My name is Kate, and I’m a copywriter, proofreader and blogger. I’m also mom to Aidan, who is three years old and diagnosed on the autism spectrum. I’m wife to Monty, who works in the tech industry, and together we live in the sleepy suburbs in one of the most beautiful cities in the world – Cape Town, in South Africa.

I decided to write a blog highlighting some of our experiences of special needs parenting. This is for a few reasons. The first, is that I have always found writing and journaling to be very cathartic. It is a great way for me to order my thoughts around my life’s experiences and to process some of our challenges.

The second, is that when our beautiful boy was first indicated for autism at 18 months old, I, like so many special needs parents, began searching for information, local resources and support, and I was disappointed to find that there aren’t many readily available sources of information here, in South Africa. There are doctors, specialists, sensory integration experts, and special ed schools aplenty, who will evaluate your child and make specific recommendations, but very few Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) blogs and websites written by South African parents. We are really so lacking in relatable online content!

American bloggers are far more prolific and I have found many of them to be incredibly helpful to me on my own journey. I genuinely feel that more South African special needs parents should share their lived experiences with each other. It helps others in similar circumstances to not feel so alone! Sometimes, things get really hard in our “autism world” and for our diagnosed kiddos. It can be devastating to feel helpless as you watch the person you love most, struggle. And just reading that others are going through the same thing is often the lifeline you never realised you needed.

And finally, I want to celebrate my little cub. Because though his autism can feed his anxiety and hijack his joys at times, Aidan is such a little champion and we are so proud of all the things he overcomes daily, just to exist in a world not built for people with his disability. Things, average people, with little awareness of autism, don’t even realise can be hard for him and for our family. I call them the “little BIG” things. We heartily celebrate victories of all shapes and sizes in this household, and Aidan is absolutely the light of our lives!

I will list some of the resources I’ve found most helpful in our Resources section of the website, and of course, invite you to join our Forum section to share your thoughts and feelings on various topics that require collective troubleshooting and creative solutions! Please reach out to me directly with any questions you may have that you would rather ask anonymously. And please consider signing up for a subscription to my premium content, which addresses subjects that are sensitive and many parents unfortunately still feel stigma around.

I hope that we can all learn from one another as we take this journey together. Because though we may not be in the same boat, we are still in the same storm.

💕 Please remember when interacting with other parents, that this community keeps kindness and respect for each other’s individual choices and experiences at its heart. 💕