Autism isn’t just for boys, you know… This is a well-known saying amongst my fellow bloggers that we are continually pushing out there. As a parent of a young girl diagnosed with Autism—with a demand avoidant profile, more specifically known as PDA—I feel that society is letting these girls and women down continuously. Everywhere I […]
I often wonder what it would be like to have just a peek inside the mind of my eight-year-old autistic daughter. I wonder if I could catch just a glimpse of her difficulties—how she struggles to understand and communicate—and then I could find a way to help her be less confused, less frustrated. Just to […]
I try and be patient, really I do. However, I find myself waiting by the phone, or the letterbox, or refreshing my email account every time there are results due, or a decision to be made. Waiting is the worst. For the 7.5 short years that my gorgeous daughter has been in this world, I […]
“Why do you want to label your child?” I get asked this question much too often. I don’t, actually, and I’ll tell you why — I don’t like the term “label” and how it is defined by the people who choose to ask this question. It’s a dig, an insult; like they’re implying I want these […]
I am a strong believer in Early Intervention for children diagnosed with autism and, in fact, any other condition that a child is diagnosed with that requires extra support. Early Intervention doesn’t have to mean thousands of pounds forked out by the NHS or the LA for access to specialist treatment. It doesn’t necessarily mean […]
I am a forgotten carer. I didn’t choose to be a carer and, if I am honest and I had a choice, it wasn’t on my list of dream jobs when I was younger. However, when you have a child or children with disabilities, you become a carer by default. Parents like me have no […]
There are so many things I love about my daughter; her autism doesn’t even come close to defining her: I love the way she smiles. When she smiles, it’s like the sun shining so bright. I love the way she concentrates when she’s lining up cards all over my floor. They follow no line, but […]
Let’s tackle Halloween in a fun way! I cannot even begin to count how many years Halloween has ended up like a real-life fright night in my house, as I try to get the kids ready for Halloween. I’d rather end up in a pumpkin smoothie than have to go through the rigamarole of taking my […]
I think I speak for most parents of autistic children or children with autism when I say the biggest lesson I have learned is one involving friendship. (I’m never really sure how to word because both ways can, and have, upset parents in the Autism/Autistic Community. So I will use both.) And with that I […]
I guess you could say I have few expectations for the hopes of my child. They’re not going to be the same, day to day or week to week, let alone year to year or decade to decade. Right now, at this very moment in time, the only hope that I have is that she […]