Living with Autism

This week I tried out an alternative to the Otterbox Defender iPhone cover which I have been in love with since I first bought one 2 years ago. After 15 different types of case, and 3 very expensive repairs of 1, Glass screen 2, inner LCD screen and 3, BOTH (Liam was acting out the scene from Phone Booth where Colin Farrell smashes the handset of the phone)

I finally had a case that could be literally thrown down the stairs (and has been)

So I was intrigued to see this the link to this video on the Zismo Facebook Page 





"The folks at G-Form have brought the fury once more with a brand new case for Apple devices with a death-defying test in the hockey arena......blah blah blah...
These slim and lightweight cases act like armor to safeguard your iPhone when you need it most by momentarily stiffening to absorb over 90% of the force from an impact, and then immediately returning to their natural flexible state
This case is being released in two forms, the first being the X Protect…

My beautiful girl has beautiful hair



However, as anyone with a daughter knows, it is pretty high maintenance. Cutting it short would be pointless as she would not tolerate a hairdresser and short hair has to be cut regularly.
I would not do it myself as I think that it would be unfair, I mean just because she has autism, doesn't mean she has to look like her Mum cut her hair.
And it suits her long, as my friend Joanne often says; it gives her a certain Catherine Earnshaw quality. Although if Gracie was crying at the window I am pretty sure that Heathcliffe would have no choice but to let her in.

So Bronte heroine look aside, the hair has to be brushed regularly.Gracie does not like this. It has been a lifelong challenge which used to involve me chasing her around the house. As she got older she has got a lot cuter*, and now tries to style me out of the way by putting on hats or hair bands before she comes downstairs. However, thanks to the power of ABA; we now have her doing this…

So it is World Autism Awareness Day and here I am without a blog post.

I am feeling very autism aware as Grace decided last night that she needed a Letterland phonics Video which has been out of production for about 15 years. So I had a small girl stomping her feet saying "I want AAY, BEE, CEE, PURPLE, VIDEO" and then putting on her hat and coat and demanding to sit in the car until 2am.
Today, when we were all a bit calmer, I helped her to make this sentence using google images:


so we were able to work out exactly what video she wants and where it is - School! 

which doesn't reopen for another 2 weeks. Ebay it is then.


Autism Awareness for me is about making everybody else in the world aware that we exist, we are here to stay and you better get used to us. It's a chance for family, friends and acquaintances to catch up and realise that their sister/brother/son/daughter needs them to be aware of autism and perhaps be a bit more supportive. It is about being accepting…

In the next few days I am going to write a long article about Niamh Cadogan. At the moment it hurts too much to think about it for too long. I have been looking at her emails she sent me, which included a lot of photos and this one just made me smile. I think we were both trying to get Liam to look at the camera and say "cheese" and he just kept on saying "Camembert" in his deep teenage voice and playing with the iPad.



This was the day she came to Dublin with the Munster Lions Club for the judging of the All Ireland Lions Club Youth Ambassador. I brought her 2 props; one was my giant "iFoam" with the Grace App on it and the other was Liam, my 14 year old son who sat and played with the iPad while Niamh and I chatted to William from the Lions club and her mum Jean.

While I adore and cherish both my autistic children; if I ever get a bit of time off I have to confess that the very last thing I want to do is meet other people's autistic children.
(forgi…

22nd June 1994 - 19th March 2012

Guest post from my lovely friend Taz who used to blog at tazzymania about her experience with adopting twice! and how her lovely little boy Button; just happens to also have autism. Taz is the epitome of Love Stretches - her love for her kids goes twice around the world; and I believe she is planning to go again.




Taz and I agree on how us Autism Mammies tend to have a little touch of the bug ourselves. And we think it is a power for good. She kindly agreed to do the Dr Simon Baron Cohen tests online - to assess ones Empathy, Systemizing and Autism potential. Or as I like to call it, "Whether you should choose the furniture in the flat-pack store, or assemble it" I will disclose my scores at the end. Thanks so much Taz. I am so proud to know you. xx





"Before I get started on this blog, I feel you should know something about me. I love tests! Not
exams, but tests. The ones where the results don’t really matter. In my teenage years the first page
I turned to in my Jackie or J…

Dear Sir
I would like to offer to write a detailed response to the Examiner'sFeelgood article of 3rd February which was published with respect to the role of the author as a "parenting expert' and the subsequent editorial response which said that he had a right to an "opinion."
(click on the highlighted words and you will go straight to whatever link I am referring to)
As the first article clearly set out to influence through the authors noted 'expertise' and made reference to a soon to be published book; I think it is only fair to give a right of detailed reply to someone who has spent 14 years studying autism parenting first hand, who has written thousands of words on the topic of day to day life with autism and who has made it their lifes work to give people with autism the ability to communicate independently.
I am talking about myself of course. As the creator of the Grace App for autism- a means by which a person with a speech disability can communi…