Living with Autism

Some iPhone images from The Balcon de Europa during the "passagio"-
I don't know the Spanish word but in Italy passagio is the time in the evening when everyone walks around and has the craic in a central place like the Balcon. I love it.

I can sit with a glass of Rosato and a dish of olivos while Boo uses his little netbook N130 to surf the internets (free wifi) to his hearts content. He is so happy and secure; I can even walk around a bit to take photos.

You get oldies, families, tourists, locals, A LOT of kids dancing around and trying to pet the cats. Yes. Cats.

I think the cats own the Balcon. Vale. xx



When I asked these ladies if I could take their picture they agreed- but wanted to see the results. After I published and went back to show them they said: "Vale vale!" pronounced "var-lee" - it means "okay!" I love it. Xx

The folders and Laptop say: "Social Entrepreneur" 
The Havaianas say: Bludge Time!
In case you didn't know, I was recently selected by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland to be one of their 8 finalists in the Social Impact Program.

By the end of October 2011, three of the Social Impact Finalists and their projects will be selected to share in €650,000 over 3 years in investments, grants and professional support.

Pretty serious stuff. A chance to take Grace App to the next level in my plans for world domination and making sure you all understand that EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO SAY WHAT THEY WANT... Muhahahahahhahah!

But it aint about the chaching chaching - it is actually a process of mentoring that takes you through your current business model - in my case "Making it up as I go along" to something that investors will be interested in, in order to expand your social impact.
Even if you are not one of the Chosen Three - by the end of the process you are fitter, more profe…

This is a review of the HP Photosmart eStation that was loaned to me to try out in my capacity as a "Mom-blogger" - It is my choice to write about it because I like it - if I didn't I would just say nothing! 

So I guess you are wondering, why would someone dedicated to eradicating the printed picture cards that her daughter used to use and replacing them with Apps be asked to test out a printer?
Well the answer is - there is no escaping the needed for printed visual supports in Autism.
Sure an App is super dooper when you are asking someone to tell you what they really like. It is also really handy for helping them to organise a familiar task like getting dressed, even handier when you are giving them token reinforcement, or creating a detailed social story. (These are Grace App,First, Then and the iReward and My Pictures Talk by my fellow moms with apps)

If I can get away with using an App for something I will. But when there is a chance that said schedule is going to be th…

I recently got accepted into the Social Entrepreneurs Social Impact Program  and, as a result I was invited to join the finalists at a Residential Workshop in Louisburgh County Mayo.
I actually wrote: “Good Coffee, Wine and Chocolate” on my "Dietary Requirements" form for the weekend.

And it made me realise why I do what I do.

You see Social Entrepreneurs do not wake up and jump out of bed one day shouting:
“I’m going to be a Social Entrepreneur!” and then start looking for a Social Issue to Entrep about.

Nope, most of them just find themselves noticing or often personally facing a social issue and instead of complaining - they come up with an idea to solve it.
But it is not just an idea - it is usually a niggling itch that just won’t go away until they sit down and come up with a plan and start scratching it.

Well, that was my experience anyway. I’m a fussy person, I like to have what I like in the way I like it - so I particularly identified with my daughter Grace and fr…

Last weekend as you may have read here I was at The Autism Show in London.
It was a big deal; my first trade show as a Snumpreneur (Special needs Mum Entrepreneur) and I paid for it all out of my savings. I also schlepped 2 suitcases of display gear across London from Heathrow to the ExCel Exhibition Centre in Docklands on The Tube and DLR. which meant 3 changes from West to East.

 And when I got to the Exhibition Centre my stand looked like this:



That is the two suitcases that I dragged on and off the tubes and up and down lifts as I changed from the Piccadilly to Jubilee line and then on to the DLR.
BUT OH BOY WAS I EXCITED!!!
Thanks to some wonderful help from my friends on Twitter, like @nmcgivney @GreenClouds4 @ian_kenefick of Millitech Digital - I had a very professional looking "roll up" poster with photo provided by The Ireland Funds photographer Aengus McMahon.
Having spent every spare cent on the Stand hire, accommodation and transport costs it made a huge difference t…

I will be there in all my Smumpreneur glory - (Special Needs Mum-Entreprenuer) on Stand D5 in the "Communication Matters" Zone.
Entry is only £12 (cheaper if you book in advance)
There are a lot of safe, fun activities to do WITH your autistic kids - and the fun starts on the Docklands Light Railway - on the Friday at least.

If you are a member of the National Autistic Society you probably know about this already - So please share it with all your friends in the U.K and tell them to come and meet me. I'd love you to link to me in your blogs, facebooks and tweets as much as possible too. This is a really big deal for me to be showing at a major Trade Show for the first time, and I want to meet as many people as possible to spread the word about Grace App.

Hope to see you there, Love Lisa xx

Mea Culpa

Remember my Steps to being a special needs parent? - recently I had cause to return to the theme and examine the following. As usual they all look kind of the same:

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

For years now I would have been in the camp of wanting everyone else to make amends to me. Sorry but when you find out you have not one, but TWO kids with intensive behavioural needs you very quickly find out who you can count on and who will spectacularly and hurtfully let you down.


After 10 years - I have learned to let go of some of that feeling. 
Some of the people have apologised.
Some of the people have made up for it in other ways.
I guess some of them have realised what a selfish mongrel they were when they had their own childre…