finding the Silver Lining......

Trying to write this post, my new laptop has had a different idea for me and after almost a full page it decided to delete everything I'd just written, leaving me with a blank page and my brain in a spin as to the exact words I had just typed down.

So after a little under-the-breath cursing I will begin again by saying......

Life can really SUCK!

No matter how you plan and set things out you may come across hurdles in your way that you must decide whether to climb, go around, or turn back from defeated.

Respect the STIM......

bouncing is A.J.'s favourite process to de-stress

What is STIMMING?

Everyone at some point in time has had or does have a form of this by the way of different repetitive actions…… toe-tapping, leg-swinging, nail-chewing, hair-twirling, finger/pen-tapping, doodling on paper, pacing, and the list could go on……

Yes, that’s right………

You don’t have to be labelled ‘Autistic’ to do this, yet many ‘Neuro-Typical’s’ still judge these people on their behaviour without understanding why they do it or how it can actually help them.

Hopefully the following details will help others make sense as to why these people shouldn’t be treated any different to anyone with little ‘habits’.

We all do this to calm ourselves and help manage issues such as nervousness, stress, anger, fear, or anxiety, while those with ASD will use this process in an automatic non-controlled self-stimulating manner when trying to maintain stability due to their excessive sensory issues. 

The Wheels fell off………understanding Sensory Meltdowns.

The Wheels fell off………

A simple word; a look; an action; a strange sound or smell;

Reacting to an environmental or personal issue in a manner that others don’t understand, and then their response starts the roller-coaster of emotionally fuelled actions that continue to spiral out of control.

When others don’t understand or comprehend what our kids go through, their response isn’t always what we would hope for or expect, sometimes the responses are negative and hurtful; and sometime their response triggers yet another tirade from our kids.

Craft Activities used to Socially Engage Children.....

Looking to understand the full picture of Autism Spectrum Disorders, we may comprehend the ‘basic’ functioning variations describing the ability levels for each person with a diagnosis, although when researching the more detailed areas to better understand the extent of each defined variation, it is difficult to gain any knowledge that focus on the specifics.

Regardless of this fact we can see that they all face significant challenges that could and do stand in the way of being able to live a considerably comfortable lifestyle in their personal and professional sectors, mainly due to seemingly odd behaviours and mannerisms, and then facing the reactions from others misunderstanding or misinterpreting the reasons behind these situations; adding the factor of ‘looking normal’ others seem to ‘expect’ they would and should act and perform in what is perceived as a normal manner.

reaching this years halfway mark......

Touching base with everyone, I hope like us, you're all having a great break, although our local weather has other ideas......I've kept busy and distracted by arranging a few special little outings, snuggling up watching our favourite movies together, or just doing simple things while chatting about anything and everything, and generally chilling out and relaxing.

With the school holidays in full swing I have paused to think how amazing the past few