Monday 21 December 2015

Four Sleeps until Christmas

This is a stressful time in our ASD household.  Christmas brings so much change to normal daily routine with a Christmas tree being put up, Christmas activities at school, presents, family and friends coming to visit over Christmas, sensory overload caused by bright lights, music on high volume when out shopping etc.

Our youngest son’s life revolves around how many sleeps until the weekend, holidays, particular event etc.  This year is the first year he has associated a chocolate advent calendar with the countdown to Christmas and it has confused him, as the doors are opened according to the date it is in December, rather than how many sleeps like the countdown charts we use at home.  Next year, we will have to open up the doors in reverse order, so that we can arrive at number 1 on Christmas Eve and not 24.

December is always a busy month for our daughter and in the space of five days she performed twice in the school panto, sang in London with the school choir and performed at the Indigo Theatre at the O2 with her drama group.  She is driven by her goals and last week seemed a bit flat in comparison to the highs she experienced performing the previous week.  To compensate it, she has now written herself a bucket list for the Christmas holidays to ensure she reaches some new goals.

Our Christmas tree went up when the kids packed up school.  So far so good and it is still standing upright.  It will come down soon after Christmas, as our youngest son will not tolerate it being up in the living room for too long.  At the other extreme, our daughter has had a tree up in her room since the end of November and if this year is anything to go by, it is not likely to come down before Easter.  She finds it to be a useful deterrent to keep her youngest brother out of her bedroom as he doesn’t like looking at it.

We continue to not wrap up presents for our youngest son, as if we do, it causes him too much anxiety.  He likes to be able to see what he is receiving, rather than getting a surprise.  If it means he is happier and more likely to play with his toys, then it’s the best thing to do for him.  We do the same on his birthday as well and makes the day run a lot smoother than it used to.  We also spread presents over a few days, as otherwise our youngest son is overwhelmed.  Our other children are quite happy with this arrangement as it means the magic of Christmas goes on for longer.

To cope with sensory overload caused by the change that Christmas brings, our youngest son has been engaging in lots of sensory activities and watching the same DVDs over and over again.  I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard him sing Hakuna Matata from Lion King in the past couple of weeks and how many times he has watched Curious George.  He always returns to old favourites when he’s anxious and has been spending some of his time acting out being a monkey or lion with the relevant sound effects. 

The next few days will remain quiet in our house, so that our youngest son can cope with Christmas.  To ensure our eldest son gets some time to release his energy, as he wants to be out and about, he is doing a two day rugby training course at Saracens from tomorrow.   Our daughter is working through her bucket list, so she is happy as well.

Christmas is probably a quieter event in our household compared to most, but as long as all three of our kids are happy, then we are happy.   We don’t conform to what is expected of Christmas, instead we do what works for us as a family.

Friday 20 November 2015

Saying Goodbye

In her own words, our daughter is doing one of the hardest things she’s had to do in her life today and that is to say goodbye to a lady at school who has been her support network since she started Middle School in September 2012. 

Children with ASD often latch onto one person in the school environment, who they are comfortable to confide in and share their anxieties and concerns with, about things going on at school.  For our daughter, this lady has been that person and although we always knew it was going to be hard when she said goodbye in July next year when she moves up to Upper School, having that day brought forward has been an emotional rollercoaster for our daughter which won’t stop today.   When she walks into school on Monday and realises that this lady is no longer there if she needs to speak to her, reality will set in and we are expecting a difficult few weeks whilst our daughter adjusts to this change.  Fortunately, school are being very supportive and have made 3 Learning Support Assistants available so that our daughter can go and chat to them when she’s struggling with something at school.  Fingers crossed she will do that and not bottle up her frustrations instead.

The positive side of today is that I’ve never seen our daughter up and dressed so early for school!!  She was ready by 6.30am and met her friends outside school at 8.15am as they had permission to decorate this lady’s office.  Sometime this morning, our daughter will have been allowed to leave part of a lesson so that she can say her goodbyes.  School have realised how important this is to her, as she needs to close this chapter in her life, so that she can move onto the next one.  It’s how her ASD brain copes with change.

I’m emotional just thinking about what our daughter is going through today.  She went prepared as wrapped a box of tissues as one of the leaving presents for this lady, as they both know there will be plenty of tears today.  Our daughter will never forget the support this lady has given her and the journey they have gone through.  Back in Year 5, our daughter refused to talk to her and during our first meeting, she sat with a coat over her head, as she was not going to listen to anything she was told.  By Year 6, they had built up a rapport and our daughter would go and ask for help, if something was bothering her at school.  This has continued to develop and our daughter has blossomed in confidence at school with the support she has been given. 

When I read the thank you card and the inside of a personalised notebook our daughter has made for this lady, tears sprung to my eyes, as our daughter rarely shows emotion like this.  We see plenty of tantrums, but not heartfelt emotion and it shows how much of an impact this lady has had on our daughter’s life.  Our daughter has also ensured that this lady never forgets her, as she has turned one of her sweatshirts into a cushion with a beautiful message on the front and she has left the arms in place with the chewed cuffs as a reminder that this lady always knew when she was anxious, as she would take one look at our daughter chewing or unthreading the cuffs and ask what is wrong.

I am hoping that our daughter will realise in time that although this lady has played an important part in her life, she has also given her the stepping stones to success and with all the guidance she has given our daughter, she will be able to get through the remaining months of Year 8 and make the transition to Upper School.  It’s not going to be easy, but I’m confident she will get through it, as once she puts her mind to it, she can conquer anything.

Sunday 1 November 2015

Our son's passion for rugby

Our eldest son is a huge rugby fan and is now playing in his sixth season for our local club, as well as belonging to the school rugby club.  He watches DVDs of old matches, is always watching games on the TV and reads as much as he can about the sport.  In the house, he generally has a rugby ball in his hand and is trying out various moves.  He is passionate about the sport and on the wall in his classroom this term, he has written a piece about himself saying how he wants to be a professional rugby player, play for his national team and go on a British Lions Tour.  Who knows if he will reach his dream, but he definitely has the drive and passion.

As soon as we knew tickets were going to be released last year for the Rugby World Cup, I registered so that I could apply as soon as possible.  We were lucky to receive tickets in the first ballot for Japan vs. Samoa and New Zealand vs. Namibia.  This summer I bought tickets for the Bronze Final and my husband was lucky enough to get corporate tickets to see France vs. Italy.  It has been an amazing experience for our son to watch eight different nations play rugby and to soak up the atmosphere at three stadiums and enjoy the activities in the Fanzones.  One of the highlights was seeing the All Blacks perform their Haka. The memories that he has from these matches will last him a lifetime and inspire him to reach his goal in life of playing professional rugby.   He even had 5 seconds of fame on the TV as he was captured in the audience.  The smile on his face says it all – it’s been an opportunity of a lifetime for him and one he has thoroughly enjoyed.  If I could have bought tickets to see his nation play - Wales, it would have been the icing on the cake.  However, there’s always the Six Nations, as the next World Cup in Japan is not going to be a possibility!!

As well as being an amazing experience, the time he has spent watching these matches has been respite from the challenges he faces having two siblings with ASD.  It is so important he gets quality time to enjoy his interests without having to worry about if his brother and sister are happy are as well.   He is considerate for their needs and when he turns 11 in three weeks time, he will get us up super early to watch him open up his presents whilst his brother is still asleep, as he knows birthdays cause him high levels of anxiety.

The Rugby World Cup may have finished, but our son’s rugby season has plenty of games left.  Today, I watched him play rugby for the first time this season.  I only watched the last half of the session, as our youngest son finds it too noisy and crowded and doesn’t enjoy attending.  Today he went on the understanding that we would stand at the end of the pitch and not talk to anyone, as he doesn’t like people coming up to him, as he doesn’t know what to say.   I was lucky to see my eldest son score three tries and be awarded the Grafter’s trophy for the match.  Fingers crossed, this will be the first of many games I will watch this season.

Sunday 18 October 2015

Upper School Application

It seems impossible that our daughter is now beginning her journey to move up to upper school and in a way it is a shame that she needs to get used to another change, as after three years at her middle school, she has come so far and is settled with a small group of friends and thriving in her academic work. 

Although it is an important part of development, for a child with ASD, change causes so much anxiety.  Our daughter has found the past month to be very stressful and the decision of what school to go to has affected her sleeping and eating habits as well as her moods.  She has been able to tell us that she doesn’t want to feel this way, but at the same time, she hasn’t known what was the best decision to make.  Fortunately, the SEND staff at her current school have been fantastic and have supported both us and our daughter.

Last month we began the first of three visits to surrounding upper schools.  We had always envisaged that she would choose the one that is within walking distance of our home.  However, after her initial visit, she came away very unhappy and did not like the environment, in spite of knowing all of her friends would be going there.  We kept an open mind and visited two other schools, as feel it is important to compare what else is on offer.   When she walked into the one that is the furthest away (8 miles from our home), her body language indicated that she had found a new environment that she felt comfortable in.  To me, the school she has finally chosen is a bigger version of the one she is currently in and she had a smile on her face as she walked round the school.  Always a good sign.

During the past week, she went back to visit two of the original choices, so that she could be sure she was making the right decision.  On Friday she came home excited about what she had seen at the school she has now chosen.  She already has an idea of what GCSEs she wants to take and the clubs she wants to participate in.  It is a brave decision from our daughter, as we had thought she would choose the nearest school to be with her friends.  We would have accepted that, as unless she is in an environment where she feels settled, she will never reach her full potential.  Instead, she has opted to go to a school where she will need to get a bus each day and make new friends.  A similar thing happened four years ago, when we made the choice for middle school.  We didn’t select the school in our catchment area as our daughter did not like it nor did we think it was the school best suited for her ASD needs.  However, our daughter also wanted to go somewhere different from her peers in her lower school.  She wanted to start afresh.  Our daughter’s way of coping with change is to go for something completely different and it has worked for her in middle school.  She is a far more confident girl, who knows what she wants out of life and we couldn’t be prouder of what she has achieved so far.

Now that the decision has been made of what upper school to attend and I have completed the online application, we are hoping that until we are notified on 1 March 2016 of what school she has been awarded, calm can resume in our house.  Our daughter already looks happier and is ready to enjoy things again, rather than putting everything on hold until this decision was made.

No doubt next year will cause anxiety levels to rise again, but if she is awarded her chosen school, they have already assured us she can have as many visits as she needs between March and July to get used to the new environment.  With the right preparation in place, our daughter will be able to cope and we will be there to support her on this next stage of her educational journey.

Sunday 4 October 2015

Seamless Socks

After being able to cope with wearing socks inside out for the past couple of years to help with the irritation that they cause our youngest son, he developed an aversion to wearing socks when he went back to school this term.  The anxiety of getting used to new staff and workload in Year 3 has heightened his sensitivities. After trying a variety of socks, I bought seamless ones from Sensory Smart (www.sensorysmart.co.uk).  When they arrived I could see there is a noticeable difference in how they feel to a high street bought sock.  There are no ends inside the sock or seam along the toe line.  Unfortunately, they haven't been the overnight success I had hoped, but I think this is down to how anxious our son is about school and the sensory effects it is having on him, rather than the socks not working.

There has been an improvement in how long it takes our son to put his socks on each day.  This has now reduced from 30 minutes to 5 minutes and then they feel comfortable for him to wear.  To aid this process I have also invested in some small massage balls.  Each morning I now massage his feet for a couple of minutes and the spiky edges on the ball and deep pressure used, appears to be helping to desensitise his feet before he puts his socks on.  Another way to help this process is for him to jump up and down for a couple of minutes on some tactile mats/bubble wrap.




Monday 14 September 2015

1 week down, 6 to go!!

The second week of the new school year has started and we’ve already had lots of tears and tantrums from our two ASD children.  At their request, we are counting down until half term and I am hoping that the next six weeks go as quickly as they did during the summer holidays.

Our youngest son’s life revolves around how many sleeps until the weekend/holidays and it’s the first question he asks when he wakes up each day.  It’s such a shame as he is constantly worrying about what’s ahead, rather than enjoying each day.  His eczema has flared up again and began a week before the start of term.  This is what happened last term when he had a new teacher and for three weeks, his arm looked raw and sore until his anxiety lessoned and then his arm recovered.  We are expecting a similar pattern this time as he has got to get used to the routine of having two new teachers each week, plus a TA teaching one afternoon every other week and other new TAs in the classroom.  One of the stims that always seems to resurface when he’s very stressed is him clicking his tongue.  He is not aware he does it and he does it whilst he’s asleep as well.  Our other children find it an annoying habit to listen to and it does keep my awake at night, but it is his coping mechanism and the more you draw attention to it, the more he will do it.  In time, he will feel happier about his new routines and not feel the need to click his tongue to keep calm.

Our daughter’s oppositional defiant disorder has been very evident, as she does not want to walk to school each day.  As she has now started Year 8 and will move to Upper School next September, we are trying to encourage her to be more independent.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t agree with us and has been doing all she can to avoid walking to school.  I offered an incentive for Friday that a friend could come round after school if she walked that morning and had hoped that would be enough motivation to get her walking to school.  How wrong could I be?  She refused to get out of bed until 8am, the time she needs to leave to walk to school and said she was not going to school, unless she got a lift.  With a lot of persuasive talking, I managed to get her out of the door by 8.30am to walk our youngest son to school.  This caused a lot of stress for our son, as it wasn't part of our normal routine, as his sister doesn't come into his playground.  After dropping him off, I then walked our daughter to her school, which meant she was late and something she hates to be.  I cancelled her friend coming round that day, as she didn’t walk to school on time that morning.  However, with her literal thinking, she argued that she had walked to school, so her friend should be allowed round.  I carried out the consequence for her actions, but I now need to rethink how I word things in the future, so that it can’t be interpreted in any other way.  Over the weekend we have compromised that she will walk to school two mornings a week until half term and then we will look to increase this and she  will walk home every day after school, unless she is there late for a club.

Fingers crossed it will be a calmer week for both of them, but as always a new school year brings lots of change and for our ASD children that means their anxiety levels rocket out of control until they know what to expect with their new routines. 

Friday 4 September 2015

A Tale of Two Campsites

In the past, we have only been on week long holidays as our ASD children struggle to cope with being away from their normal routine for longer.  This year we decided to try a longer holiday and went camping for 10 days, came home for a couple of days, then went away for another 4 days of camping.

Our first trip was to a wonderful campsite called Crealy Meadows, near Exeter in Devon.  It has first class facilities and I couldn’t fault the toilet and shower blocks. which are always an important factor when camping.  Underfloor heating, huge walk in showers, with room to get changed without your clothes getting wet from the shower and I never queued once in 10 days.  The pitches were large and everyone had their own water tap.  Attached to the campsite, which was the main attraction for our kids was a small theme park, which we could access form a side gate and so avoid queing up with the public.  We were able to go everyday and if we went first thing, we escaped the long queues for the rides and could spend an hour or so in there and then have the day to visit the local seaside towns.  In the evening, the campsite opened up an indoor play area, which included drop slides and obstacle courses.  This was a ready made sensory circuit programme for our youngest son and it tended not to be too busy, as it was just people from the campsite who could visit at that time.  Live entertainment was also put on each night and although initially our kids were not interested, by night six they were asking to go and see ‘Crazy Cameron’ or ‘Cheeky Charlie’, who helped to run the entertainment programme.

The campsite offered a half day ‘Own a Pony’ experience. Our youngest son had asked me to book this for him, but when the day arrived, he decided he wasn’t going to take part.  I encouraged him to at least go and see the ponies and we were lucky as it was only him taking part that day.  The animal keeper was very patient and experienced with ASD children and let him take his time to get used to being around his pony.  Within 20 minutes, he was captivated by being able to groom, walk and feed the pony.  At the end of the session, he asked if he could repeat the experience again.  Every day after that we visited the ponies, so that he could talk to them.

Buying food for our meals was made easier by having a huge Tescos located 5 minutes drive away from the campsite.  Although we like to try local butchers, delicatessens etc when we are in different areas, our ASD children are fussy eaters and so like to be able to buy what they would eat at home.   Being away from home and normal routine is not a moment to ask an ASD child to try new food, unless you want a meltdown to occur.

Weatherwise, our holiday started off well with bright sunshine, but by the middle of the break, the rain set in.  One morning we woke up to find a small lake in the living area of the tent with worms wriggling around.  This caused a meltdown for our daughter as she had not expected to wake up to this – the tent should look as it did when she went to sleep.  Instead of helping us to clear up the mess, she retreated to the car to read her book, which was her way of dealing with the situation.

In spite of the weather, none of the kids wanted to come home early, as they were enjoying themselves and so we managed to have 10 days away.

Exmouth Beach on one of our few sunny days!!

Our second camping trip was a totally different experience – a field in North Wales with basic toilet facilities and no other entertainment other than watching a steam train coming into the station behind the campsite and to watch the cows and sheep in the fields around us.  Pitches were not marked out and the toilets were a portacabin in the field.  Showers were across the road by the farmhouse.  They were all clean but lots of spiders were living in the portacabins, which unnerved the kids and you had to queue.  Three toilets for a field of 80 tents is not enough!!  Although the kids love running around in a field and playing games, they didn’t like tents being so close to one another.  The biggest problem we had to contend with was the location of a decent supermarket being 25 miles away.  Our ASD children struggled to find what they would normally eat in the local shops.  Although we take some food with us, as we camp non electric, there is a limit as to how much we can bring, so that it remains fresh.  

We had a great time visiting the area though and loved climbing the mountains and going on a horse drawn canal boat in Llangollen. 

Glyder Mountains

Both holidays were very different but enjoyable and we've all had the best of both worlds being able to explore the seaside and mountains during the summer holidays.

Thursday 6 August 2015

Summer Holiday Bucket Lists

On the last day of term all three children wrote their bucket lists for the summer holiday.  We are now nearly at the end of week three and we have achieved so many of their wishes already. 

Some are easier than others to do – our youngest son has the easiest choices with Mr Whippy ice cream as one of his and a small list of 8 things to achieve.  At the other end of the spectrum our daughter wrote a list of 25 things ranging from having her ears pierced, which she did during the first week to staying up to watch all the Harry Potter films back to back and transforming her dolls house into the Weasley home from Harry Potter.  This has yet to be started, but she has a lot of ideas on paper.  She has also set herself targets like she wants to do so much reading a day (half a book a day), be up and dressed by a certain time each day.  Anyone that knows her, knows she likes to lie in and is rarely out of bed before 7.30am on a school day and can be as late as 11am on a weekend, so to say she is going to be out of bed by 9am each day is a task in itself!  So far she has managed it each day, but I have also told her that she can stay in bed longer if we have nothing planned.  However, ASD children always push themselves to do their best and to achieve things, whether they are at school or enjoying their summer holiday.

All three children had written a day out in London on their lists and last Friday we did an open top sightseeing bus tour around London.  It was one of the best days out we have ever done.  They enjoyed learning the history of London and seeing the top tourist attractions.  For our youngest son it was the ideal way for him to see the sights as he didn’t have to walk in the crowds and we had the bus to ourselves for half the journey.

The first three weeks of the holidays seem to have flown by and as well as enjoying days out, the kids have been just as happy to play in the garden or go for a bike ride.  We have four more weeks to tick off everything that is on their bucket lists and fingers crossed we will do this.  At the end of each week, the kids are also writing down what they have enjoyed from that week and I’m sticking it onto a piece of card which I will laminate and we can keep to look back on as their memories for this holiday. 




Tuesday 14 July 2015

Anxiety of Rollover Day


Last Friday was rollover day and all 3 kids approached it with trepidation as none are happy with their choice of teachers for next year. In the case of our neurotypical son, he has just realised he's had a teacher who has had a gentle approach to teaching this year. His new teacher will push him to reach his ability and won't put up with any nonsense which as parents we are happy about. He's not as keen!! 

Our daughter has two form teachers next year and the whole class appear to dislike one of them as he has a reputation for shouting. As Friday isn't one of his teaching days he didn't attend rollover day which has not helped to calm our daughter's fears of what he will be like. For the past two years her form teacher has not taught any subjects and just taken the register and done form time so hopefully next year will be no different. It will be her last year at middle school before she enters a very different world in upper school. After being in a school with 550 pupils, she will leave in a year's time to begin Year 9 with each year group containing 300 children. It's a whole different ballgame and provision is already being put in place at her current school to help with this transition. We've told her to make the most of the upcoming year as it will only increase her confidence.  She has transformed in the last 3 years from a quiet little girl who refused support from anyone to a confident 12 year old who will seek out support. She's even taken on the role of being a big buddy next year to help the new Year 5 students. Something we wouldn't have dreamed she would have contemplated even a year ago. Slowly she is beginning to realise she is a talented girl who has a lot to offer to others and with the help of an amazing Inclusion Manager she has blossomed at school.

Our youngest son has the most changes to cope with as he approaches Year 3. He will have two teachers for his class with one teaching 3 days a week and another 2 days a week. It is not an option we would have selected for him but now we have to make sure it works for him. Not knowing what to expect with two teachers who will have different teaching styles is causing him a lot of anxiety already. On top of this he has three new TAs to get used to who will be working with the class and one will meet him in the playground each day and be a backup if his 1:1 is not in school one day. It is a lot of changes for any child to cope with, let alone someone who relies on consistency and routine. Photos have been provided for home of all new staff and a transition booklet will be given for the holidays, so that he knows what will stay the same in Year 3 with pictures of what his new classroom will look like and where his peg etc will be. 

September is probably going to be a stressful month in our house, but we are prepared for that and will be there to support all three children. 

Tuesday 30 June 2015

Birthday Anxiety

The build up to birthdays in our house seems to cause more anxiety these days than the actual day itself, which is an improvement. 

Our youngest son turned 7 on Sunday and had a wonderful day enjoying the rides at Wicksteed Park.  As the weather was not great when we arrived, not many people had decided to visit for the day and so there were no queues for the rides.  Not having his presents wrapped up, which people still find odd, but it makes him so much happier, helps to make the day run smoother. 

We ended up giving our main present to him last Friday to try and reduce some of the anxiety he suffered in the week before his birthday.  Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to stop the meltdowns that followed all day Friday and Saturday, but for the odd hour that he was calm on those days, he enjoyed going out on his new wiggle scooter.  It seems to be a terrific form of exercise and will help with his sensory processing difficulties.  I have yet to master the art of getting it to move forward, but he has already become a speed demon on it!

Our son has now started to ask about his 8th birthday – it will be the first time since he has been at school that it has fallen on a school day.  Up until now, he has been lucky that his birthday has been either a school training day or weekend.  Next year it will be on a Tuesday and he’s not sure how he will cope as he hates to be the centre of attention.  We have told him that we will think about this next June, but he is already asking how many sleeps until his birthday!! 

To us it seems a small thing that is a long while in the future, so we can put it to the back of our minds until nearer the time.  Our son struggles to do this and although he is using different coping strategies to deal with situations in life, learning to cope with anxiety is a difficult thing to master.  One way to describe his brain is that it is like an open filing cabinet and no file is ever closed.  Instead, he keeps the files open all the time and so the thoughts keep whirring round in his mind increasing his anxiety, rather than being able to close a file and return to it at a later date.  As he grows older, he will hopefully find a way that suits him to deal with anxiety.  In the meantime, we just need to be there to support him and if he asks the same question over and over again, it’s not because he’s forgotten the answer, but instead because he needs that constant reassurance and that is how he copes at the moment. 

Wednesday 17 June 2015

Busy Busy Busy!!!

It feels ages since I last sat down and wrote my blog.  I’ve come to the conclusion that June is the busiest month of the year for us as a family.  Both of our ASD children celebrate their birthdays this month.  Our daughter turned 12 last week and our youngest son turns 7 at the end of next week.  So much preparation is involved in making their birthdays a success and not a stressful day for them both. 

As they are both huge fans of Harry Potter, we are taking them to the Harry Potter Studios this weekend as a birthday treat.  Our daughter has been before with us and knows what to expect, but our youngest son has never wanted to go due to the crowds and queueing.  I have prepared him for the day with a social story and we will take a rucksack full of sensory toys/equipment to help him to feel less anxious.  There’s no guarantees it will work but it’s better to be prepared than just wing it on the day!!

On top of this, our youngest son had scarlet fever at the beginning of the month and was poorly for 10 days.  Then yesterday my husband and I attended his Statement Review meeting, which lasted 3 hours and was emotionally draining for us both.  I had already spent hours writing the parental contribution for the meeting and going through all the reports from the various professionals involved. 

I have also been involved with helping with our youngest son’s school PTA with their fete last Saturday and Fathers Day Sales this week.  Although I thrive on being busy, even I am beginning to feel the effects of such a busy month and need some downtime.  It’s not likely to come before July as we are now on countdown to how many sleeps until our youngest son’s birthday (another 11 to go!!) and in between that he has a Victorian dress up day at school which is causing anxiety as it’s not a normal day, then Sports Day and a school trip all to happen this month.  Roll on July.  The summer holidays will seem a breeze compared to this!!

Monday 1 June 2015

Photophobia

This is a new phrase that I learnt about on Friday after our youngest son had an eyetest at the opticians.  Photophobia means you are sensitive to bright lights, which for our son is made worse by his hayfever, asthma and eczema.  

During his appointment he spent most of the time rubbing his eyes or blinking and it has now been recommended that he wears polarised sunglasses when out and about.  Inside, he often asks for lights to be turned off or to have the blinds closed.  If your child has a sensitivity to bright lights it maybe worth investing in a sensory den/pop up tent or let them make a den under the table so that they can shield themselves from the light.  This is a popular activity for our son.

Sunday 17 May 2015

Special Needs Day at London Zoo

Yesterday I visited London Zoo with my youngest son to attend their Special Needs Day.  It is the first time we have been and it was well worth the experience.

The general public are still allowed into the zoo, but the majority of guests appeared to be families of children with disabilities.  Tickets which we ordered online were at a discounted rate.  There was a separate entrance with no queues and by 10.30am we were looking at the animals.  More staff were working to assist visitors, as well as different activities available and lots of areas where families could chill out.  We did wildlife gardening and made a mini beast hotel for our garden as well as planted a seed.  There were art activities, ‘Singing Hands’ demonstration, sensory storytelling and many of the animal enclosure talks were done in sign language as well.  

We spent 6 ½ hours walking around the zoo as my son was mesmorised by the animals.  The gorillas were a huge hit – there were four adult gorillas and a newborn and we were lucky to see them outside on two occasions moving around and interacting with one another.  Tigers, giraffes, camels, zebras and penguins were also popular with my son.  He was captivated by the reptile house and aquarium.  The iconic Elephant House which I remember from my childhood is still part of the zoo, but the elephants all now live at Whipsnade Zoo.  Inside the Elephant House are smaller animals like meerkats, prairie dogs and the sleeping areas of bearded pigs and tapirs. 

It is not possible for us to visit a zoo and not buy a soft toy – it has become an obligatory item to live at the end of my son’s bed!!  Yesterday it had to be a gorilla, which he cuddled all night and has now made friends with an orangutan and chimpanzee that also live at the end of his bed, along with another 50 or so soft toys.

It seemed busy in the park, but once we left, we realised we had actually been in a quiet park of London in comparison to the walk back to Camden Town tube station along the canal towpath.  It is only 10 minutes away from the zoo, but it was so crowded that it became a little overwhelming for my son and he ensured his hood was up, head looking down at the floor and a tight grasp of my hand. 

As well as being a fabulous day out visiting somewhere that has fond memories for me from my childhood, it was lovely to have some 1:1 time with my son and for him to enjoy one of his interests.

Whipsnade Zoo are holding a Special Needs Day on 13 June 2015 and I would recommend going.  We are definitely going to go back to this event at London Zoo next year.




Wednesday 13 May 2015

School Trip to Normandy

Our daughter goes to Normandy with her school on Monday. She signed herself up for it last year, as she wanted to go abroad for the first time. I have full admiration for her wanting to try new experiences, as she knows she will suffer with high anxiety each time but it doesn't put her off.

At a meeting at school recently, we were advised that the school will be travelling on the Eurotunnel rather than a ferry.  This news has reduced some anxiety as one of her brothers has been telling her that the ferry will sink like the Titanic, so she’s been googling ferry disasters for awhile.  When there’s only 17 months between our two oldest children, there can be a lot of sibling rivalry/teasing.   This can be a recipe for disaster when you have an ASD child who is literal in their interpretation of what they are told each day.

Our daughter’s suitcase has been packed for 3 weeks with room for food as school are allowing her to take her own supplies, as she's such a fussy eater. At the moment she loves to eat a lemon each day and she's got the trip organiser to agree she can take a supply of lemons with her. I've tried to convince her that the hotel they are staying in will probably have some and she will be able to buy them on a trip to a local market but only ‘Aldi’ lemons will do!  I’ve drawn the line at her taking a lettuce with her – she can eat a whole one each day!

The hotel looks fantastic that they are staying in and is situated alongside a beach. Room allocation has been tricky and school has been very accommodating. However, disaster has struck this week, as our daughter is no longer talking to one of the girls who will be in her room. Friendships are so tricky anyway for girls at this age and when you add ASD into the equation the problems multiply.  To be fair she has taken it in her stride, as she lives in a black and white world, so she will stay in the room and not talk to the other girl.  She doesn’t see there will be a problem with this. It’s me as a mum who worries more!!

The hardest part of the trip though will be waking our daughter up to get on the coach as the children have to be at school at 3.45am. Our daughter is no early bird!!  She’s normally waking up at 7.45am to be ready to leave for school by 8.20am.  I’ve already told her she’s sleeping in her clothes to save time and hopefully make the wake up process less stressful.

The five days away will go quickly, as school has filled them with back to back activities.  In one way, this is good as our daughter already knows what the routine will be and has memorised what she is doing each day and at what time.  We’ve been emailed links to all of the places she will be visiting and she has familiarised herself with where they are going.  The downside is that she won’t get much time to chill on her own like she does at home.  An action plan has been put in place for her to talk to staff if she is feeling anxious or something has upset her.  Whether she decides to use the strategies is another matter, but it’s good that school are doing all they can to help her.

I’m expecting a daughter who is like a tightly sprung coil to return and sometime over the bank holiday weekend she will explode.  I’m hoping I’m proved wrong and if something causes her anxiety whilst she is away, she will speak to a member of staff or a friend.  If not, I know what to expect after other similar trips and as long as we give her space to chill out upon her return, she will hopefully settle back into a normal routine before long.  Preparation is always the key to things going right or wrong and fingers crossed we’ve done as much as we can.