All behaviour is communication

All behaviour is communication.  This statement is always true.

Click on the image below to go to the website I found this on.  The post is worth reading.

Crossing the Midline

This site below has a great list of activities that cross the midline.  Using these as activities before learning or to give learners a break between learning could be really useful.  
Click on the image below for the link

Bilateral coordination

This site below has a great list of activities for developing bilateral coordination.  Using these as activities to give learners a break between learning could be really useful.  
Click on the image below for the link

 

Sensory Pathways

I would love to see sensory pathways in every school.  The video below is one plathway that I particularly enjoy and feel this is possible for many schools to create.  Hey we could ask our learners to design and make it!   Click the image below to go to the video.

 

More strategies for anxiety

Here are some more strategies for coping with anxiety.

Click on the images to explore a range of different strategies for dealing with anxiety.

Anxiety behaviours and strategies to support

Anxiety is such a big part of a diagnosis. Recognising anxiety and finding strategies to help are a journey parents, teachers and childrens travel.  The images below link to the websites that provide helpful information.

 This article explains how anxiety can look like agression.

This website shares some strategies to support young children to calm the anxiety.

This website has a range of strategies to support children when words do not work.

This page shares phrases that may help to calm an anxious child.

Executive Function

I often have discussions with teachers about the difficulties learners have and the relationship with executive function.  I find Understood.org a great website for accessible information to support teachers and parents to grow their understadning of executive function issues and strategies to help.

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/understanding-executive-functioning-issues

Heavy work - Proprioception sensory activities

This site is great for ideas.  Heavy work is what my son often needs and I love some of these ideas.  Click the picture and find practical ideas to give your child the sensory input they crave.

A poem to express a day in the life of my son.

Please do not stare at me with judgement in your eyes

I woke up this morning and the world felt wrong
My socks attacked my feet - I threw them across the room.  My brother breathed on my toast - I couldn’t eat it
Please do not stare at me with judgement in your eyes

I went to school this morning and the world was noisy
Voices exploded in my ears - I hid under the table
The teacher was different - I stayed in the corner
Please do not stare at me with judgement in your eyes

I went to play at lunchtime and the world felt lonely
Kids played around me - I sat and watched
Kids talked to me - I looked at my feet
Please do not stare at me with judgement in your eyes

I went back to class and the world smelt yucky   
Somebody’s lunch stank - I blocked my nose
Other smells collided -I gaged and retched.
Please do not stare at me with judgement in your eyes



I went to the car after school and the world was overwhelming

<a href="https://clipartxtras.com/">clipartxtras.com</a>

My brother sat in my seat - I screamed and screamed
Daddy sounded mad - I cried and cried
Please do not stare at me with judgement in your eyes

I went to have dinner and the world looked different
The chicken looked wrong- I did not eat it
The potatoes felt old - I spat them out
Please do not stare at me with judgement in your eyes

I went to bed and the world kept spinning
I woke up this morning and the world felt wrong

<a href="https://clipartxtras.com/">clipartxtras.com</a>

My socks attacked my feet
My brother breathed on my toast
Somebody’s lunch stank
I gaged and retched.
My brother sat in my seat
Somebody’s lunch stank
Daddy sounded mad
My brother breathed on my toast   
My brother breathed on my toast
My brother breathed on my toast

Podcast Interview for Connect Inform Support

Hi I had the privilege of being interviewed for the Connect Inform Support programme on Free FM.

The blurb says
"A show created and hosted by Parent to Parent – the not-for-profit organisation supporting families and whanau of babies, children, teens and adults with any type of disability or health impairment. The show focuses on services and help available and also discusses issues and news of interest and importance to those families."

This is the link to listen online or to download the file to listen later.

Invisible disabilities - State of sector report...

Wow the report I am sharing shows a snapshot of invisible disabilities in New Zealand right now.

It has clear messages and I felt sad as I read it because we are not using the knowledge we have of what works and what people need.  This report is another research based document that clearly states what is needed.  It includes the voice of youth with disabilities.  It includes practical suggestions.

Here are some images and messages from the report

Read the report by clicking here

Resilience

I have read a lot about how tough it is to parent children with special needs in social media lately.  Many are beautifully written acknowledging the challenge yet emphasising the positive.

I have connected with each post, related and used these posts to keep me going.

Yet, sometimes it feels like we have to include the positive so we don't let the side down, so we don't put our negativity on our children.  We always need to protect our children.  This is rule number 1.

Sometimes I am negative.  

It has nothing to do with my children who I love deeply and think are the best people in the world.  I am happy to be surrounded by my family who I love dearly and would choose all of them above anyone else if I had the option to choose.

Yet sometimes I feel negative.

This is not about my family.

When I feel negative, it is because being a parent is hard and my resilience is low.

What makes it so hard?  What drains my resilience?

Simply - Other adults.  The comments from other adults, the judgement from other adults, the lack of understanding from other adults, the actions from other adults, the lack of action from other adults, the looks from other adults.  You get the idea...

Don't get me wrong, I don't think these other adults are deliberately making things hard or deliberately stealing my resilience.  Yet their lack of understanding and the judgement that frequently follows makes my life harder than it already is.  Knowing it is not deliberate does not lesson the impact on me or my children. 

It is school holidays now and we are spending a lot of this time at home.  It is easier this way and I recognise that my resilience is low right now.  My kids are happier at home.  They are easier to cope with at home.  My kids and I are not judged or stared at when we are at home. 

We will venture out again when my resilience is higher but right now, it is too hard.  This is the reality of parenting children with special needs. 

Sometimes it is just too hard!