SEND and SpectrumSunday #64 - Happy Hogmanay

Happy New Year's Eve!  The festive season has been pretty overwhelming though mostly in a good way and still left me exhausted.  Our kids are back to school this week (though on different days) but I'm completely unprepared regards uniforms etc.  However, I've managed to pull myself together for our SEND and Spectrum Sunday linky.

Looking back at our big moments from 2017

The year is drawing to an end!  How has our last year been?  Looking back for us it's been a series of highs and lows, as always.  Here's my monthly top picks of things I'd like to share with you from 2017.

Our captured shots from 2017

As 2017 comes to a close, I've looked back through the moments captured on our instagram, picked my favourite photographs and written about what they mean to us. 

'Stop Here Santa' Christmas Wreath Kids Craft

Make sure the man in red stops at your place and keep the kids busy with this fun and easy craft that helps motor skills development too.

What my kids did for Christmas that made me cry

It's only a few days before Christmas.  The excitement is getting to many of us.  On the way home from the last day of school, Jane bursts into tears.  It's not unusual, yesterday she was crying because she wanted it to be Christmas everyday and it couldn't be.  Then she said something that made me choke up.

The day I hid I had kids with disabilities

It can be difficult to treat yourself when your kids have disabilities.  It's simply difficult to leave our kids with anyone so getting time to go to a spa for a treatment is fairly rare.  Sometimes the hubby and I get time out by ourselves, and on a special occasion,  I may even spend that time with just me.   And that's just what happened when I recently spent my spa voucher I got as a gift.

Huge rise in SEND appeals is not a surprise

The latest statistics revealed this morning (14 December) by the Ministry of Justice show the number of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) appeals registered in the last academic year has risen by a huge 27% or over 1,000 cases to 4,725 appeals.  Sadly, I'm not surprised.

Getting our family out for activities

Whether it's at home or while we are away, getting the kids outside is a must even though it's not always easy.  David, like many kids with autism has virtually no sense of danger, and his older autistic brother is petrified that David might get hurt.  Jane is only four still so can get tired if we are out for too long.  Exploring can be too unpredictable too.

How to start helping my autistic son to understand money

It's not unusual for the kids to be sent money in amongst their Christmas gifts from relatives (if I'm lucky, I still get some too).   But unlike our daughter Jane who thinks about what she may be able to buy, to at least one of my son's a five pound note is little more than a plasticky piece of pretty paper and the other has only just started to get an understanding of it's value.