If I had my way, I would go everywhere barefoot. A dear friend once told me that going barefoot in the winter months makes her feel like it is summer. I love summer and I have to agree. I am stubbornly and resolutely barefoot, even in the coldest months, even on the darkest days. For… Read More
Teaching is more than just a job. I know. I know what it is to mark and lesson plan into the small hours. I know what it is to live in a hollow of exhaustion. I have felt the isolation and dread of a pile of unmarked books that must be marked, felt it deep… Read More
As the children grow, I want to make sure that we have lots of opportunities to spend quality family time together. Sundays are our family day. We always plan an activity – a walk or visit to one of our favourite National Trust Sites, like Croome. I am also very keen that we eat meals… Read More
Hello and welcome to Spectrum and SEND Sunday #47. We took a little break last week as it was Easter and we were away for a few days, visiting Granny and Grandad. Also, like many, we received the news that Biggest has been offered a place at primary school. We have also applied for an… Read More
If you ask most people what their ultimate luxury holiday would involve, I guess that many dream of 5 star hotels, all-inclusive resorts and eating in a different restaurant every night. For us, however, staying in a hotel for more than a day or two can be very difficult. Biggest’s routine enables him to function… Read More
It can be notoriously difficult for children on the spectrum to get to sleep. What’s more, no one really knows why. Some believe it may be related to lower melatonin levels, or perhaps sensory issues, but even doctors do not fully understand what the issue may be. We have been fairly fortunate in that, although Biggest does… Read More
One of the things that surprised me the most about being a parent is how frightened I am, all the time. It was one of the hardest adjustments, one of the things that changed the texture of my life forever. I wasn’t sleepless nights or a lack of freedom. It wasn’t keeping a tiny life… Read More
Today marks my eighth wedding anniversary. Last year, I talked about the seven reasons why I love my husband so much. This year, I am being a little more selfish. I can’t remember the last time I bought something for me – not something I needed, not something essential, not something I had to replace… Read More
The world is a wondrous place. There is intricate beauty everywhere, even in the mundane and the repetitive, even in the things you see every day, but never really notice. Recently, I watched an extract from a BBC Wales documentary where a young boy with autism, Jaco, takes delight in repeatedly visiting a market as… Read More
The theme for April’s Bostik Blogger challenge is flying, and so I decided to do some mobile craft. Although the decorations on this mobile are flying creatures, to fit with this month’s theme, I created the mobile to be changeable. The decorations are hung via tiny pegs, meaning you could use the mobile frame to… Read More
Thomas and Friends toys are very popular with Biggest. He loves vehicles with wheels, as I have mentioned before, and very much enjoys the repetitive action of train tracks. He particularly enjoyed Thomas and Friends Adventures Shark Escape set, because it has a dramatic mechanism that propels Thomas through a loop of water, where he… Read More
Recently, a friend of mine sought my advice. Her children attend nursery with a young girl with autism and sometimes her behaviour scares them. She makes loud noises, likes to touch things a lot and sometimes gets too close. How, she asked me, can I explain in a sensitive way? I have also experienced this… Read More