I took a short breather from doing the weekly blog because life is made for living, and for the past two weeks I did just that! One week I was away, and the other week I ended up on the beach at 11am on a Wednesday! As much as I LOVE being in my house, “breaking biche” like that was a welcomed change of scenery! Even when the guys at the car park jostling us for chairs or whatever else tried to derail the vibe, a VERY effective, well timed cut eye was enough to make the messa

At the beginning of every week (usually on a Sunday), I write a new note in my phone called “Weekly Tasks”. I then make bullet point lists of the main things to do each day. This gives me a snapshot of what my week would look like, and gives more clarity of how free my day might be. Of course I love the days that are scanty, but I also have the opportunity to move something to a different day if needed without overloading it. This week, Monday’s list was the longest, but ther

Most of the time, I choose to highlight the strengths-based side of additional needs. There is enough doom and gloom surrounding having an additional need, or caring for someone with an additional need. We are all aware that it can be time consuming, a financial undertaking, and a mental load. I usually present the other side to remind people that there are positives to be found, strengths to nurture, and grace to be given. I would disclose that I’m autistic to a parent only

When I talk about attention and focus, I often point out that as adults, we sometimes ask of children what is hard for us to do. The example I give is that when I go to a bank, I like to take note of how quickly people take out their phones when they get in the line, or what they do to fidget while waiting. It’s not much different from a child apart from the fact that the behaviours are generally more socially acceptable. Instead of running around or making noise, adults rock

As a Caribbean people, why we so fraid?!!!! I’ve come across many instances in the last few weeks that has me questioning why Caribbean people are generally so fearful and less adventurous. Of course I can put myself in this category too because if you've ever seen me around a lizard you would understand!!! I saw a video where someone (a Trini) was traveling on a plane and was extremely scared, and the comments were inundated with people saying they’re scared of flying as wel

Something I learned on my semi-sabbatical last year was the process of nervous system regulation. Before September, I thought that taking a short break or a day off would help me to reset, and I’d be refreshed and ready to go again. This was clearly not the case. Short vacations and breaks helped, but it didn’t get to the CORE of my nervous system woes. I took the sabbatical because I realised I needed a longer time to recover. I started the semi-sabbatical in August/Septembe

The next Lunch & Learn topic is on screen time, so I’ve been doing some planning for it and getting my thoughts together. I’ve been thinking about social media and how it has made the world feel smaller and more connected in some ways, yet it still reminds us of how different we are. On the other hand, it shows how quickly wrong or misleading information can be spread, while those who share the positive and uplifting information might tend to get diminished among the louder v

Recently I was a guest speaker at the Down Syndrome Family Network’s Conference in Tobago, in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day. The theme of this year’s conference was “Together Against Loneliness" and I could think of no better way to combat loneliness than through sport, as I have seen the impact of sport in my own life. Here is the summary of my speech at the conference, which can be applicable for all individuals with a difference, not just those with Down Syndrome.

Someone hit me with this line a few days ago. This was at the back end of a six-week programme I’d just delivered on neurodiversity (autism specifically). On the one hand, thinking that everyone has some sort of difference and may need support should mean that we’re more predisposed to giving grace right?! But nah, I absolutely HATE when people say “we’re all a little autistic” because, respectfully, NO. Your neurotypical brain doesn’t process the way my autistic one does. Wh

At what point do you think professional guidance is needed? If your child needs therapy, can you do it all alone? If you needed therapy, can you read a book, watch a few videos, or go to Google and be better? In reality, some people can, and I don’t judge those who think they can manage on their own……to a point. Hear me out. Many years ago, I was recapping a session with a parent and explaining that we used play doh and what we did. I suggested to the parent to play with play