Category: Autism
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The Born Negotiator
”Don’t forget, I know how to embarrass you,” she says. I mean, that’s not typical for an eight year old child to think about or verbalise to their parent, even less imaginable if you were to consider that the child in question is autistic. In a house with a child who has Pathological Demand Avoidance…
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To blog or not blog – that is the question?
When I first started writing posts I pretty much did it for a release because my life felt so tough. I felt so disconnected from everyone that I needed to find a tribe who could understand and help me with what I was going through. Since then, I have learnt how to format posts, understand…
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The Inhospitable World
For many parents on holiday, this picture would be an average photo they would take of their child playing on the beach. For me, it is loaded with so much emotion, that you simply wouldn’t see. Having a child with autism can be more challenging when trying to do typical family outings – for many…
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PDA Day 2019
Yesterday, for those who may not have seen already from the abundance of social media posts, that it was something we have named PDA Day. The 15th of May was used to mark PDA awareness all over the world and it was something that we used to celebrate as a family. I would have liked…
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Twinkle Ball 2019
In April, at the end of #AutismAwareness month, back for a second year in a row was the Twinkle Ball. It was hosted by celebrity powerhouse couple, Christine and Paddy McGuinness, at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester Deansgate. The ball is in aid of the National Autistic Society – a charity that is significant to…
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To infinity and beyond: the power of film for children
Films, for many of us, have become part of everyday living. Movies infiltrate our popular culture by the quotes we use, the soundplays we listen to and even the understanding we have built on stories through history. You could say most of our education and knowledge comes from what we have watched on screen. So…
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Autism with Lola – First Book Teaser
I have been very fortunate to have been given a sneak preview of the first book that is being launched in a new series of autism books being aimed at children. It was something I couldn’t wait to share with readers of this blog as I’m sure it will be useful to many families. The…
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Stop!
There are moments when I just need this all to stop. Last week I had one of them. It’s hard enough to push through when you are living in a war zone, the wear and tear it takes emotionally, when it really is just all-consuming and forever unrelenting. But it’s nothing compared to fighting a…
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Pathological Demand Avoidance Conference 2019 by Parenting Special Children
At the end of last month, many may have seen from my Facebook post (quick link here) I was privileged to be invited as a guest speaker at a conference. I was asked to deliver a workshop on some strategies that may be suitable for helping children and young people with Pathological Demand Avoidance. The…
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Me and My PDA – Book Launch
Back at the start of the year you may remember that my daughter and I reviewed the book Me and My PDA (see here) by Gloria Dura-Vila and Tamar Levi. This was a collaborative process and my daughter relished the opportunity to be writing together as it gave her a real sense of achievement. So,…