Motherhood changed me fundamentally. Almost from the moment my tiny son was placed in my arms, I knew the world would never be the same again. My purpose, my reason for being, shifted. Instantly, the world was more terrifying and more amazing. Joy was exquisite. Pain and fear were all-encompassing. When I fell pregnant with… Read More
At the school Christmas Fair, on benches decorated with red and green, a boy is howling and screaming at his little sister. You may see his mother, whispering into his ear, holding him tight, as he flinches and kicks out and wails. The small girl beside him is sobbing. The mother and father try to… Read More
Yesterday, we got the letter asking us to register Littlest for school in September. How can that be? It was a heartbeat ago that she was in my arms, just a breath since the letter came for her brother. It is strange – Preschool seemed to stretch out for him, to take forever and yet… Read More
Last week, Biggest turned six. We often struggle to find things to get him at Christmas and on his birthday. He has never been a fan of conventional toys and sometimes struggles with motor skills, making some toys tricky. This year, however, he has such a passion for Minecraft, that it was much easier to… Read More
My children are not quite six and not quite four – and they are respectively autistic and neurotypical. Littlest knows that her brother is different – she has said as much to me. She knows he plays differently, reacts differently, that he is not like “the other boys and girls.” She sees that he is… Read More
Over a year ago, when we first met with the headteacher of my son’s future primary school, she made some promises. Many people told me that she would not keep those promises, that schools these days care little for the provision of their SEN pupils, that I would see, in time, that her assurances were… Read More
At this time, exactly three years ago, someone I had just met told me that you may never do the things that other children do. They watched you play and wrote things down on clipboards. They asked me questions about when you walked, when you talked, about what you like and dislike. They watched videos… Read More
At 3.08 am, I hear your first scream. The fluorescent light from the cabin bathroom is flickering unpleasantly, giving the cramped room a strange, nightmarish quality – but we cannot turn off the lights or you will not sleep at all. “Sweetheart – everything is okay. You are safe. We are on the big boat.”… Read More
Sometimes, when we need shopping mid-week, we tie it in with tea time and the children pick a meal in the supermarket café. For them, it is a dizzying experience, provoking jumps of joy and jubilant chanting. In the last six months, we have been three times. The first time, in the winter, they did… Read More
Over the course of our first year in school, many people have been charged with the care, education and welfare of my son. There are his classroom teachers, of course, and his permanent one-to-one TA, and other members of staff who deal with him frequently. These people know him well and the vast majority know… Read More
This time last year, we were frantically collecting evidence for an EHCP assessment. We were buying uniform, arranging visits, trying to liaise with school and nursery. We needed to arrange a transition that would make things as smooth as they could be. September was looming, a great immovable block – I could not see past… Read More
I usually read quite quickly. As a child, I devoured books. They were friends, an escape. One summer I read eighty-six books in the six-week Summer break. And I loved every minute of the time I spent with them. These days, I read much, much less. With a busy work schedule and two small children,… Read More