Life In The Spectrum Bubble

Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, that this blogger hasn’t been the most active these past few weeks? I’m not being lazy, experiencing writers block or falling behind! No, I’ve simply been taking time out, working on other things!

As a parent, especially to one on the autism spectrum you sometimes feel as if your whole life is taken up with social skills training, advocating, battles and special interests. You find it difficult to shut off your mind, think about anything else, take real time for you, yourself as a person.

This isn’t a good thing, we all need to just be ourselves, doing some of the things we love from time to time. Its not that I don’t love parenting my son as I do his siblings, and it isn’t because I dislike blogging because, actually… I love it! I just needed a little me time.

Things at home haven’t been too eventful… If anything drama levels have remained reasonably low so I don’t have much in the way of news to report. Little man has been experiencing some sleepless nights (as usual). What’s worse is his been experiencing some awful toothache and this has affected him badly. He is very sensitive to this type of pain and is having difficulty coping with it. His senses are in overdrive, and with refusal to see the dentist I think we are both at our wits end.

I also got a letter from his school today threatening court action. Little man’s attendance is well below but when his refusing to sleep and then attacking me as I try to pull him from his bed of a morning it isn’t the easiest task to undertake. Its not that little man dislikes school because he actually quite likes it. However, changes such as new children in his cab, new teaching staff and friends leaving, makes little man want to shut the world out.

Between looking after little man and the toddler during the day, I’ve also been busy working on my own stuff. Myself and a friend have been doing some selling at bootfairs, vintage fairs and craft markets, selling mainly that of vintage items, jewellery and other lovely bits. I actually love doing this, especially during the warmer months. Not only does it raise some much needed funds but it gets me out doing something, meeting new people.

We have to remember that just because we are parents of children on the autism spectrum, it doesn’t mean we can’t have interests, time spent on other stuff! We should be able to do this without feeling guilty too.

I’m not denying that when your child is on the autism spectrum life becomes a bit more hectic, it does! However, you adjust and adapt, making routines and adjustments as best you can.

Its easy to find yourself stuck in the autism bubble, you’ve just got to pop it, remembering that before your child’s diagnosis you concentrated on other stuff! After all,its not healthy to do nothing but study the best therapies and educational resources all day long.

We are far better parents when we are more relaxed, free from stress and happy overall.

All my children need a sane mummy… And I’m just working hard to avoid myself becoming anything other than that! After all I’ve been there and it isn’t a pretty place!

Educational Games Can Be Fun

When I was younger my mother only had to mention the words Education and Play within the same sentence and I’d be rolling my eyes while saying to myself… “whatever!”

So, it doesn’t much surprise me when my own kids do it to me. I used to accidentally on purpose forget to relate the two aspects when offering my children something to play with that was remotely educational. It was only once they were enjoying it that I’d slip it in.

The kids are getting older and wiser and can’t be easily tricked anymore. The good thing is that my eldest child, Little man is now more inclined to give things a chance. Education is much less scary than it used to be! Now little man is in a school that meets his needs his learnt that the two (education and play) can be tied together nicely.

Little man has just started secondary at his independent special school for children on the autism spectrum. His adjusting to a timetable that is split into different lesson slots. Within these slots you’ll find the subject of History and this is one subject his keen to learn more about.

So, when we were contacted to see if we’d be interested in taking a look at a new history game, we were happy to oblige.

Harry Hastings History Heroes is the first in a series of card games developed for both children and families who love to learn.

One of the games within the series is that of “How well do you know your monarchs?” a brilliant new card game designed to test the whole family’s knowledge of British monarchs from William the Conqueror in 1066 to today’s reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II.

To some that description may just have them yawning with the thought of it! Others will want to discover more just like little man did.

The game has been created by Harry Hastings and what better person to create an educational game than that of a school teacher from Sussex.

What I loved about this game was how much fun and interaction could be gained through a packet of cards and not much else. There is no board, counters or even that of a dice, yet, children can play in more ways than one! There is 6 ways to play, children can be challenged to identify monarchs either from a series of facts, from a portrait or from the dates of their reign, thereby capturing their opponents cards in the style of Top Trumps.

Admittedly Little man knows quite little on the subject of monarchs and neither do I really! This at first lead to a pretty useless game. We therefore enjoyed discovering each card and as we did we both learnt more along the way. We have since had lots of fun playing with the cards and little man couldn’t wait to take one of the two games we were sent into school so his class could enjoy them with him. He told me that his History teacher was most impressed and even used them in one of his lessons.

Children and adults alike can have so much fun while learning some interesting facts about the history of our kings and queens.

The illustrations in this game are beautiful. They are by the well-known cartoonist Bill Stott and are really impressive. The actual cards themselves are also really good quality. They are strong and durable and should last the test of time given they are well loved by their owner.

I’d recommend the game to history loving families, those wanting to improve their own or their child’s history knowledge and that of teachers in both the primary and secondary sector.This is a game that would provide teachers with a fabulous teaching resource that children would be much more inclined to engage in. Little man’s teacher is now very much a fan.

History Heroes is the first of a series of similar games created by Harry Hastings, covering famous Battles, Shakespeare, Inventors, Scientists and Explorers.

Harry Hastings History Heroes is priced at £7.99. For stockist details, or to buy direct, email Harry at harry@historyheroes.co.uk.

Check out the site at www.historyheroes.co.uk

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post we were sent the games free of charge in-order to share our honest opinions which we have given in this review. We donated one of the games to the school for all its students to enjoy.

Story Telling With The Easter Bunny

If you’re looking for one great alternative to the “Typical” Chocolate Easter Egg, then I have it right here !

Abigail the adorable floppy eared bunny is the latest addition to the Hallmark ‘Story Buddy’ range.

The super soft, super cute Abigail joins her friends ‘Watson’ the Racoon, ‘Cooper’ the Bear and ‘Jingle’ the Husky as the fourth addition to an already fabulous range of Story Buddy’s and what’s more Abigail isn’t just an adorable bunny but she’s also a female one, making her the first girlie buddy of the range.

Story Buddy’s are more than just your “Typical” cuddly toy, but an interactive, innovative friend, designed to bring the magic to your child’s story time.

Like all buddies, Abigail comes complete with her own beautifully illustrated book “Abigail and the balance beam’s” that tells the story of how Abigail tries to make her mother extra proud of her by performing gymnastics.

As yourself or child read aloud specific passages from the book, Abigail will suddenly start to interact, creating a totally magical reading experience

Unfortunately, things have been a little hectic here what with us all being unwell at some point or another, the decorating of more than one room and my Mac becoming buried someplace within in the mess of it all, we therefore didn’t get to film this one! However, leading up to Christmas last year, we did review Abigail’s super cute racoon friend Watson via video in which your more than welcome to have a peek if desired.

An unwell Alice-Sara was pleased to have her story buddy to cuddle last week

Abigail truly is an adorable bunny with a lot to say. My daughter Alice-Sara 9, fell in love with her instantly, she’s also proved something of a big hit within the family as the toddler can hardly contain himself and therefore keep his hands to himself.

Dressed in her pretty pink dancers custom, she’s not only innovative but pretty stylish too.

Lot’s of fun can be had with Abigail and any of her friends, plus you’ll never become bored, not when Hallmark have created a range of additional story books especially designed for each character and priced at 5.99 each.

If that’s not exciting enough, those with iPads and iPhones can download the fabulous free app from the app store to accompany the adorable bunny. The app includes a short animated story that can be played aloud through the app’s internal narrator or even recorded by a loved one to add a special personal touch to the story telling experience. Also included on the app, are a selection of child-friendly puzzles and interactive games that allow your child to dress up Abigail, just like in the story book.

Its official, we are a Story Buddy loving household, what with our latest addition ‘Abigail’ the Bunny who is now housed alongside Watson the Racoon and Cooper the bear, don’t be too surprised if you find some more lovely story buddies moving in during the year as there are new releases planned for later in 2012.Harley the toddler with another of the buddies ‘Cooper the Bear’

These really are genius, a hit with all three of my children, with each owning a buddy of their own and enjoying reading alongside them regularly.

These are also great for the child on the autism spectrum and those with special educational needs. It was Little man who put Watson to the test during our video review last year and I found it helped to install confidence when reading aloud.

Cute, innovative, interactive, fun, educational and doesn’t rot your little ones teeth, what more could you ask for in an alternative Easter gift?

Abigail the Bunny can be brought in branches of Hallmark as-well as online and falls into the same price racket as her fellow buddies at just £19.99

Check out the Hallmark website & Facebook Page for more information or simply click below to watch the promotional advertisement from Hallmark!

Win Orchard Toys New Teddy Bear Game

My fab Britmums Live sponsor Orchard Toys are giving my blog readers the chance to win one of their awesome newly launched game, and what a great game it is!

 Teddy Bear Game is aimed at children between the ages of 3-6 years old and can be played in groups of 2-4 players. This is a fun but educational game , helping your little one’s to master the skill of counting and colour recognition.

 Children will have great fun as they race to collect and count the teddy bear cards before the puzzle is complete. 

 I got a peek at this game pre-launch, at the fabulous 2012 London Toy Fair last month and was really impressed with how simple, yet fun the game was (despite it being demonstrated by a fully grown man as opposed to a toddler)!

 It’s very durable and great on the eye, with a brilliant design and the use of some visually inviting colours. With links to Early Learning Goals and National Curriculum maths key stage 1, its certain to not only keep the kids fully entertained but also teach them a thing or two!  

 So… fancy trying to win your little one’s a Teddy Bear Game in our latest competition? Here’s how!

 subscribe to the blog via “Feedburner” then comment to let me know you have subscribed as well as telling me what educational games you like to play with your children?

 For extra entries you can… Tweet, “I want to win a Teddy Bear Game with @clairelouise82 & @orchardtoys http://wp.me/plAS9-18g”

 Follow Orchard Toys on twitter

 Follow me on twitter

 Subscribe to my sister blog “Mummy of many talents”

 Subscribe to my Youtube channel

 Follow me on Pinterest 

 Use any of the share buttons within this post (One additional entry for each used)

 PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EVERY ACTION YOU MAKE OR EXTRA ENTRIES WILL NOT BE VALID!

 NO EXTRA ENTRY IS VALID IN-TILL THE COMPULSORY ACTION HAS BEEN COMPLETED

 Email or Twitter handle must be supplied with comments to valid all entries.

 Competition is open to those in the UK only, and will close at midnight on the 15th March 2012

 Good Luck

 T&C

Open to those in the UK only, all entries are checked and verified before winner is randomly selected. All rules must be followed and those entry must leave a valid email address or twitter handle so they are easily contacted in the event they win. All that enter need to complete the compulsory action before submitting any extra entries. Winner details will be passed to the prize provider in-order to dispatch the prize. Winner must respond to winning notification within 72 hours from time of draw or may risk losing the prize due to another winner being drawn.  

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

Review and competition of the new Jack and Holly’s Cosmic Stories

11

DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS

 Welcome to the wonderful world of Jack and Holly & wonderful it really is!

 We were sent a copy of Jack & Holly’s Cosmic Stories to review as part of our Santa’s Little helpers and Christmas countdown feature. The series, a low-budget children’s production has been developed with the help of parents, teachers and more importantly children themselves.

 Cosmic Stories is the second release following Jack & Holly’s Christmas Countdown and is brought to us by ‘Blockhouse TV’ a husband and wife team who are proud parents of two children aged 3 & 6 years.

 The couple have more than 20 years of experience between them & being parents themselves makes them passionate when producing a series aimed at pre-schoolers.

 The producers have deliberately used muted colours as opposed to the more traditional high-octane colours seen more today. This combined with soothing music and good old-fashioned animation techniques makes it kinder to little minds. The overall aim is to create an informative, yet entertaining animation that when viewed later in the day (the child’s last bit of TV time) it will help bring relaxation while encouraging interesting chats at bedtime alongside good parent, child interaction.

 Jack & Holly’s Cosmic Stories sees our two best friends ‘Jack & Holly’ reveal interesting, educational facts and stories about our universe. This is a DVD created to bring awareness of some of life’s key questions such as “What is a Solar System?” or “What is the moon made off?” it even talks about the ‘Big Bang’ and the possibility of other life forms on other planets.

 I will be honest, when sitting down to watch this with Harley, I myself become pretty engaged and therefore was really impressed by it.

 I was pleasantly surprised at how educational yet entertaining the feature was. The animation reminded me of my own days of watching children’s TV back in the eighties when I myself was a child with a mind like a sponge.

 We were also very lucky to be sent a copy of the first DVD ‘Jack & Holly’s Christmas Countdown’ which aims to teach children as young as two the joys and meaning of Christmas.

 Harley loved both titles but was very impressed by the Christmas Countdown, mainly due to his age (his aged 2). Harley has since become overly interested in Santa and more so the ‘Snowman’

 The title ‘Cosmic Stories’ is aimed at children 3+ nonetheless at age 2 Harley was pretty engaged in the production which managed to hold his attention really well.

 Overall Parental Perspective

 The balance of both informative educational material & entertaining animation is perfect and it’s my opinion that children will learn a great deal from the Jack and Holly series without even realising it.

 There are many children with Aspergers & autism out there with a real taste for interesting facts on our universe! This would be perfect for them as it would aim to answer all them questions too often thrown at parents. I say this because I know a child on the autism spectrum who would go crazy for this DVD (note this isn’t the Little man, his more of a transport lover, though he did sit and watch this from start to finish, alongside his sister Alice-Sara).

 The makers of the series have been very clever thinking both about both the attention span of young children alongside what maybe considered an appropriate amount of TV viewing time a parent may want their child to engage in. With this in mind the DVD has been chopped into seven bite sized pieces to give the parent complete control over how much time to allow their child to watch the DVD.

 I honestly think that despite the recommended age of 3+ the second DVD release ‘Cosmic Stories’ would appeal to child of all ages, even those in the primary years as it’s packed full of interesting educational facts, some that I didn’t learn about myself till I was at-least 7 or 8. With this in mind I think it would be a fabulous resource for schools, especially for those teachers who are planning a term of lessons around the subject of the universe. If teachers were to screen ‘Jack and Holly’s Cosmic Stories’ as to form part of their lesson plan, children would see it as a rewarding treat without even realising that their little minds were being feed  loads of interesting & educational facts, therefore learning without knowing it, which in my opinion is one of the best ways of educating any child, regardless of their age or abilities.

 Would I recommend either DVD? Without a doubt, yes I would!

 Christmas Countdown 4* (better for the younger children aged from 2).

 Cosmic Stories: 5* (Recommended for children 3 and above but safe viewing for the younger child too).

Visit the Jack & Holly website for more info and a list of retailers, just click HERE

 COMPETITION

 I have been lucky enough to be given an extra 5 copies of Jack and Holly’s Cosmic Stories to give away to my lovely readers (Yes, I really did say 5)! This would make a wonderful gift for any child and really is safe viewing for little minds.

 So… to win one of 5 copies of Jack & Holly’s Cosmic Stories, its dead simple, just follow the instructions below making sure you are careful to do all the required actions to validate your entries (sadly comments that don’t contain the required actions fulfilling all the rules, will have to be deleted without warning)!

Twitter ID or email contact must be left with all comments!

 COMPULSORY ACTIONS

 First… follow @jackandholly on twitter then tweet: “I want to win a @jackandholly DVD with @clairelouise82” ADDING THE URL TO THIS POST

Lastly come back here and leave a comment informing me you have done the compulsory actions including  your twitter name and I’ll validate your entry.

 ADDITIONAL ACTIONS

 These actions will not be valid without the compulsory action having been taken.

 For additional entries just use any of the ‘Share buttons’ located in this post to share the competition with others.

 For every share button used, you must validate the entry by leaving an additional comment from that above for each and every button used!

 Remember to leave a contact

 IT’S AS EASY AS THAT!

 Competition will close on the 30th December 2011

T&C

 All required actions must be taken to be entered into the random draw that will close at midnight on the 30th December and announced soon after. Winners have 72 hrs to confirm by sending me their postal address for delivery of their prize via email. Each winner can only win the once and the prize will be sent directly via the brand itself. Note, the prize is for 5 copies (one per winner) of the title ‘Jack and Holly’s Cosmic Stories’ and no cash alternative is offered. Competition is open to those in the UK only.

Disclaimer

I received a copy of both Jack & Holly’s Christmas Countdown and Cosmic Stories in-order to write this review and run this competition. All opinions are my own and haven’t been influenced in any way.

Related articles

• Jack and Holly release new childrens DVD (your-story.org)
• Win stocking fillers for the toddlers in the countdown till Christmas (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• Fun with Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)

Joining Forces

Image via Wikipedia

A boy with Aspergers, When I was a kid & John Crane are joining forces 

 I know that the blog has been showcasing some toys recently as part of the ‘Santa’s Little helpers feature’ however I’ve also made a very exciting agreement with ‘Paul’ the daddy & owner of the independent toy store ‘When I was a Kid‘ alongside the people at ‘John Crane’. 

 So, what’s so exciting about this you may ask? Well, a while back I was sent a huge (I mean Huge) John Crane catalogue that contained each and every one of their products. The Idea was for me to choose six items and then give some feed back on them. Why? Because Paul (When I was a kid) & John Crane, generally want to make their toys more autism friendly.

How great is that!

 I felt privileged that Paul came to me with his ideas and given this is a project that will benefit children like my own I wanted to get involved. 

 You see, most of us don’t actually want a special range of toys designed especially for children on the spectrum! We are forever heard saying that we don’t want our children excluded from daily activities, we state that our children should be allowed to play freely amongst their peers. We don’t want them being pushed together playing with their “specialist designed toys” 

Don’t get me wrong people, my son goes to a ‘Special school’ so plays amongst his peers on the spectrum daily, It’s not about that, It’s about making toys appealing to all.

 What we do want is for more toy brands to be aware of children with special needs whether its autism or something else all together. We want them to consider children as a whole when designing their toys. Ok, Yes, their will be toys, aimed at different interest, ages and abilities but shouldn’t brands be thinking of the benefits each toy makes to the non “Typical” child too?

 The reason I started doing the ‘Santa’s Little helpers’ feature was mostly down to the number of visitors who found my blog as a result of googling terms such as, “Toys for children with autism” or “What toys may be suitable for children with autism at Christmas” etc, etc…

 Like all children, those on the autism spectrum all have different interest and abilities and I’m not stating that one toy that is beneficial for one child with autism is beneficial for all. I’m simply stating that certain toys have that edge to them, whether it’s educational, sensory, visual and so forth. When you get one or even better, a number of these things combined you often find that the toy at hand is actually more beneficial to the child with autism than some may think.

 I do hope that what I’m about to write, isn’t taken in the wrong way!

There are to many toy companies out there who take a toy slightly adapt it and label it as a “specialist” toy! This type of toy can be found in specialist shops, may it be those aimed at the sensory side of things or Occupational side. The thing is with this toy being given the label “Specialist” it then tends to score in price! Why should it be a way to make additional pounds?

Now not all specialist toy companies do this but so many do!

Now when you get a toy with developmental benefits that states its good for all children including those with autism, doesn’t brand itself as specialist, therefore containing the same price tag as it would for a similar toy in its range that doesn’t make the above claim, then isn’t this fairer? I think so!

 That’s why when we review toys on, ‘A boy with Aspergers’ we try to look at the benefits for all children and If I feel the toy in question would also suit the child with autism or special needs, then you will happily hear me state it (Well, in most cases write it). Maybe that’s why you find toys from your everyday brands here on the blog. I hardly ever review the toys branded “Specialist” There are a great section out there, yet the price attached to many are enough to give a reader a heart attack. I have visited sites that state that they sell specialist toys for children with disabilities, I have seen some of the prices, I’ve then gone to an everyday well-known retailer and seen similar or the same toy for less. Yet many parents buy the first toy! Why? Because they think it’s the right thing to do!

 Both ‘When I was a kid’ & ‘John Crane’ already have shelves stacked with toys that offer great benefits to a child with autism & special needs. I want to help them uncover them and then share them with you guys!

 I saw some toys in that catalogue that got me very excited (I’m a big kid at heart). Many were great in their current form, others would be extremely beneficial to all if adapted slightly. 

 So, yes I’m really overjoyed to have a part in this and am looking forward to working with these guys.

 What you can expect over the Coming months

 A number of toy reviews that will be extremely detailed in order to show you the benefits of a toy for both the child with autism and other special needs as well as the child without. 

 A specially designed page both here and on the ‘When I was a kid’ website, showcasing the toy reviews and other beneficial features

 Guest post by me on both the ‘John crane’ & ‘When I was a kid’ site.

 This is more than a toy review. All toys featured will be sent to customers with an attached note detailing some of its benefits while letting you know we recommend it! 

So, next time you google that question, “What can I buy my child with autism as a gift?”  My guess is… you’ll now get your answers and for me that’s pretty awesome. 

Check out the ‘John Crane’ blog  by clicking HERE OR Check out the ‘When I was a kid’ blog by clicking HERE 

Related articles

• Who’s at Risk for Autism? (everydayhealth.com)

Discover the extreme world

Discover the extreme world

Wow, Little man is completely taken with this book and in all honesty so am I. Many children no longer add books to their Christmas list, but it’s great when they do!

It’s been well documented that children on the autism spectrum enjoy reading reference books and prefer doing so over a story book.

Many children with Aspergers syndrome are reasonably good with facts and process and store such information better than if it was fiction. Many gain a greater enjoyment when learning and discovering new and exciting facts or scientific theories. Little man is no exception, that’s why I jumped at the chance of reviewing this delightful hardback, ‘The extreme world’ in association with the discovery channel. All though this book isn’t centred around his all time “special interest” in buses, trains and other forms of public transport, I knew it would still provide him hours of entertainment (well, not in one go, lets remember his concentration level differs from most).

Little man is a child that like many others on the autism spectrum, he processes information on a much better level when text is combined with visual stimulation in the way of images or illustrations. This book wasn’t short on images, the type that gets ones brain working overtime.

There were a total of six sections within this book, all covering specific areas, all extreme as one another!

Section (1) ‘Active earth’ This section offers a host of fascinating information, such as, the ends of the earth; the mightiest mountains; ultimate volcano’s and more.

Section (2) ‘Awesome animals’ which surprisingly turnout to be one of the Little man’s favourites, talked about; the gross factor; deadly defence; strange babies; wicked assassins and loads more besides.

Section (3) ‘Incredible science’ was Little man’s preferred section overall. Issues here covered, Strange brains; black holes; the birth of the universe (which I loved) and lots more.

Section (4) ‘Ultimate machines’ Here you could read about dramatic dragsters; rocketing away; jet power; the force of water and more.

Section (5) ‘Super humans’ One section I myself very much enjoyed. Topics such as the amazing human body and the things we can do as human; ultimate jobs; brilliant brain waves and more could be found within this section.

Section (6) and the last sections of the book, ‘History Revealed’ A really informative section in the book that shared content on the living dead (mummification) which rose a lot of questions from Little man, hero’s & villains; war and peace; rat-atouille (the black plague) and even crawl killing (documenting the death penalty and the belief and punishment for witch crimes).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The cover of this book is very appealing and really catches your eye with a 3D effect and metallic colours. From the front to back cover this book offers some pretty amazing content.

What’s great is the fact the text within the book is kept short and sweet, yet extremely interesting and right to the point, just opening the first page makes you want to go on to explore more!

Each and every page is packed with cool images surrounded by interesting and readable text.

When I asked Little man if he liked it (Once he had finally taken his head out the book so to speak) he stated,

“Mum, I really like this book, I’m defiantly taking it to show and tell at school on Friday”

‘Discover the extreme world’ is a look into our awesome planet as you’ve never seen it before! This fantastic hard back is brought to us in association with the ‘Discovery Channel’ and ‘Miles Kelly’ publishing Ltd and has a RRP of £17.99 and can be brought from all good bookstores.

Would I buy it! Defiantly, I wouldn’t have to think twice either!

If myself and Little man could give it more than the top marks of ***** 5 stars then we would.

Hands together let’s pray for autism.

As I scroll though my Facebook home page I read the many status updates. Most are full of excitement for in a few days time it will be Valentines day. But if like me you are a mother of a child on the autistic spectrum you will know that Valentines day Sunday 14th Feb 2010 will be a far more important day for some. A day to come together, show support, raise awareness and most of all pray. What are we praying for? Autism that’s what.

Autism Sunday  is the International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. It’s has now become a recognised worldwide event that was first founded in the UK in 2002 by Ivan and Charika Corea. Who like myself  are proud parents of an autistic child and both British autism campaigners. When I read about this massive achievement  they have made by taking something and forming into something massive by using none other than their voice really inspired me to get heard and not be ignored. If  we are not the voice for our child and others like them who will be?  I seem to spend a great deal of my time fighting for little mans rights and convincing myself that the longer and harder I push the more chance I will have in succeeding. Yes it can behard work, tiring, upsetting, disappointing but also you will find it gives you a great sense off  hope and passion. Like they say if you don’t seceded the first time try again. And it’s so true you never give up. Right now I’m fighting for a better education for my son. More SEN services and support groups. I think once this is donesomething else will need addressing it always does. So when days like Autism Sunday come around it puts it all into perspective. And when the world is coming together in pray for something I raise awareness for every single day it’s so exhilarating 🙂 It’s wonderful to see just how far we have come.

Another great thing about Autism Sunday is the messages that flood in from some of the great people of our nation.  Here I have listed you a few people who have sent best wishes for this coming Sunday

• Prime Minister Gordon Brown
• The world-renowned autism expert Professor Simon Baron Cohen of Cambridge University
• The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls
• Dawn Primarolo, Minister of State for Children and Young People at the Department for Children, Schools & Families
• The Minister of State of Her Majesty’s Government, Angela Smith MP who is the Minister for Third Sector,
• Shadow Welsh Secretary and the architect of the Autism Bill 2009 in the United Kingdom, Cheryl Gillan MP
• The Mayor of London Boris Johnson

To read these great tributes you can visit the site Autism Sunday or Facebookers can join their group

So are you with me in joining the 1,000,000 Prayers ? Here are a few pray points not to forget.

• Pray for all people with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
• Pray for better public services in health, education, specialist speech therapy and respite care.
• Pray for greater awareness of the condition.
• Pray for parents and careers of children and adults with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
• Pray for national governments that they will offer public services and listen to the voices of disability communities.

• Pray for teachers in mainstream schools and special schools that they will think of real educational strategies to help children with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. ( This one is one that will be in myprays for sure )
• Pray for the improvement of communication and social skills for children and adults with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.

So please this Valentines day in between hearts, flowers, and sweet nothings  make time for a short pray for Autism & Asperger’s. It’s just one day for you but everyday for our child.