Those of you that read my previous blog, ‘School Minbus Mystery Mayhem’, will know that we’ve been having some significant issues recently supporting and helping James to get into school… Once he’s there he has a great time, does really well, and comes home happily, but getting him there is proving harder and harder… Yesterday, … Continue reading Prayer – We Don’t Always Get The Answer We Asked For
School Minibus Mystery Mayhem!
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!
The Lord’s Prayer & Additional/Special Needs Parenting
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
Fidgets, Fiddles, Focus and Fun!
Fiddle toys... are they a useful aid to focus and concentration for children? Can they help relieve stress? Are they a distraction for them and others? There has been much discussion about this, some very good and informed input provided (including from my good friend Miriam Gwynne, well worth reading her thoughts on this on her … Continue reading Fidgets, Fiddles, Focus and Fun!
Precious Moments, Important Memories
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-to-One Heroes
Where inclusion in church is done well, particularly where it is done well within children’s and youth work, there are often unsung heroes working in the background to care for and support those with additional needs and disabilities. These folk get alongside children and young people who need additional support and provide them with the … Continue reading One-to-One Heroes
Additional Needs Families And A Truly Supportive Church
Often the starting point for a church looking to be more inclusive of children and young people with additional needs is to seek out some training to help them to do this better during their Sunday morning sessions, or during a mid-week club night. To be able to work more effectively with all children and … Continue reading Additional Needs Families And A Truly Supportive Church
Disrupted, Resilient, Vulnerable, Broken, Loving
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
My Brother Is Different
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
Parents Out Of Fuel
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

