Get The Answers You Require From The Talk about Autism Family Support Live Q&A Session

As a parent who has a child on the Autism spectrum I know how frustrating it can be looking for answers. Thats why I’m really excited to share some excellent news with you… Ambitious about Autism the national charity dedicated to improving opportunities for people with autism, who run an online community called ‘Talk about autism‘ have come up with the Family Support Season of live online Q&A.

The charity has come up with 4 discussion topics that parents with children on the autism spectrum voted upon late last year. The whole programme has been designed to offer both parents and carers professional advice from leading experts within the autism sector.

Each of the four sessions will take place live on the web over at the Talk about autism website. Finally parents will have the opportunity to get some of the answers they have been searching for whether its about challenging behaviour or socialising with peers the parent support season’s Q&A sessions will do its best to answer those questions.

The first session has already taken place back on the 16th January. The session covered the topic… ‘Getting the right support at school’ Nonetheless you can still read the entire transcript on the evenings topic over on their website. The session covered areas such as access to education, statements of sen, exclusion and more. The transcript is packed full of great advice what with the specialist advisers being Jill Davies, Manager of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Helpline at Contact and Family, and Steve Broach of Doughty Street Chambers, who is an expert on the rights of ‘children in need’ and disabled adults. This was the first of four live sessions and a great success. Its my guess the remaining three will be just as valuable in the advise they offer.

The second live Q&A session is set to take place on the 30th January 2013 and the discussion topic is that of ‘Understanding & Managing Challenging Behaviour‘. The evenings professionals will be Dr Emma Douglas, a Senior Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Consultant from TreeHouse School, and Richard Hastings, Professor of Psychology at Bangor University in Wales. So, if you are currently experiencing problems with challenging behaviour and are looking for advice this seems like a pretty good place to start.

As a parent to a young man with Aspergers Syndrome we’ve experienced our fair share of meltdowns and aggressive behaviours. Little man is 12 now and I often worry he doesn’t know his own strength when hitting out at other. We have had some particularly bad mornings before school when little man has thrown punches in my direction. His violence scared me! With a frightening temper I had to sought help but it didn’t come easy. I just wish there was something like the live Q&A session available back when I needed it. This topic will sure to be a life line for parents all over the world.

The remaining two sessions after that will commence on the 13 February 2013 & the 27 February 2013.

These sessions will be as follows…

Puberty, sex and relationships (13th February 2013)
Experts for the session: Lesley Kerr-Edwards, Director of Image in Action, and Professor Jahoda, Professor of Learning Disabilities at the University of Glasgow.

Supporting your child to socialise and make friends (27 February 2013).
Experts for this session: Jennifer Cook O’Toole, education specialist and author of The Asperkids Book of Social Rules – the Handbook of Not-So-Obvious Social Guidelines for Tweens and Teens with Asperger’s Syndrome, and Andrew Swartfigure, Senior Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Consultant at TreeHouse School.

Well, I’m definitely marking the 13th February 2013 in my diary. This is a topic that I myself have a number of questions in need of answering (googling can only provide so much)! My 12 year old is fast approaching puberty and don’t I know it! Puberty and the issue of sex is a hard enough topic for any parent to face but for those of children on the autism spectrum, it is an area of constant worry and struggle.

All sessions are live and will last one hour. Each live Q&A will commence at 8pm and finish at 9pm on the dates given.

To receive a reminder about any of the live support sessions visit the website and sign up for a reminder by email.

So, there you have it! Four great topics all live and interactive. How about popping along, maybe get a specific question answered or just follow the thread to see what others have to say. Don’t forget, all sessions will appear as transcripts following the live event allowing those of you who can’t make it on night, the opportunity to have a read. Who knows maybe you’ll still find the answer to that question you need answering.

Would love it if readers could share this on there chosen social networks. By reaching out we give parents the opportunity to gain the support they desperately need.

To find out how Live Q&A sessions work click Here

Disclaimer… This is a sponsored post for the autism charity Ambitious about autism. All words are my own.

Baker Days Letterbox Cake Perfect For The Festive Season

My mum is a very special woman, not only because she’s my mum but simply because she’s a fabulous one. she has been there through all the struggles with getting little man diagnosed and statemented, plus she helped me through the tough discrimination case I ended up filing against his old mainstream school. That’s why I feel I could not possibly thank her enough.

When I was asked if I wanted to review a Baker days letterbox cake I couldn’t think of a more deserving recipient then my mum.

All I had to do was choose my design, flavour and message. Baker days did the rest and two days after confirming my order a beautiful Baker days letterbox cake that was so lovingly packaged in its own tin with a personalised card and mini party pack, popped through my mothers letterbox.

Using the website was easy (except the fact I was spoilt for choice)! There are over 400 designs so it was never going to be easy. Baker days cater for all occasions and can supply party and cupcakes as well as the letterbox cake I sent to mum.

Whats more they are able to personalise your chosen cake with your special message and even a photo if desired! Plus order by 1pm and they can safely deliver your cake the next day (normal delivery is free, however, next day delivery will cost more).

Without the next day service, mums cake still arrived in an impressive two days. I was shocked but impressed when she called to thank me.

The letterbox cake supplies its recipient with 4 nice sized potions of beautiful fresh cake. Its cleverly packed to fit through the standard letterbox so you don’t even need to worry if anybody is home to take the order.

Mum loved her surprise letterbox cake the only problem we had was cutting it… It was just to pretty to want to spoil.

We eventually got over it… and the cake that was of course chocolate, went down pretty well with a cuppa.

You can check out Baker days who offer free delivery by clicking Here

Playing Bingo To Raise Money For The NAS

Playing bingo is not something I do often especially online. I used to go to our local bingo hall with my mum and as a result won some impressive amounts of money.

I was contacted by the guys at 888 Ladies (an online ladies only bingo site) They asked me if I wanted to play some bingo and win some money for my chosen charity.

How could I pass up the opportunity to raise some funds for the National Autistic Society (NAS). The guys at 888 Ladies loaded my account with £50 funds, (the account was easily set up and this didn’t take long at all). Then I had a month to win my charity some cash.

How it would work: I could play with the £50 funds and had the period of a month to do so. Anything I won could be reused to play more bingo. However every time I won the amount was logged and when the month was over all my prizes would be adding up and the full amount donated to the NAS.

Given I’m not really able to play during the day when I’m guessing its much busier I had no choice but to play quite late at night. I was either able to play the party bingo or the more traditional form of bingo.

I tried both forms of play but defiantly enjoyed the party bingo more. You can purchase anything from 1-90 cards and with each game you had to make a certain pattern to win. Obviously the more players the greater the prize. This also goes for the cost of each card.The greater the cost the greater the prize (dependent on the number of cards in play of course). I played everything from 5p to £1 per game play.

You may wonder how a person can possibly keep up when purchasing more than one card (90 especially). This is because the game is automatic so once you have purchased your cards the system knows when you are left with one number and if its called the game stops and your declared the game winner. The prize money is then automatically added to your account.

Of course there is the chance more than one person needs the same number and therefore you have a case of more than one winner. In such cases prize money is equally spilt between all winners.

For me online bingo isn’t really the same as the real life game. The excitement of it all is somewhat different. I love marking of my numbers with a dabber and even the danger of possibly missing your prize adds to the overall excitement. I quite missed this element of the game but still had fun all the same.

As I could only play at night I found there to be much less activity so I was therefore playing for smaller sums of money. However I did have quite a few wins and just knowing that each one was adding to my overall total for the NAS was really exciting.

The total I won was around £54 in total plus the initial £50 is donated so that’s £104. Yay… I’m glad the NAS will be able to make use of my donation.

Why I chose the NAS: A charity very close to my heart. My son has Aspergers and through some of our hardest battles from diagnosis to education they have been supportive. I’ve also volunteered for their TSS (tribunal support service) to help other parents get their children the special education they deserve. When it comes to advocating and advice the NAS do it best. They also run special schools and other services. Click here to visit their informative website

Get Sugar Poking

when looking for gifts online it can be a bit of a jungle out there. But there are some real gems to be discovered and the fabulous Sugar Poke is one of them.

If your looking for something special, personalised yet yummy Sugar Poke is the place for you (especially with its 5 star rating).

Sugar Poke allows you to choose a fabulous delicious edible gift from its huge online selection whether your after sweets, chocolate, muffins, brownies, cakes, cookies and more besides, Sugar Poke will have something right up your street.

You then choose a free card from the many designs available and personalise it with your chosen message.

Your chosen gift(s) will then be packed with tender loving care and sent to your door by first class post. They even stock many letter box friendly products, perfect for those not in to take delivery.

Oh and did I mention first class post is free?

Sugar Poke offers so much more than your average box of chocolates, packaged in pretty packaging and tied in pretty ribbons, or something more manly perhaps, Sugar Poke takes care of it and best of all… It’s a really inexpensive way to put a smile on someone’s face.

I was chuffed to get the opportunity to review one of the Sugar Poke products, I had no idea what was being sent which kinda added to the excitement.

From the time the review was arrange till the time it landed on my door step this was nothing more than a couple of days. Everybody loves a speedy services and this was just that. The children had not long set of to school and it was just myself and the toddler at home when the delivery came. Harley always gets excited at the sight of the postman which is probably down to my eBay addiction *amen* So, he was keen to see what was in the box and yes, so was I!

Well, the toddlers eyes almost popped out from his head at what we discovered. A beautifully packaged feast of sweetie treats and cakes and enough for the whole family to enjoy.

We had been sent the wonderful “Fruity Affair” to review

A large green bucket filled with fruity sweets and cakes, then packaged in a beautiful green cello covering and tied with red ribbon. What an impressive bucket load of treats to feast on (diet we will meet again next week)!

The bucket load of treats cost just £16 with free first class postage (next day delivery is an additional £4.99).

I think what we received is very reasonably priced and I would be pleased to receive this from a loved one as way to brighten my day or even be the gift bearer.

Here’s what our sugar poke consists of

Oh so fruity! With: 3 x Berry Delicious fluffy blueberry muffins…

2 x Carrot Cake Genius: A big slab of moist, melt in the mouth cake packed with carrot, fruit and spices and finished with a delicious sweet sugary glaze and cream cheese frosting… Yummy ….

Nice Pear (Drops): A bag of retro pear drops in vibrant colours…

Blimey Mate: A retro treat of 10 scrummy chocolate limes with a zingy lime shell filled with milk chocolate…

Who Love’s Ya Baby: 6 delicious assorted fruit flavoured lollies, the toddlers favourite…

Gotta Chew: Bag of 10 delicious Haribo Maoam stripes chews!

This was an awesome little treat to receive on a Thursday morning.

There is so much to choose from on the Sugar Poke online store. Prices range from as little as a fiver so there is something to suit all pockets.

To check out the lovely Sugar Poke just click here. You can also check them out on twitter.

Disclaimer: This is a product review. I was not paid to write to review but did receive a product sample in-order to share my honest opinion with my readers.

My Illustration for The New World Colour Collection Rainbow Cookbook

For those that know me, I mean really know me, it will come as no surprise when I tell you about a project I’ve been working on, one that has nothing to do with special educational needs, writing or even that of autism, but one that involves me doing something else I love.

I’ve actually been commissioned to create an illustration that is set to feature in an online Rainbow cookbook.

I was really excited to be invited to get involved and couldn’t wait to get designing.

The Rainbow cook book is one of them really special ideas, involving 7 food bloggers who are a dab head in the kitchen and 7 more who are keen illustrators (either by trade of hobby). Both those providing a recipe and those set to work on illustrations were appointed a colour taken from the rainbow. Once food bloggers had created their recipes they were passed on to us along with the colour we had been appointed!

The recipe I was appointed was Meatloaf Cupcakes with Roasted Beetroot Mash, by Mike at Mikes Baking. The colour we had been appointed was Purple.

I also received a photograph of Mikes finished recipe (see the above) to help me on my mission to create the perfect illustration.

Admittedly, I first panicked, wondering if I could possibly do this fantastic recipe proud, lets not forget this is a commissioned piece so I needed to get it right! I was given a period of two weeks and a deadline of the 23rd March 2012 (Yes, I hate deadlines). Thankfully, I finished ahead of schedule, finally finishing this morning. I sent it off with bated breath and yes, they loved it.

So, here it is, my illustration for the

Appliances Online New world Colours Collection Rainbow Cook Book

So, what do you think? For the full recipe and steps needed to create this spectacular, pop over and check it out at Mikes Baking

Related articles

• Inspired by rainbows (mummyofmanytalents.wordpress.com)
• We Love Cookbooks! (abeautifulmess.typepad.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)

Creations by Charlotte Review

Its Official the party season is amongst us!

However it’s more than Christmas that’s on the way in this house.

Yes, I have just about got over Little man’s Birthday and I have two more on the way. This time it’s Harley who will be two on the 11th December 2011, then just after Christmas its Alice on the 29th January 2012.

Alice normally doesn’t have a party, I never really have the funds following Christmas, so this year I want to at least organise something even if it’s not massive, just a few of her girlie friends.

There are many Online party shops, offering everything from balloons, table decorations to party bags. I have found that many stockist who supply pre-filled party bags charge the earth for this service.

Charlotte is a lovely lady who I met via twitter. Charlotte owns “Creations by Charlotte” and specialises in pre-filled Party bags for all occasions.

If you are a dab hand a filling your own bags and enjoy doing so, that’s fine, Creations by Charlotte also give the option of buying just your fillers. There are many wonderful items available to choose from and I would have loved to receive a party bag of this kind as a child.

I was delighted to check out Charlotte’s site and then review one of her pretty party bags for little ladies.

The bag I was sent was pre-filled meaning it’s one less little thing a busy mum would need to worry about when organising a child’s birthday party. The bag was nicely filled with real girlie treats and was pretty on the eye too. A clear plastic bag with pink hearts, that was finished off with tied sparkly metallic ribbon.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Contents.

Our bag went by the name LITA

1 mini perfumed pad

1 Princess stationary set (pencil and mini rubbers/stickers)

1 pack of hair accessories (cute heart hair clips)

1 pack of fashion accessories (colourful beaded bracelets)

1 bag of mixed sweets (these were really cool reminding me of the penny mixup from when I was a kid)

The Cost

LITA bag costs £2.70 plus an extra 30p for the sweets, so £3.00 in total

All bags have their own price and range from about £2.30-£3.00 the addition of the sweets cost an extra 30p per bag

What’s fantastic is the fact you can choose from a number of bag designs and finishing touches as well as the type of contents

There are around ten bags in the girls range, each with different themes to choose from, all with their own name & treats.

These would make a really sweet and pretty addition to any girls birthday party, leaving her friends going home smiling. Maybe depending on the numbers, we’ll order some for Alice’s girlie party next year.

Another fantastic product is the baby baskets that are filled with special little gifts, from keepsakes, bonnets, mittens and cute little booties.

These are an extra special gift to give that special someone when congratulating them on the birth of their child.

So, why not check out Creations by Charlotte. You can get bags for boys, girls and even babies.

All products are pretty awesome and make a welcome addition to any occasion.

Delivery was really fast and customer service excellent.

Visit Charlotte’s site by clicking HERE

The Bumpeez Giveaway

I recently contacted the guys over at Bumpeez to inform them that since writing the Bumpeez review the blog has gone a tad Bumpeez mad.

 Daily when I visit my blog I discover that many of my visitors have found the blog via google when searching the word BUMPEEZ!

 So, with this in mind them lovely Bumpeez lot sent me a Bumpeez album with an additional packet of Bumpeez, to review and share with you all!

Plus the bonus of an extra album set for one of you! Yep, you can win one right here!

 We, were pretty sure Bumpeez would be a big playground craze and a hit with children on the autism spectrum and its looking pretty much like we were right! I know that little man is now a tad mad about about these little funky chips, his really enjoying collecting the chips that come complete with their outer silicon case and has already began swapping with the neighbours.

 The Bumpeez album gives you a way to Keep all your Bumpeez chips in order! The album consists of 30 pages and contains a check list of all the Bumpeez and is a super collectors guide to playing all of the Bumpeez games. You can easily find where a chip should be placed by the picture and the number displayed ! This album is a really cool but entertaining way to keep your Bumpeez safe (Please note that you cannot display the chips when in their outer casing, this should be removed first. 

 The album pack also comes with an additional packet of Bumpeez that contains 2x chips and 2x outer cases (retail value £1.99) 

Special rare packs of Bumpeez contain Silver swirl (bi-colour) and Gold Bumpeez. Golden Bumpeez can win you an awesomw prize (ipods and more).

Bumpeez also have an online official website www.bumpeez.com where kids can access games and exclusive features.

To see the  original review and learn more about Bumpeez please do, by clicking HERE

 For your chance to win a Bumpeez Album with additional packet of Bumpeez simply…

 Comment below telling me why you would like to win! Please include a contact, whether its you’re twitter ID or an email address.

 For an additional entry click the tweet button below under the sharing options for this post, edit to add the words, “I want to win a Bumpeez album with clairelouise82 keeping the ULR the way it appears.

Leave me a additional comment from that of above telling me you have done so!

 For another additional entry, follow me on Networkblogs link located in side bar. Tell me u have done this via an additional comment 

 Finally for one more additional entry rate this post by clicking on the stars at the top of the post. Let me know you have done so in an additional comment than those above. 

 You must provide a contact email or twitter id

This Competition is open to UK residents ONLY, and will remain open in-till the 12th October 2011. You must be over 18 to enter, and will be given a week to make contact following the winner notification via the blog.

Monday finds (week 1)

This is week one of my project Monday finds. All my finds are based on or around Aspergers and ASD. They are all finds I have come across though the week. ENJOY:)

Aspergers web wing
Join the aspergers web ring or any other ring that interest you. You can join in forum chats, create your own profile, submit your blog to the ring directory or create your own ring. Do all this at http://webring.com

Meetup.com
There are many meetup groups you can join. Chat online and attend meet ups in your area once a month. Visit
http://aspergers.meetup.com

Get a free DVD
The website for the treatment centre in America are offering free DVD’S just fill out a short form. Visit
http://www.autismtreatmentcentre.org

One for the UK
Read about the Dore programme and how they can help with many developmental disorders. Visit
www.dore.co.uk/dvd.aspx or www.dore.co.uk

Great read.
If you love great reads then read this!
All cats have Aspergers
It’s a playful look at Aspergers
Get it at Amazon for $9.99 visit www.amazon.com

Any problems with these links then you will be able to find them all in my sidebar:)