The Program
Aidan was just two years old when his home-based ABA program started. He had only just dropped his naps, and had been spending happy days playing at home, in the garden, visiting parks, and attending a small number of toddler classes we’d enrolled him in. He’d had relative freedoms, little structure, and was a little […]
No Time To Lose
Following in the footsteps of other autism moms I follow online, I will be keeping the details of our service provider private, to safeguard my family’s privacy. But I will be talking in depth about Aidan’s ABA program, how we set it up, how it works, its benefits and complexities, and hopefully my readers can […]
Does the FBI Know About Me?
When a new rigidity or trigger pops up, or an established one changes ever so slightly, we are all caught unawares. Our son is right of centre on the spectrum and completely nonverbal. He can’t tell us what he’s thinking or feeling, except by crying. He will be absolutely fine for weeks, and then suddenly […]
Levels of Support
This is such an important thing to talk about. Because wherever our kiddos are on the spectrum, our families need support. And the kind of support we need varies at different times along our journey. And that support falls into five different categories: Emotional support can be provided by friends, family, our partners and other […]
The Diaper Drama
My amazing OBGYN, Dr Paula Penkin, always marvelled at Aidan’s length whenever I went in for a prenatal check. She told me she thought he was going to be a basketball player! Though he came early, at 37 weeks, he was an impressive height and weight when he was born – 56cm long and 3.98kg’s. […]
The Cocomelon Obsession
I’ll never forget the first time Aidan watched a YouTube Kids song on my mobile phone. His discovery of a digital world was simply dazzling to him! And it lit him up from the inside out. It was incredibly predictable and safe for him: The song was the same tune, every time. The cartoon played […]
The Bathtub
One of the most amazing things about Aidan is his laser focus. Since he was a very young boy, he’s had this incredible ability to give hours of his attention to something he loves. Whether it’s a game he loves, or a toy he’s obsessed with, or a cause and effect activity, a goal he […]
Invalidated
After a hard day or night, my mind can free-fall into dark gullies. I think about our hidden life, within this Secret Wold of Autism, and feel utterly alone. Sometimes it feels like we are in a parallel universe to everyone we know and care about. The roads, bridges and tunnels look the same, but […]
O-Fish-Ally 1!
When it came time to plan Aidan’s first Birthday party, we both agreed that we shouldn’t go too overboard. Our gorgeous kiddo was only 11 months old, and wouldn’t be aware of, or remember, whatever we did to celebrate his first milestone. But logic went completely out the window when I started putting things together, because in […]
The Pram
The best piece of advice we ever got was: “The easiest way to comfort a cranky baby is to put them in water or take them outside.” Early on, we found that Aidan could be calmed by just a few minutes in the garden, or quick dip in the bath. Either, would press pause on […]