Let’s talk about screens! I know, I know, a broken record. As a parent, you’ve probably heard it enough: get your child off the screens! Yes, I fully support this, but let me add another aspect to it: how it changes behaviour. Story time. I went to my nephew’s football practice a couple of months ago (in the States, so we’re talking American football here.) I noticed this little girl in a stroller close to me, maybe about 18 months old. The child had her tablet close to her f

A website I use daily recently changed the entire appearance of their platform. They actually have two platforms running concurrently, and I still use the old one. I decided to do a deep dive and figure out why I preferred the old platform, and I sent the company my findings, which turned out to be basically all related to neurodivergence; ease of use and appearance. When I relayed this to someone who also uses the platform (and knows WAY more than me), the comment was genera

The concept of teaching children to wait often comes up in therapy sessions, but I was reminded that this is clearly a dying art, and it’s adults that need more of the teaching sometimes!!! I went to the bank. It’s month-end, but I timed it so that I wouldn’t get there as soon as the bank opened, but still before the lunchtime crowd. I walked into the bank and the line was fairly ok, only half of the U-turn was full with people, and then maybe two more on the other part of th

What a privilege it is to be bored! To not be overwhelmed, to not have a full schedule, to have the gift of time. We spend so much time being busy (or feeling guilty when we’re not) that we sometimes forget that being bored is a good thing! For children, being bored can be amazing! Once they’re safe and not getting into things they shouldn’t, being bored opens doors to creativity. I spent a good bit of my childhood (during vacation times especially) with my cousins doing the

Tone policing is a thing in the autistic community. A big thing. I’m part of a Facebook group where one of the rules is “No tone policing”, and it gets taken SERIOUSLY. What this means is that you’re admonishing someone for the tone of their message rather than the content. For autistic people, is a necessary ask/demand to refrain from tone policing, and I’ll explain why. Communication as an autistic person is hard. There is a LOT of energy and effort that goes into the many

Surviving and thriving in today’s world needs a village; even more so when you’re a parent. Who’s in your village? Your village should have people who not only support you, but should be positive influences for your child. A simple incident recently reminded me of how useful different positive approaches can be in helping a child process and regulate their emotions, and learn from a situation. My nephew stubbed his toe on a chair while relaying a story to my sister and my mot

Hey folks! I’ve been noticing something for a while now but a few separate incidents in the past week brought it back to the forefront of my mind and I need some opinions here! Where has situational awareness gone? Do people not notice their surroundings? LOOK and see what’s happening before they do something (especially on the road!) What’s happening? I know that much of it is due to distractions from screens or thoughts, but wow! It’s a major problem! I cycle on the road so

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