I started using two key signs with Patrick from the age of around two. Those key signs were "more" and "finished". I don't think he took much notice of me doing it but you just never know so I persevered. To get your non-verbal child to ask for something they obviously have to want it,… Continue reading Communication Motivation.
Tag: Autism
Scared to death.
I have previously talked of having anxiety. A lot of my anxiety is over my own death. I am literally terrified of dying. I think about it every day. It keeps me awake at night. It is the one thing that scares me the most and it does have an impact on my every day… Continue reading Scared to death.
We ❤️ Minecraft.
While I've read and been told that video games have an adverse effect on children with autism we have experienced the opposite. Back when Kallan was 5 years old he became obsessed with volcanoes. This obsession did not give him much in common with his peers. In fact he rather bored them with his endless… Continue reading We ❤️ Minecraft.
Birthday Boy!
Dear Campbell, Today is your tenth birthday. Double digits. You're growing up so fast I can barely keep up. Since the day you you were born you have preferred to do your own thing. Marched to the beat of your own drum. The name Campbell means crooked smile this sums you up perfectly. Birthdays were always a… Continue reading Birthday Boy!
Rockalicious.
The final memeber of our family is a cute, furry small one. Rocky! Otherwise known as Rock-dog, Boss-dog or Rockalicious. In 2015 my husband brought me a gorgeous Rottweiler puppy. Maggie was a beautiful dog but she grew very fast. The kids were afraid of her. She had never done anything to warrant their fear,… Continue reading Rockalicious.
Anxiety & I.
I have anxiety. I guess having a lot on my plate with the kids was bound to affect my own mental health in a few ways. I usually find I can keep it under control but some days it gets the better of me. Yesterday the whole family went into the city to look through… Continue reading Anxiety & I.
Jeff.
Jeff and I have been together since we were nineteen. We've had our hicups over the past 13 years but we always end up better than before. We don't have that Earth shattering, soul on fire kind of thing going on. What we do have is a deep appreciation for each other and I can… Continue reading Jeff.
A bad day out.
In the term 3 school holidays last year we had a very bad day out. I can look back on this day now and laugh but at the time it was a shocker. The Pokèmon game was popular at this time and Kallan had been begging to go to kings park and hunt for some.… Continue reading A bad day out.
Living with the lower end.
Patrick has severe autism. Also known as classic autism or Kanners syndrome. At six years old he is completely non-verbal. He has never said a word. He makes a lot of sounds and is very noisy but his sounds are mostly him stimming. He has just started using noise to communicate, in the form of… Continue reading Living with the lower end.
29 weeks.
When I hopped on a Royal Flying Doctors plane at 1am on Sunday 11th of June I had no idea that I would not return home until the 2nd of November. Patrick would spend the next 141 days in Hospital after being born at 29weeks gestation, 11 weeks early. I myself spent three days after… Continue reading 29 weeks.
