Three Diwali craft ideas for our autistic kids

It's Diwali!  This is a wonderful tradition originating in India, known to many as the festival of light.  But it’s not just about lights and legends –– Diwali is a time to have fun with friends and family! People exchange gifts and sweets, enjoy delicious feasts, watch firework displays and wear new clothes.  For us, it's a time to learn and we can celebrate with some fun Diwali themed activities. 

Five things that cause stress for my autistic kids

My kids can become frustrated for a variety of reasons and it isn’t always easy to pinpoint the underlying cause of their emotions.  Once a few of these things start piling up it can ending causing them a stress they can no longer cope with.  Two of them have communications difficulties, but even our daughter can struggle sometime to explain what she's feeling or why.   As a parent of autistic kids I've learned to behave like a detective and have found several things that cause my kids to escalate   

Preparing our autistic kids for a trip to the dentist

 We all know just how important it is that we take good care of our dental health at every age. Children need to have a good oral hygiene routine in place as soon as possible if they are to grow up with healthy teeth and gums. But it's not always easy, in fact for some of my kids it's anything but. 

Some simple sensory activities for autistic kids

Whether you’re raising a child with autism, a family member or friend’s child has autism or you’re starting to provide childcare for someone with autism, you may be wondering what activities you can engage with that help them to enjoy themselves without lending them towards sensory overload. Here’s some information on the subject that can help get this journey started out in the right direction.

Fun planting activity to help kids learn

Spring is definitely here - infact it has almost felt like summer recently! Understanding the world around us is one of the fundamental areas of learning for all kids.  Many autistic kids like ours need concrete or physical activities to engage them and help them learn. So if we are want to learn about growing, then the best thing to do is actually grow something.

Kids easy Chinese Spring Rolls for the Chinese New Year

There's always time for a bit of baking in our home.  Jane absolutely loves baking cakes, cookies and brownies (and then the eating of).  Her latest gift ask was a vegan baking cookbook!  But it's great for our boys too helping them develop their skills in areas they often struggle. 

Make a recycled pearl of wisdom craft to support our kids in 2022

It's been another strange year for our kids.  Things have been constantly changing and we've not been able to do things like we would usually.  We haven't met up with family as much, school has been different, places have been closed to name just a few.  Sometimes it can be overwhelming and having one thing to think about or to focus on, a 'pearl of wisdom' can help. 

Last minute Christmas gifts for our sensory autistic kids

I find buying things for my autistic kids quite challenging at the best of times. Family are always asking what they can get for gifts and it's hard Anthony often has limited interests and is shy about expressing an opinion (in case it's wrong) and David... well David's communication is very limited.  But they are both sensory kids, so what kind of things have I got on my last minute shopping list for the kids? 

Song and sign is an open door

We've watched Strictly Come Dancing properly for the past three years. I watched a few series when it first started years ago but there's so much on TV nowadays and we honestly usually only make time to watch sports live.  That was until two years ago when our autistic and neurotypical family found it help us to connect with each other.  And this years moment came last night with Rose and Giovanni. 

Adapting to winter clothes

Half-term is over, and the darkness is here with the inevitable drop in temperatures.  It's time for the winter wardrobe.

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. 

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? 

Designing a new bedroom for my autistic kids

None of our children sleep great. Estimates say between 50% and 90% of autistic people have some sleeping difficulties, whether that's going to sleep, staying asleep or sleeping at the wrong time - and that's just when things are normal.  And sleep is just one function of a bedroom. When it comes to our autistic kids there's lots to think about. 

Trying to get my autistic kids to eat better

Restricted diets.  Honestly, sometimes it can be depressing.  There's no medical reason why my boys can't eat things.  They are not allergic to anything (that I know of) and to most people it looks like I feed my kids the same food every day due to laziness. But it's not that.  I am in fact desperate to get them to eat a a healthier diet even if it's in the same things they eat over and over again.  If you are in the same boat, here's some of the ideas we have tried.

Five reasons why my kids get frustrated

My kids can become frustrated for a variety of reasons and it isn’t always easy to pinpoint the underlying cause of their emotions.  Two of them have communications difficulties, but even our daughter can struggle sometime to explain why she's feeling frustrated.   As a parent of autistic kids I've learned to behave like a detective - what's causing the issue?  

String and paint fireworks sensory activity

Usually we would spend  a lot of time in our house looking out the bedroom windows over fireworks weekend. Fireworks used to be a real worry for us but slowly, the boys have come to delight in the sparkles in the sky.  We prepare for them coming but this year the big displays might not be happening at all.  So we don't miss out, we have fun in other ways and this string and paint sensory craft is a fun way to remember about them.

Preparing kids for heading back to school after the lockdown with giveaway

Kids have been away from school for the longest period in their lives. Whilst our kids with autism struggle with these changes, many kids find the transition into and out of school challenging even in normal times. We've found that there are things that can help whatever type of bubble or other system your school is adopting to keep kids safe.

Getting my autistic kids to be comfortable with face masks

A few months ago I wrote a post about how I talk to my young children about the coronavirus COVID-19 and how do I keep them safe?  It has sparked a few responses particularly as, like myself, many of our readers have children with autism, comorbid conditions or other disabilities and might not be able to wear one. 

Dealing with our hair and hair cutting while lockdown continues

I'm a proud mama.  All my kids have gorgeous locks of beautiful multi-tonal auburn, blonde and brown hair.  They are gorgeous.  Lockdown means it's been too long between hair cuts for most people.  But given two of our kids have autism and with that a large range of sensory needs we've been cutting hair at home for years.  So here's my tips for dealing with their hair; brushing, washing and cutting and the things we use so you can do it too.

Helping get our kids out into the garden

All the kids use the garden all year round, but right now it's more important than ever.  We are so fortunate to have this space while the country is on lockdown, but it's not always easy for our family to get out into it.  Autistic and many other kids can need to regulate their sensory systems - how their body reacts to the world around them.  And the garden has to help them with this.