaaaaargh!” this week. Not only due we have a series of meetings in a few weeks regarding appealing T’s secondary …
We all have our inner demons, happenings that have shaped the way we are, the way we interact, the way we allow others to see ourselves. It’s whether we …
Read More “Battling the inner demons and trying to put them to rest”
Sometimes T and D amaze me. My pair of (autistic) pickles who remind me of Tom and Jerry, they will frequently spar and get on each others’ nerves, partly due …
New situations are difficult for all children, let alone those who are on the Autistic spectrum. I have come up with some tips that I hope will benefit parents …
Read More “Managing Aspergers – 8 top tips to help your child cope with new situations”
I don’t often write in detail about T, our 11 year old high functioning autistic son. Not that I don’t love him as much as D, of course I do …
It’s something we all strive for in our children, isn’t it? Independence. From the moment they’re born, we’re waiting for those milestones: an ability to support the head; rolling over; …
Read More “Striving for independence – a little bit at a time”
Sometimes the small things can turn our day from a potentially “bad” one into a good one. I try to remember these little snippets whenever the metaphorical cloak of autism …
Read More “The small things: Unexpected Item In Bagging Area – please remove this item…”
From the age of about 12 years old, I’ve worn a “mask”, initially influenced by peer pressure, music and people in the public eye. Every day, without fail, the mask …
Read More “Letting the Mask Slip – Dealing with #specialneeds”