#HAWMC DAY 25 – D-DAY

That day was here, it had finally arrived. She put on her coat, took a deep breath as she closed the door behind her.

Sat at the bus stop a thousand thoughts bombarded her brain, she developed a list of endless questions storing them safely to the front of her mind. Boarding the bus she knew it was almost crunch time. 

The child & adolescent mental health centre was a modern building boasting floor to ceiling windows that had been brightly stained in an array of colours. She sat staring at the rainbow of colour the suns ray had projected through the coloured glass onto the cold tiled floor only to have her trance broken with the calling of her name.

Looking up she recognised the woman stood before her as the Child Psychologist who along with others, had sat for hours observing the behaviours of her then 9-year-old son. 

The Psychologist smiled, though it was one of those awkward half smiles with her head slightly tipped to one side her whole expression cried sympathy!

“How are you?” she asked as they headed for the elevator! She responded by smiling gently while nodding her head and stating “Yes, I’m fine thank you” This couldn’t have been more dishonest! Her life seemed no less than a giant mess, her eyes alone expressed the story of sleepless nights and utter worry.

A weird, awkward moments silence commenced for what seemed like minutes though in reality it was only seconds when finally the ding of the elevators doors rang out. Stepping out of the elevator the Psychologist turned and with that same tilted head and half smile, asked “Are you ready?” 

She was as ready as she’d ever be, for no amount of time could ever prepare her for this day. 

After a short walk down a brightly lit corridor they came to a door, it was on the other side of that door that answers await, the answers to the question she had asked some two years before!

Entering the room they were greeted by a whole host of professionals, each on armed with a clip board, a glass of water and that same tilted head and half lit smile.

Taking a seat she felt her whole body tense, why did she suddenly feel this way? Looking at the tissues the Psychologist had now placed on the middle of the table right before her, she asked herself “Do they expect me to cry?”

After all why would she? 

It had been more than 18 months since that first appointment, her son had seen every single one of these specialist and more besides, almost all giving the same conclusion following observation of his behaviours! Yes, if it wasn’t for the mix up, the mistake of a closed case following a silly mixup in paper work, she was almost certain this day would have come long go.

After that first appointment and first drawn conclusion with a child Paediatrician she had gone home and researched all there was to know on the topic and therefore realised that yes the reality of what that Paediatrician had told her was in fact more than a possibility!

So… why in god’s name would this woman now cry?

There was a whole lot of words, words that went in without being fully absorbed. Each professional adding their view on what support her child would likely require, what this involved and just how to go about getting it!

Then a pause… 

Here it comes she thought!

Looking at the psychologist she concentrated on the movement of her lips as she said them words…

“So, we are all in agreement that the most suitable and fitting diagnosis for your child is that of… Aspergers Syndrome”

It wasn’t a shock… as mentioned the possibility had always been put forward.

As his mother she had taken it on board and adjusted her way of thinking when it had come to parenting her son, she already considered him a boy with Aspergers.

So… why did she find herself reaching for the tissues?

She didn’t cry through sadness, she cried because it was suddenly all so real, so official! With the diagnosis also came a certain degree of relieve, a reason for her child’s uniqueness. She could stop blaming his meltdowns or difficulties on that of her own parenting, school could stop shaking their heads and finally wake up to the fact that this is real and not an excuse.

Silence

Then…

“Do you have any questions”

Of course she did, she had that whole long list that she had readily stored at the front of her mind!

So… why could she not think of one to ask?

 

 

It’s been over two years and this woman has come along way. Like any family they have good days and they have bad days. She embraces her child’s uniqueness and encourages parents of newly diagnosed children to reach out to one another, sharing the message…

 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!    

But do you know what?

She still can’t remember that list of all important questions she stored so safely in the front of her mind!

 

Post 25/30 in the wego health #HAWMC

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#HAWMC DAY 24 – An Angel By My Side

The 24th challenge in the “Health Activist Writers Month Challenge” (HAWMC?) was to create a health mascot for our health focus! I found this a bit of a strange one, but hey this is a challenge so who am I to argue?

I guess I’m therefore going to have to come up with something and considering that this blogs main focus is about parenting a child on the autism spectrum, this is what my health mascot must represent! Nonetheless, as I write this I have no clear indication where this is heading or what my health mascot even looks like (despite thinking about it the entire day)!

Long Pause…. Seriously it’s been 30 minutes or more and I’m only just about ready to write the next paragraph. 

OK, so after lots of pondering I’ve decided to go with something quite mystical and beautiful that for many represents a number of different things… An Angel! Now I almost decided upon the Archangel Michael, an advocate, defender & protector. He is said to have fought many battles and I guess that’s something us parents of autistic children do too. However, I am not an overly religious person and Michael has been portrayed  in an array of different ways within an array of religions.

Guido Reni's archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome) tramples Satan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This for me isn’t about a religious figure but one of strength and power, a mascot for my health focus would need this and more besides.

I’ve always had a bit of a thing for Angels and this often comes out in my artwork, so regardless of my decision not to go with Michael, my mascot would still be an angel, only one I have created from the inner depths of my overactive imagination!

Many people feel that Angels are something of messengers, which is exactly what my Angel would need to be. As a mascot for autism and aspergers my angel would do the work needed to raise awareness and combat the crawl ignorance that surrounds these conditions by delivering the message of awareness. 

My angel would shine a light on those that failed to understand, wrapping them in his wings he would open their minds to a greater understanding. 

My angel would bring justice and fairness, ending the discriminating ways of those we have been made to put our trust in. My angel would promote equal opportunities for all, regardless of disability.

My angel would see that our children received the education they are entitled to, that they were pushed to their limits in-order to achieve their dreams.

My angel would not change those with the condition, he’d change those without. My angel would open their eyes and therefore open their minds to the world we currently live in.

My angels spirit would seek to protect the most valuable children whatever their diagnosis and protect them he’d do well! 

Artwork created by me

Post 24/30 in the wego health #HAWMC

#HAWMC DAY 23 – Yes, Girls Have Aspergers Syndrome Too!

Of course girls get Autism & Aspergers, it’s just that we don’t hear about it all that much, well, not on the same magnitude as boys.

So, the statistics indicate that boys rather than girls, are more likely to be on the autism spectrum. The National Autistic Society states that although there is no way of knowing the exact ratio between the two sexes, studies combine together indicate a ratio of 2:1 in boys and 16:1 in girls!

Wow, that’s a huge difference in numbers, however, could this be due to how the traits of autism are displayed differently between the two sexes or maybe its societies stereotyped way of thinking making this much harder to spot in females. 

It all boils down to us in a variety of ways, have you ever heard the health visitor refer to your son as the “Typical boy” or daughter as “Shy” as many girls are labelled to be? But I thought that everyone was meant to be different regardless of their sex!

Now, I’m no expert, not by a long shot, but I do remember some girls in secondary school who were so detached from their peers that they were ridiculed as being loaners or geeks. Some of these girls went through primary and secondary school never having friends and the ones that did try to socialise normally just ended up bullied by those she thought were her friends. I’m in no way indicating they were on the spectrum (who am I to make that judgement) but I know that teachers didn’t bother to find out why these children were so sad or withdrawn from those around them. As long as they produced the work expected of them it was all that mattered! 

As girls we express emotion in an all together different way then boys (well this is what we are made to believe). Boys are seen to display more challenging behaviour and as a result they are more likely pulled up as having an issue or underlying condition that needs addressing (that or the teachers just can’t handle it so ship them of to the child mental health team). I believe this to be why my own son received a late diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome as despite him having reasonably challenging behaviour within the home from quite early on, this wasn’t displayed at school, just suppressed making him explosive on his return at 3.30 pm Monday to Friday. Nonetheless, once this behaviour could no longer be contained, what with his senses becoming more heightened making him more likely to tip over the edge, the school were all for statementing and special school!

Girls will always be seen as better communicators than boys and many feel that girls on the spectrum are better able to disguise symptoms whether deliberately or not. I guess this fact would make a condition such as Aspergers far harder to spot as this wont normally involve any delayed language skills.  

As well as that of the above, girls are also seen to be “Just shy” or “Over sensitive” We are thought to over dramatise and cry at the drop of a hat. Us girls are seen to be more likely to have low self-esteem or a poor self image, especially during our teen years, hence the reason girls are far less likely to be referred for any type of investigations, especially if they are bright and advanced within certain areas of they’re learning.

Another theory is that girls inherit an X chromosome from their fathers which protects them from the development of autism, though if this was the case I’m sure the science of today could do a much better job of proving it!

When reading an article on the NAS site, some excellent points were made such as, girls on the spectrum tend to have similar interest to those girls not on the spectrum, example being animals or horses, soaps or celebrities. These interests are therefore not seen as usual. However once in their own safe space interest tend to be much more obsessional than that of a “Typical girl”

So, the question is “Are boys more likely to have autism and aspergers than that of girls or is it simply because the criteria used to diagnose autism and aspergers is one built purely on the characteristics of male behaviour?”

Here’s a few videos by two different girls with a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome, these videos and more can be found on my channel under my subscriptions. 

23/30 in the Wego Health #HAWMC (today’s challenge was a free choice topic). 

#HAWMC DAY 22 – The Things We Forget!

There’s many things we forget, the simple things such as the milk when we go shopping or a recent doctors appointment.

Sometimes though we do forget those bigger important things which normally relate to our own wellbeing.

When asked to create a post it note reminding me of something I need to remember I thought why not make it a real important message (or should I say important three messages)!

Love yourself 

 Whether parenting children with additional needs or not, this is something to many parents are guilty of.

It maybe due to the fact we feel to tired at the end of the day to do a little something for us, whether that’s reading a book or relaxing in a hot tub full of bubbles for 1/2 an hour we normally end up to shattered to move from the sofa, falling asleep in our clothes instead.

Sometimes it goes a little deeper, we just don’t feel to good on the outside so feel crap on the inside. I have this problem often hence the reason I’ve included it here.

Stay Positive  

We all need a little kick up the back side sometimes and when things get tough, normally all at the same time, we tend to find it a little hard to stay positive!

However, to stay positive helps us stay more relaxed and able to see the bigger picture. I remind myself to stay positive every time I’m in a situation that causes me anxiety and as I have a few on the agenda I’ve included the message here.

Smile

Why? Because when you smile the world smiles too (or so they tell me)!

Post 22/30 in the wego health #HAWMC

 

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#HAWMC DAY 21 – A Poem

Public Meltdown

They look and they stare as if they just don’t care

Laugh and snigger it’s too much to bear 

He screams and he shouts as he punches the air 

I feel like running when I see it coming

Where’s the support, why are they laughing… never seen a grown boy barking 

Disconnected from others, fall of anger and fear he runs it’s no fun to chase him about as his mum

Senses heighten, emotions they do flow 

Tears and panic it’s so hard as his grown

 Meltdowns so hard for all those involved

ignorance much harder

if only they did know!

The 21st prompt in the “Health Activist Writer Months Challenge” (#HAWMC) set by wego blog was to write a Health Madib Poem. You visit the site feed it a loads of words and it generates a poem but I found it useless, nothing made sense and to alter it there seemed Little point as it would be easier just to write my own, so that’s what I did. 🙂

Post 21/30 in the wego health #HAWMC 

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#HAWMC DAY 18 – Inspiration

Stories can be used to establish social routines (using ‘fill in the blank’ procedures) and improve the ability to make social judgements. They may also be useful in helping others better to understand the child’s perception and responses.

 Children With Autism & Aspergers Syndrome: A Guide For Practitioners & Carers (By Patricia Howlin)

 The above statement is one made in one of many books I own that covers topics relating to the autism spectrum.“Children With Autism and Aspergers Syndrome – A Guide For Practitioners & Carers” was one of the very first books I acquired on the subject and I will still often refer to it from time to time. So, naturally when day 18 of the #HAWMC was set with the prompt “Pick a random statement from a book and write about it for 15 minutes” this was my first port of call. 

 There are hundreds upon hundreds of statements made within this particular book, so, why this one?

 I feel it’s important to highlight the above to other care givers, especially those with a newly diagnosed child. Yes, this is a life long condition that cannot be cured. Nonetheless, there are things that you can do to help your child develop better social interaction and communication skills, along with important life skills with the use of some commitment and good old-fashioned creativity.

 When my own son was first diagnosed, I didn’t really get sat down and given all the answers, if the truth be told no one really has them to give. Yes, I was sat on a chair amongst an entire room of professionals and all though I was asked that question… you know the one “Do you have any questions” I just didn’t know where to start, I just remember having plenty. I was therefore sent on my way with a folder of bits and pieces and a very jumbled mind. 

 It wasn’t in-till long after the little guy was diagnosed that I attend something called the “Early Bird Plus” designed for both caregivers and teaching professionals caring for or teaching a newly diagnosed child. Now although “Technically” Little man wasn’t exactly newly diagnosed, I still wanted to attend and have some of those unanswered questions answered! 

 It was during this course that I was first introduced to the simple yet effective idea of visual prompts and clues. With this I didn’t only discover ways to formulate routines, making them visible to Little man so he remained aware of what was happening when and where, but they also still play a big part in Little man’s daily bathroom routine enabling him to better do things in sequence (though sensory sensitivities remain a huge factor we are yet to improve)!

 There are many ways to use these visual aids (kinda like the visual symbols used for PECS). They are also very easy to create or if you don’t fancy that they can be found normally on a string of websites and are mainly free to download. 

 I designed and created a great visual aid for use in the bath room and that of the bedroom. Although he reacted in the way I expected when introducing the aids I soon discovered he was using that of the one in his bedroom to help him formulate his bedtime routine! Ok, he remains an extremely poor sleeper, though he does follow the chart removing the symbol cards that I attached to some Velcro dots, placing them in the pocket I attached to the bottom of the chart. He now uses a written reminder he keeps within on of his many organisers. Nonetheless, the bathroom system remains in place and although his very tactile defensive his got the sequence going and is trying much better than before.  It’s my view that any positive improvements within this area really need to be fused over with lots of praise being given to the child.

 So, how else can we use pictures and words as a visual clue and symbol to teach our children the basics in making the right social judgements as-well as good communication and interaction skills to formulate good friendships?

 Some may have heard of social stories which are a great way of getting a child on the spectrum prepared somewhat for an unfamiliar situation such as a trip to the dentist or even a fun day out at a theme park. 

 You can easily make up a pretty effective social story with no more than an exercise book and some pens! However using photos (if available) of the places that you plan to visit and those people you are visiting (of course with their given permission) can really help a child with autism or aspergers feel more prepared with the situation and therefore calmer on the day! Lets face it, who likes visiting the unknown? Those with autism have difficulty regulating their emotions and that of anxiety can trigger a number of undesirable reactions both during the lead up and that of the day. 

 Little man is growing up, his heading up to secondary school (lucky for us this is one that is attached to his current independent special school). People find it difficult to understand that many of Little Mans sudden outburst are caused by anxiety. I think this is not only because Aspergers is known to be the “hidden disability” but more the fact he can come across (at times) rather street wise, especially more so now. The truth is he is improving with the help of his school, his friend next door and some social modelling from others, but his still more than likely to say the wrong thing, something inappropriate, generally considered social unacceptable. But there are times I do wonder maybe they got it wrong then bang… something happens, a meltdown, over intense conversation on his special interest and the inability to shut off. Then there’s his all nighters and inability to switch off. That’s the thing, your child may have problems with social skills but as they grow they can often act a certain way for a chain of different social situations. I’m not stating Little man is socially correct all of the time but his learning. One thing I do try empathise & encourage is for Little man to be himself as he has at times totally moulded himself in a certain way to fit more comfortably into certain social groups and gatherings. He maybe a success but once home he off loads and he will normally have a hell of a lot of bottled up stress need releasing. It’s important that he knows how to behave for an array of situations but to reframe of hide who you are by either going into oneself coming across as a bit shy or maybe even a loner to avoid running into difficulties or act a way because it gets you liked by others, both something  Little man engaged in during mainstream, I can tell you from a parental perspective that this isn’t anything other than a disaster waiting to happen. 

 As many a parent of a child on the autism spectrum can probably vouch, we as parents are presented with that bit more reason to worry when it comes to our children growing up and therefore having to experience new things as they embark on their journey to adulthood. Something like visuals and good social modelling are of the up-most importance and will in time become a natural way of life and acquired parenting skills that we will find ourselves doing with little if any thought at all.

 You know your child and will learn what works best for them and you as a family. As mentioned earlier within this post, Little man no longer uses visual symbols for within his room but now uses words, just as you or I may write our schedule of order of events in a personal diary or organiser , this works and if even he remains awake till 3am with school set to kick of a few hours later, his still able to do those important steps to prepare for bed from brushing his teeth to putting his clothes in the wash. As for preparation for a new situation, we don’t always get things right (those that read about our Butlins holiday at Christmas will more than agree that it didn’t go smoothly) yet at times things go much better than maybe they would have if the effort to prepare Little man wasn’t made. I did the social stories with pictures, but he sees things very black and white so its important to have visual reminders of “Real life” places, people, etc this helps him to formulate some kind of image and expectation. The only danger of this is to be careful not to overdo it as spotted difference or unexpected changes could make the hard work go to pot!

 Lately, I’ve tried to be more creative with how we do the above. I’m agree he knows he sees thinks differently and thinks and processes information a tad different from his age peers. I’m also aware that as his grown his not welcomed anything that causes him to stand out so I’ve tried to continue with the preparation while making it more fun, age appropriate and fun. Last week why searching the App store on my iPhone 4S for some type of daily planer and social story maker, I found Comic Book. As you do, I had great fun playing around with it and trying different things. I created the picture below of my toddler Harley, and sisters new baby Riley. It has a number of stickers with great phrases, themes, colours, fronts and more. After testing it with the toddlers pics, I felt assured that this would be a great fun addition to my social preparation tool kit and Little man agreed it was pretty cool. Maybe with the doctor’s permission  you could snap a few pics during the next appointment and use this for your comic strip! For me, this is an App that will provide more than just good fun. 

 Other ideas are that of video recordings of places you may visit, memory books of the places you have been to before or even use small visual cards, laminated and hole punched and added to a curly key chain key ring and attach to your child’s belt loop. This is perfect for non-verbal children as they can use the symbols as a way to communicate their basic needs such as using the toilet while at school instead of become frustrated or upset. Again all these are easily made and need not cost a fortune.

 I also mention in another of my recent #HAWMC post about the brilliance of Pinterest, I’ve created a great Autism and Sen board that’s packed full of ideas to help your child in the areas discussed and many more… Yes, total pin head here! 

Below are some ideas on creating and using visual aids. These are taken from the autism & Sen board on my Pinterest and original author also included with these pins

from the blog rockabyebutterfly.blogspot.com

from the blog carrotsareorange.com

from the blog etadventures.blogspot.com.au

 Visuals may not seem appropriate right now, you may feel your child doesn’t need them? Remember at some point in our life we all require the use of prompts and instructions as-well as organisation… a work timetable or organiser. When we experience anxiety concerning an upcoming situation or event we form a mental picture which isn’t always easy for a child like mine! Early intervention is the key so if your child could do with a little prompt or preparation, why no give visuals and social stories a try? 

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#HAWMC DAY 17 – Learning the hard way is often the only way

He stood before me, his expression was one of seriousness & confusion…

“Miss xxxxxxx I don’t know what you’re trying to suggest here, but we both know that you made the decision to collect and take your son home, nobody requested you do so!”

Speechless, I felt my whole body tremble. It wasn’t fear but a mix of both anger and shock! This surely wasn’t how it was meant to be! This was… Well, just wrong! 

“Excuse me, but you called me and had me collect him, you know you did!” 

He stared blankly at me as he made a continuous  shaking motion with his head. Suddenly it hit me… If this man could stand before me telling porkers then he could surely do the same when discussing any situation relating to my child. Now, I always believe my child when he tells me something though he does have this unintentional habit of exaggerating a situation a tad so. Now, I’d never again question his words, especially if it had anything to do with his head teacher!

You don’t really ever expect to receive a call from your child’s head teacher requesting you collect your child immediately because they are unable to contain his unpredictable and challenging behaviour, especially when they have always claimed he has no issues at school, implying it’s a “Home Thing!” This is even more surprising given the fact it’s suddenly a recurring event, one that is now being denied! 

This was the kick up the behind I needed to learn everything education related. This included, school’s and LEAs statutory requirements, the SEN code of practice, Education act and anything else related to SEN.

Of course my first discovery was that of “Illegal Exclusions” I therefore quickly got legal advice before putting my findings to the Head teacher and those other professionals attending the current meeting. I half  expected to be thrown a few excuses but to stand and look me in the eye and lie… No, I didn’t expect this!  

Feeling a mixture of sickness and disbelief, I asked myself where we’d go from here. Deep down I knew this was the beginning of a battle… I guess I just never expected it to be so tough!

Yes, this is one of many incidents that happened during Little man’s mainstream schooling, in fact this is a pretty mild example! 

Some of the events that followed were truly horrifying! Exclusions on a weekly basis, especially on days of school trips or special events… He even got hide away while ofsted inspected the joint! He was taught in isolation like some cage animal and the bull shit keep following. 

On one particular occasion when I was collecting Little man from school as a result of yet another exclusion, it was claimed my son had called the head teacher a “Wanker” and I openly agreed. Now… although I did pretty much by this point consider him to be just so, the incident was one that never actually occurred whatsoever, it was all based on lies. Another occasion was in relation to a weekly trip the children made to the local allotment. It was agreed I’ll attend so little man could go! However, on this day I was informed of a staff shortage with the result being a cancelled trip. 

As I sat enjoying the mid-days sun while sipping a lemonade through a straw as I enjoy my last few hours freedom which I happened to be spending with my sister in my mother’s garden that lays directly opposite the allotments. Suddenly, I’m greeted with the most worrying sight. Sitting up I flick my sunnies from my head down to my eyes in order to get a better look! Surely not… No stinking way is that them! But it was, it was all of them, the whole class minus one!

I wasn’t mistaken as a child recognised me and waved… though they were no more than 15ft away the teacher failed to spot me, though I spotted him and god that made me angry! 

I felt my eyes begin to water beneath my oversized sunnies. My sister looked a me, her face a picture of pure horror, she asked… “Claire… what are you going to do?”

“Nothing!” was what I answered!

On collection from school I asked the Little man’s Teaching Assistant what the children did instead of attending the allotment… as expected, I was feed so more bum fluff!

Of course now I was pushed to a limit… With this and a whole host of other sad events I filed a claim of “Disability Discrimination” I had my fighting boots on and I was adamant that I’ll pull them down and show them to be the “True Professionals” they really were!

I’d be lying if I said it was easy! There was tears, lots of tears. Lies… so many I’d lost count months ago. Reading the schools response to my claims I truly saw how corrupt they were as I saw a filed document being used as evidence. This document was a timetable of the allotment programme, it claimed that 2 schools (one being theirs) had agreed to swap days that week, they claim it was this group of children I see! 

A week before the hearing I agreed on a settlement. I  removed my son from the school but I needed to not only have the schools lies revealed as just that… Lies! I also wanted my child to be given a full apologise while it was of great importance that this terrible treatment didn’t continue on in this manner. 

Having rejected a series of written apologies while suggesting alternative wording for the next, we finally got there. The Letter apologised for different incidents as well as stating it would review it’s policies and train its staff in SEN with a certain date attached as a deadline. 

What exactly did I learn the hard way? I learnt that those we often put our trust in are the ones we sometimes should fear most. I learnt how money and funding truly comes before the child when it comes to that of education. Lastly I learnt that I’m stronger than I ever thought I was!

A Mad Video Plea

Guess what? There really isn’t very long left till nominations close for the Mad blog awards 2012.

As many will already know, I was lucky to be nominated in two categories last year (blogger of the year & Most inspirational) and I was delighted to go on to win the title “Most Inspiring Mad blogger” 2011 back in September. 

Of course I’d love to be part of the Mad blog awards this year, not just because it was a lot of fun last year and I got a night off duty when attending a glitzy awards ceremony but it also helped me create lots of publicity for the blog and therefore the subject it’s built around, “Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome” It was truly rewarding being able to create lots of awareness for something I’m so very passionate about. 

I haven’t really done much in the way of drumming up nominations as I know the public can get a bit peed off with the constant “Vote for Me… Vote for Me” scenario!

So, I thought I’d hopefully come at it from another angle and share this video I created with you… After all its much nicer and I feel quite proud of it 🙂

Here’s hoping you’ll enjoy it and feel inspired to pop our blog on the nominations list. 

A boy with Aspergers would love to be nominated for blogger of the year and again most inspiring. It’s dead simple to nominate, just click HERE and enter our URL in the nomination box for blogger of the year (this is the only category you must nominate someone for! All other categories are optional). Click next and pop the URL in the most inspiring box. Only requirement is to include your name and email on the nomination form, though the Mads do not spam you so your safe. It really does take less than a minute to nominate and myself and the little man would really appreciate your support.

Thanks for reading and watching

Love

Claire and the one we refer to as the Little Man! xx 

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#HAWMC DAY 15 – Writing Style

We all have one, our very own unique writing style.

Its something I believe we all acquire regardless of how or where we were educated.

I remember my literacy lessons at school quite well. It was always a subject I loathed and as mentioned before, if you asked me back then if I would every engage in writing as a hobby, literally do it purely because I enjoyed it, you can be sure I’d answered with the term NO WAY!

Regardless of the above, I guess I was never really bad at it (though grammar wasn’t my strongest point and still isn’t). I much preferred art and drama but on the whole secondary school wasn’t one of my favourite of places and I therefore regrettably skipped a reasonable chunk of it.

Now, I’m passionate about writing, its something I engage in daily whether blogging or just scribbling in my diary.

Looking at my writing style I’ve established that I’m quite versatile depending on what I’m writing about, where it’s going, its intended audience (if any) and of course my current mood are all factors that contribute.

Regardless of my love for my Mac Book, I’m a person who still loves to use good old fashion pen and paper. Many of my published post (and many an unpublished post) can be found drafted in one of my many note books.

I feel my best posts are those that have been written on the spur of the moment! This quite often happens at times I feel the need to vent or just declutter my mind a little. Its times such as these I feel I do less thinking more writing! It just seems to flow and when it does it normally results in some pretty good material.

I guess my writing style is one of honesty and emotion with little touches of humour here and there! My personal opinions are stated open and honestly, I let my emotions do the typing, I say how I feel normally leaving little back! Laying it out there for the world to see can be a risky way to write but it works for me!

As for humour, I guess many don’t expect to find it on a blog where a mother writes about parenting a child with Aspergers Syndrome. However, those that parent a child like mine will completely relate to some of the funny situations I sometimes find us in. Other times I find myself adding the odd bit of humour to a potentially  depressing or difficulty situation I’m writing about! This sometimes comes out unintentionally and in many formats. I guess it’s just that common scenario of, “If I don’t laugh I’ll cry!

Will you find any bad language on my blog? Does my writing style consist of profanities? I try to keep it as clean as possible and I don’t write a post full of bad language! However, you may occasionally find the odd swear word has somehow wiggled its way in there! Again this is life and sometimes life can be a tad shit… Oops :0

So, have you ever sat beck and asked yourself what’s you’re writing style?

Post 15/30 as part of the Wego Health #HAWMC

#HAWMC DAY 14 – A Little piece of paradise

The morning air is warm, the ocean breeze causes me to catch my breath…

The clear white sand glistens like millions of tiny crystals as its hit by the suns bright glare.

 I close my eyes only and listen to the light sweeping motion of the calm ocean waves that lay before me. It’s still early and the sound of a dolphins echo is the only voice to greet me.

 I drown myself in this moment, capturing my surroundings, storing the memory like a postcard.

 I spent the day as if I’m floating in nothingness, drifting in and out of a peaceful sleep I wake to drink freshly squeezed lemonade, so cold it cause my brain to freeze.

 A million miles away from my home, I desperately miss the presence of my children but I’ll return a new women, recharged and ready for anything the world has to throw at me. 

 I’m not selfish, I’m human! We all require a break from time to time, some space to declutter a frazzled mind, recharge one’s batteries. This I’m sure will make me a better mother.

 Yes, I could choose to spend an hour sat reading in Greenwich park, though given the choice, I’d much rather opt to chill out in the Maldives!

 Hay… A girls entitled to dream right?

image via google images 

Post 14/30 of the Health Activist Writing Month Challenge (#HAWMC) set by Wego Health.