My autistic son is loving his lists

Lists.  We all use them at some point.  They help us organise our thoughts or remind us about tasks.

The intuition of additional needs siblings

Sometimes I'm amazed by my kids.  Anthony's acceptance of himself as a child who is autistic and has a diagnosis of ADHD; David's ability to find happiness in the smallest of moments.  Then there is the times I'm brought to tears by an interaction I never thought possible; the first time my two boys actually communicated and spoke to one another.  It was just a word.  It was brilliant.   Most of the time I'm very aware that I need to be around for these things to happen.  How could Anthony and David cope without me?  Of course, I should know better.

CherishedCharity: Make a Wish via @motherhoodreal

This week I'm continuing my latest blogging series called Cherished Charities. I was at a local Mayor's event when someone from another charity said, "No one has really heard of us unless they need us, it's so hard to raise funds."  So I thought I'd create a small opportunity for people to share the charities important to them here.  This month it's from Talya who writes at Motherhood: The Real Deal. 

Looking after our autistic kids hair

I'm a proud mama.  All my kids have gorgeous locks of beautiful multi-tonal auburn, blonde and brown hair.  They are gorgeous.  But given two of them have autism and with that a large range of sensory needs. I'm happy to share some of the things that have worked for us in the dealing with their hair; brushing, washing, cutting and helping them with pesky nits.

Special educational needs parents need to look after their mentalhealth

What's it like to bring up a child with additional needs?  It can be wonderful, amazing and full of things I never thought possible. But it can also be very tiring and stressful, and for many it can have a serious impact on their mental health.  And as it's mental health awareness week, it seems a good time to share.

Taking time out from parenting

I love being a parent. I love my kids to bits and it's without a doubt the best thing about my life. But, that's not to say it's not tiring and tough sometimes. Exhausting actually. With my kids conditions, I'm short on sleep and time for myself. And this is likely to be the case for years to come. But 'you can’t pour from an empty cup' as my Gran used to say. To be a great parent, I need to take a break from parenting all the time. So what can I do?

SEND and SpectrumSunday #71

Welcome back for Spectrum and SEND Sunday #71.  We’ve all been a bit busy lately so sorry for the late running of the kinky.  Autism,  special educational needs, disabilities, or mental health posts are all welcome  here. 

Fortnite guilt

Anthony is a nearly ten year old boy with autism who has never told a lie, ever. The 'best' he's done is go silent when asked something he doesn't want to admit to. So, obviously, this doesn't mean he has never done anything wrong. And it doesn't mean that he's never felt guilty either.  The latest guilt came games.  Well just one really, a game of Fortnite.

I love my son's laugh

A laugh, a 'spontaneous sound and movement of the face and body that are an instinctive expression of lively amusement'.  Surely a good thing.  If you've got kids, do you remember the gorgeous feeling you had when your baby laughed?  Who remembers a time when they laughed so hard it hurt?  What if laughing out loud hurt you in a much worse way?