Why my autistic son would be a great father

Anthony, our eldest son with autism, used to say that when he grew up, he'd like to be a..  dad.   Possibly also combined with a part time job as a either a dentist or super villain.

#WonderfulWednesday: The Batman Effect - Could it help kids focus?

This week's wonderful Wednesday share came from understood.org via Life with ASD & the Rest.  It's a blog post by Stephanie M Carlson called 'The Batman Effect: What my research shows about pretend play and executive functioning.'  I know, it's a bit of a mouth full.  So what's it about and why is it my wonderful share of the week?

5 ways to get sleep when you are kept awake

I've spoken to so many new parents, parents of children with additional needs and carers, whose primary issue of the day is that they are exhausted. Every mother reads about 'baby brain' as the baby keeps you up at night but no two kids are the same. Some babies sleep through from a few weeks, others a few months and despite efforts some kids need help for years through their life.

Favourite Friday: it's not supposed to be 'Them' vs 'Us'

"I'm prepared to go in fighting." I've read and heard the phrase so many times from parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) that I've lost count. I may even have said it myself.

By definition a SEN child needs additional support.  They are "A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them."  Where a special educational provision is "provision that is additional to or different from that which would normally be provided for children or young people of the same age in a mainstream education setting."  (Children and Families Act 2014 Section 20 and 21).

Read the full post here.

Every Friday we share the most popular post from the previous week in case you missed it. See all our favourite posts here.

It's not a good day to be a worrier.. and I'm a worrier

BBC News - Brexit: What happens now?

I was shocked when I was woken by the news this morning. The UK has voted Leave.

Immediately my head started to spin.. what will this mean?  What will happen next. It's not a good day to be a worrier.. and I'm a worrier.

#WonderfulWednesday: What not to ask an autistic person

This week's wonderful Wednesday share is based on a video by BBC Three 'What not to ask an autistic person.' It's a humorous video that highlights and explains common misconceptions about people with autism from autistic people themselves.

Pinchy fingers with Apple & Pear Crumble helps learning to write

Cooking is a great way to develop listening and motor skills for all kids, not just those with autism.  Anthony made this Apple and Pear Crumble at his Kiddie Cook after school club.  It's an easy recipe that got him working without knowing it.

Watching made easy with iBeani iPad and Tablet Stand

We are a iPad and device heavy home. We have nearly as many iPhone, iPads and tablets as I have fingers. We use them for everything from doing the weekly shop online and doing jigsaw puzzles to streamlining kids TV and sports events.

The things I hear during an England game

Some people scream at the TV, some people clap and cheer.  But my son says some strange things when he's watching England play.  It's nothing to worry about, in fact it's a good thing. Read more here.