Try thinking about three things to give thanks for today. Write them down. Do it again tomorrow. You will soon get into the habit of identifying those blessings. And on the tough days, when everything seems to have gone wrong, look back through the blessings you've written down on the good days and be encouraged by them.
If you journey with a nocturnal child (of any age) who is up in the night on a regular basis, I know how hard that journey is, I understand and empathise with you. It may help you to know next time you are up in the early hours that you are not alone, I may well be up with James too.
Routines are important, really important, they are the links of certainty that form a safe chain to follow through the day. Breaking one of those links, even inadvertently, can cause real trauma.
Hi, I’m Romilly. I’m an Autistic 22 year old girl with a collection of medical conditions. For years I’ve struggled to make and maintain friendships; I didn’t understand others and they didn’t understand me. I often feel lonely and isolated because I just don’t understand the social rules that others seem to be born understanding. … Continue reading A Young Autistic Poet’s Story – Guest Post
This is a guest blog from Molly Ashton, a long term home educating mum. She and her husband have four children, two by birth and two by adoption. Their older two are now young adults and she continues to home educate their girls; additional needs are a part of this journey...
As the return to children’s and youth work after the summer holidays gets closer for many of us, or has already started for some, it can be a time of great anxiety and stress for some children and young people, especially children and young people with additional needs. It can also be a challenging and … Continue reading 10 Top Tips For Returning To Children’s And Youth Work
There is an often-overlooked short story in the Gospels that many miss but which, while short, is rich with symbolism, meaning, and most of all hope! It’s the story of when a Canaanite woman (sometimes referred to as a Syrophoenician woman) came to Jesus to ask him to heal her daughter, how the disciples and … Continue reading How The Faith Of The Canaanite Woman Inspires Us Not To Give Up
Just because James didn’t know it was his birthday didn’t mean we could treat it like any other day; we wanted to give James great memories to look back on, for him to know that he is loved, that we care enough for him to make his day extra special anyway. And it worked, it really was the very best of birthdays and James was smiling all the way through.
I know families like ours whose children (of any age) have been housebound for years or have not been inside anywhere new for a long time. James’ story gives these families hope; hope that their child may be supported to make a breakthrough too, hope that there may be a mountain top for them to enjoy someday as well… maybe sooner than they think!
Most of the time, as parents of a child with additional needs, things work as they should. That doesn’t happen by accident, it takes a huge amount of planning and energy to ensure that everything goes smoothly, but to an unknowing onlooker everything looks under control, relatively calm, generally successful, like watching a grizzly bear … Continue reading Being An Additional Needs ‘Grizzly Bear’ Parent
An additional needs Dad and Son baking adventure...
Special Education Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
The Additional Needs Blogfather 