Sawyer's Adventures in Thomas Land. 1 woman, 1 man. 1 girl, 1 boy, 1 train. And a diagnosis of ASD
Before we received Sawyer’s diagnosis of autism, I struggled to explain his unusual behaviours to other parents. I desperately wanted them to see how sweet and loving he was, but often those traits were masked by his inability to keep still, his fondness for running headlong in to walls, and his exceptional talent for breaking… Continue reading Childhood Sweethearts
Just before the end of half term, Sawyer announced that he wanted to go to his Halloween-themed school disco. His Dad and I looked up at each other in disbelief, shock, and a little bit of fear. Sawyer has never been able to cope with the sensory overload of a disco. Between the flashing lights, loud… Continue reading School Disco
The final deadline for Sawyer's EHCP funding was on Tuesday and I had already been told that it was unlikely to go to panel until the day before. Nevertheless, I checked the post with angst each day for a week leading up the deadline, cursing every day it wasn't there. By the time Tuesday finally crept… Continue reading Deadline
Sawyer’s planning meeting took place just days before school reopened after the long summer break. These meetings take place after all professional reports are gathered, and mark the end of EHCP application, determining what should be written in to the final plan. All the guidance documentation suggests that the child in question should be allowed… Continue reading Planning to Fail
I think most people - parents or not - tend to agree that children and supermarkets should not co-exist. If a child is going to have a hissy-fit over nothing in particular, you can almost guarantee it will be in the most public place you can find, with their parents held hostage, trapped betwixt shelving… Continue reading Supermarket Hero
Malaga airport had been stuffy and loud as we made our way through passport control and on to baggage claim. The excitement of being on holiday, combined with unspent energy and autism meant Sawyer began to sensory-seek as soon as we stepped off the plane. Charging down the hallways closed-eyed and spinning, he narrowly missed… Continue reading Villa Romero
For those of you who have never experienced a fire alarm in an airport, I can assure you it is no joke. Within seconds our corridor had been barricaded at one end, and a giant bottleneck of people began to fill up around us. Beyond the line of airport security, shops began to close their… Continue reading Paradise
Sawyer’s EHCP planning meeting will take place in early September, and the anticipation is difficult to stomach. Despite our positive meeting with the Educational Psychologist, I find myself poised and ready for action, my armour still very much in place. I feel I am staring at the No Man’s Land of autism – desperately hoping… Continue reading Distraction of Adventure
I hadn’t realised how draining the EHCP process had been until we saw the Educational Psychologist a few weeks after the application was approved at panel. Although compiling and writing out evidence had been time consuming, I was so determined to get the points down clearly and thoroughly on paper that surprisingly, I didn’t find… Continue reading Lifeline
On Monday 3rd July we woke up and got ready for school in the same way we do every day. We cuddled in bed, we got dressed, we ate breakfast, we put the bags in the car, we cleaned our teeth, and we left the house. Neither of the children mentioned the fact that it… Continue reading Arse-Kicking