How to look at secondary schools for a child with SEND

When your child has special educational needs (SEN) it feels like there is an even greater weight to getting the right school for them. Many children with SEND can attend regular mainstream primary and secondary schools and have their needs met well there. Both our boys have an ASD diagnosis but only one went to a mainstream primary school.  When it came to his secondary transfer what would I share about looking at secondary schools for him?

Latest travel essentials for our autistic kids as the green list expands

The wait is now over and we can book a break to somewhere a bit warmer for half-term.  Obviously there are all the normal things that we think about a a family travelling with autistic kids. Where we are going, what type of accommodation works for us and so on.   But we also seem to be struggling a little with demand and supply at the moment.  Some strange mix of Brexit, lorry driver and gas shortages means we can't always get things at short notice, so what am I thinking about sorting out for the October half-term holiday if we jet off to the Med?

My top apps for our autistic kids

There's no doubt that all my kids get technology.  Sometimes it can seem like they are glued to their screens but, especially for my autistic son's, they learn a lot from being online and there's a bunch of apps that are really good at engaging them in learning or sensory feedback, which is so important when they struggle with these on a daily basis.  Here's some of my favourites. 

Keeping our home safe for our autistic kids

We are hoping that we can do some work to our home soon. We really need to do something about the leaky bathroom and with the boys sleeping so badly need them to have their own rooms. In thinking about how we would adapt our house, I was reminded about all the things we thought about after the boys got their initial diagnoses.  Every thing was seen as a trip hazard when I realised Anthony was falling over so often do to sensory needs and processing difficulties.  And that was just the start... David was totally unaware of danger.  So what did I look at.. and am still keeping in mind now?

How our autistic family uses our garden

When the kids are home it can be hard to keep them entertained and regulated throughout the whole day.  We often try to just 'get out' to give a break from the device filled home. There are only so many indoor crafts and activities we can do such as baking or motorskills practice through sheets and various crafts. 

With some outside flood lights the garden can be accessible well into the evenings at the moment and there is an abundance of benefits to our kids in being out in the garden. 

Celebrate the Paralympic Games - a medal craft

Helping kids understand or engage with sports events can sometimes be a challenge whether they have autism or not.  This year the kids got right behind the Olympic Games and we are excited to see the Paralympics kick off.  There's been a bit of controversy about some of the promotion of the Paralympics Games and the tag lines on some adverts saying it's 'Rude not to stare'.   

Five reason's watching the Olympics is good for my autistic kids

It's a week to the end of the Olympics Games in Toyko.  I've been glued to parts of the games, commiserated, applauded and stayed up too late to watch finals. And I'm not the only one.

Arranging a long holiday with autistic kids

 

Two years ago, our family were starting on a wonderful and unforgettable holiday to North America.  It took in six destinations, five flights, three travel booking sites and companies and of course us and our wonderful autistic and neurotypical kids.  With an increase in working from home (or maybe anywhere you have an internet connection) and restrictions I've heard about the idea of basically getting away for an extended period, almost living away on a holiday destination.

Helping our autistic kids cope during a heatwave

The heat is on.. finally we have the windows open for a reason other than COVID.  We're now even allowed fans again - thank goodness!   But fans and open windows can be a bit hazardous around our autistic kids so what ideas have we got to help them cope during this hot heatwave of a week?