My holiday with my Autism Family - Nerja 2015
Posts
Autism and Tech: Here's what you can do with your old iPhone
A couple of weeks ago, my daughter Grace lost her iPhone. Grace
is a 15-year-old with a diagnosis of autism and a severe speech delay.
Some people would call her "non-verbal" but she can say a few words and
if people don't understand she shows them a picture.
When Gracie was small, she used to have to carry a big book around to hold these pictures, but then the iPhone was invented and a very kind person gave us one to try. I was able to transfer all her pictures onto a folder on that phone and whenever we didn't have a picture, we could take a photograph and add that to her collection. Grace is considered to have an intellectual disability but she had no trouble navigating that iPhone, and she carried it around with her everywhere in an especially strong cover to protect against accidents.
With the help of a young Irish gaming developer called Steve Troughton-Smith, I was able to create an App to store and sort those pictures and in honour of my daughter…
When Gracie was small, she used to have to carry a big book around to hold these pictures, but then the iPhone was invented and a very kind person gave us one to try. I was able to transfer all her pictures onto a folder on that phone and whenever we didn't have a picture, we could take a photograph and add that to her collection. Grace is considered to have an intellectual disability but she had no trouble navigating that iPhone, and she carried it around with her everywhere in an especially strong cover to protect against accidents.
With the help of a young Irish gaming developer called Steve Troughton-Smith, I was able to create an App to store and sort those pictures and in honour of my daughter…
Keeping on top of Laundry- how I do it
Some of you may be wondering whats "Laundry" or doing the washing has got to do with Autism?
Well, quite a lot actually. We would be amongst the busiest parents around so efficiency is super important if you want to have time for all your kid activities.
Those of us in the spectrum ourselves recognise a need for order and control. Personally I feel very anxious when the washing pile gets too big.
And, as a proud Mammy, I want my family to have clean and nice smelling clothes.
Well, I was on Twitter today when a media friend who works from home while raising her very small children tweeted a picture of her clean washing pile with the caption "Thinking of joining a nudist colony" -:
I was at home with Liam and looking for a diversion so I offered to tweet her my system of staying organised and she replied "YES PLEASE!"
So for working Mums, new Mums and anyone who has to manage a home and family while still trying to have a life, here is my system for s…
Well, quite a lot actually. We would be amongst the busiest parents around so efficiency is super important if you want to have time for all your kid activities.
Those of us in the spectrum ourselves recognise a need for order and control. Personally I feel very anxious when the washing pile gets too big.
And, as a proud Mammy, I want my family to have clean and nice smelling clothes.
Well, I was on Twitter today when a media friend who works from home while raising her very small children tweeted a picture of her clean washing pile with the caption "Thinking of joining a nudist colony" -:
I was at home with Liam and looking for a diversion so I offered to tweet her my system of staying organised and she replied "YES PLEASE!"
So for working Mums, new Mums and anyone who has to manage a home and family while still trying to have a life, here is my system for s…
Holidays in Autism Land
At this time of year you might be lucky enough to be planning a holiday. And some of you, thanks to a negative experience in the past might be having trepidations - I have some advice that might make it easier and more enjoyable for everyone.
Where I live on the island of Ireland, it can rain for 10 of the 14 days you have set aside for your break. No matter how scenic the location, you do not want to find yourself cooped up in a holiday house with no broadband, no cable tv and the prospect of hanging around the local Supermarket for entertainment.
The usual indoor amusement centres do not work for people with high sensory needs, and they are expensive anyway.
And 'Long walks in the Rain followed by an Irish Coffee in a local pub' are for romantic weekends as a COUPLE. Not a family of 4 with no clothes dryer.
So take my advice and go somewhere sunny for your holidays. And fly!
The other good reason to go somewhere "foreign" is the fact that it will take you away fro…
Where I live on the island of Ireland, it can rain for 10 of the 14 days you have set aside for your break. No matter how scenic the location, you do not want to find yourself cooped up in a holiday house with no broadband, no cable tv and the prospect of hanging around the local Supermarket for entertainment.
The usual indoor amusement centres do not work for people with high sensory needs, and they are expensive anyway.
And 'Long walks in the Rain followed by an Irish Coffee in a local pub' are for romantic weekends as a COUPLE. Not a family of 4 with no clothes dryer.
So take my advice and go somewhere sunny for your holidays. And fly!
The other good reason to go somewhere "foreign" is the fact that it will take you away fro…
Goodbye Dad
My Dad passed away after a really nasty battle with cancer on Monday 19th January, 2015.
He is at peace now but I feel the loss keenly, especially as my family circumstances mean that I couldn't make it to the funeral today in Australia; although I do feel very blessed to have been there for his final Christmas. And that he knew I was there.
Losing a parent brings up a lot of conflicted feelings. As a teenager, then young adult you might have decided that the way that they lived their life wasn't for you and you would follow a different path. Make your own way.
You go through life, you find obstacles and you find success. You have children and decide that you will raise yours differently, be a different parent, you'll do it better, determined not to make their mistakes.
And then you realise about halfway through a life that has been full of challenges and mistakes, that actually you do a lot of things that are just like your parent. And that a lot of them are pretty good
I c…
He is at peace now but I feel the loss keenly, especially as my family circumstances mean that I couldn't make it to the funeral today in Australia; although I do feel very blessed to have been there for his final Christmas. And that he knew I was there.
Losing a parent brings up a lot of conflicted feelings. As a teenager, then young adult you might have decided that the way that they lived their life wasn't for you and you would follow a different path. Make your own way.
You go through life, you find obstacles and you find success. You have children and decide that you will raise yours differently, be a different parent, you'll do it better, determined not to make their mistakes.
And then you realise about halfway through a life that has been full of challenges and mistakes, that actually you do a lot of things that are just like your parent. And that a lot of them are pretty good
I c…
In the red tent
Today I am going to write about puberty and girls, specifically one girl who has autism and is now 15.
Before you get all cross with me, if I thought there was ever a chance that Grace could read this, then I would be asking her to help me write it. Because this is something that Mums (and Dads) need to know.
And before you get squeamish - I'm not going to be writing about the practicalities of managing a period when you have autism and a learning difficulty. You can read all about how our ABA school team managed that here on "Girls, Autism and Menstruation" which I have put up as a permanent page on the top of my blog.
Our excellent Behavioural supervisor Ann-marie Donovan has written a full guide to how she and her team created a task analysis that taught Gracie how to handle that aspect of her life with privacy, dignity and independence. (which started 2 whole years before her period arrived)
No, this is about that other aspect of being a teenage girl. The maelstro…
Before you get all cross with me, if I thought there was ever a chance that Grace could read this, then I would be asking her to help me write it. Because this is something that Mums (and Dads) need to know.
And before you get squeamish - I'm not going to be writing about the practicalities of managing a period when you have autism and a learning difficulty. You can read all about how our ABA school team managed that here on "Girls, Autism and Menstruation" which I have put up as a permanent page on the top of my blog.
Our excellent Behavioural supervisor Ann-marie Donovan has written a full guide to how she and her team created a task analysis that taught Gracie how to handle that aspect of her life with privacy, dignity and independence. (which started 2 whole years before her period arrived)
No, this is about that other aspect of being a teenage girl. The maelstro…