These blog posts could be interesting for anyone, but especially if you are a parent/carer of a child or young person with additional needs or a disability.
Routine is important in our house, it helps the day run more smoothly and it helps James to cope with the many transitions that the day brings. Our school-day morning routine has been carved in stone for many years… James is got up at 07:30, comes down to his den to be helped to wash … Continue reading School Minibus Mystery Mayhem!
As I was sat in church last Sunday morning, enjoying the opportunity to relax and be in the congregation for a change, we reached the part of the service that is included every week, a part that is so well known that we don’t really need the words to be provided; the Lord’s Prayer… There … Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer & Additional/Special Needs Parenting
Parenting a child with additional needs or disabilities can be hectic; sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming too, with so much to juggle, so much responsibility, so much unpredictability, so many battles to fight for our child… So when precious moments come along, little oases in the struggle that is daily life, it is important to cherish them, to enjoy them, to squeeze every single drop of joy out of them… a bit like we did last Saturday morning…
One of the things about parenting a child or young person with additional needs, is that life is never predictable… Just when you think that everything is going along quite well, out of nowhere something will happen that turns everything upside down and breaks it apart again. That this might happen on a fairly regular … Continue reading Disrupted, Resilient, Vulnerable, Broken, Loving
Those of us that are the parents of a child with additional needs, or who support a child with additional needs, so often put so much of our time, energy and focus (and rightly so) into helping that child or young person to thrive, to engage with the world, to develop as fully as possible, … Continue reading My Brother Is Different
Some days stay in the memory a long time… This one I will never forget; it was the day that I learned what a terrific sense of humour God has! And I was on the receiving end… As so many stories do, this one started quite simply… I set off from the Urban Saints offices … Continue reading Parents Out Of Fuel
Sometimes, I’m really surprised by people… in a good way. Sometimes, in circumstances that could go badly wrong, you see the best of people in unexpected ways. Sometimes, angels appear where and when you least expect them to… A few days ago I needed to pay a cheque (yes, they do still exist!) into the … Continue reading This Little Light Of Mine
“Dad-dy!”… One of the few words that James can say (others include “please”, “no”, “more” and, rather awkwardly, “beer”). Unlike any of his other words (especially “beer”!), when James says “Dad-dy!” he touches my heart in a very special way… there is a wonderful connection that the word forms between our two hearts. It stirs … Continue reading A Fathers’ Love For His Son
I will never forget the events of that sultry mid-summers day, both for the great significance of them for a young boy called Freddie, but also for how his story speaks to each of us that care for, and about, children or young people with additional needs… The day had started quite uneventfully, but as … Continue reading Swept Away, But Saved!
Have you ever built a great big tower out of Jenga blocks? Seen how high you can build it until it falls over? Great fun isn’t it! Around this time last year, I was helping out at Spring Harvest, the Christian festival that runs every Easter. My role was to support guests with additional needs … Continue reading Weak Made Strong
Delightful Handmade Dog Products and Gifts
An additional needs Dad and Son baking adventure...
Special Education Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
The Additional Needs Blogfather 