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disability

Special Interests: Autism’s Secret Weapon

Today I’m sharing another extract from my book – The Ringmaster’s Tale – discussing just how useful special interests can be when you’re parenting an autistic child (or adult). It’s perfectly understandable that at times you’ll feel like your child is unreachable, and the struggle to teach them new life skills can be disheartening to

Autism All Stars, Ringmasters Tale, aspergers, autism, disability, diversity, parenting, special needs, autism awareness, autism acceptance, autism parents, special interests, career choices

10 Things Not to Say to Parents of Autistic Children

Lots of people worry about saying the wrong thing to parents when they have autistic children and often end up putting their foot in it when they’re trying really hard to be supportive. With that in mind, here’s my guide to some of the things not to say, and why these supposedly helpful statements and

Autism All Stars, aspergers, autism, disability, diversity, parenting, special needs, autism awareness, autism acceptance, autism parents, laughter, humour, what not to say

What Autism Acceptance & Feminism Have in Common

I know it might seem an unlikely comparison, but when it comes to being restricted by the label society has given you, there’s more common ground here than you might think. Here’s an extract from my book The Ringmaster’s Tale discussing things in more detail: Does a label really limit what someone can do? The

Why Autism Parents Must Keep Talking

Whether their children have autism or not, ever since humanity began, parents have swapped stories about their offspring. Each conversation would have its purpose, whether that was to raise the spirits or look for guidance, but make no mistake:  the need to speak to others about our offspring is woven deep within our collective consciousness,

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Top Ten Social Tips for People with Autism

Today I’m sharing something from my book, The Ringmaster’s Tale, which is full of funny, sad, poignant and thought-provoking stories as well as lots of great advice about finding the positives when you’re living with autism. This is a light-hearted look at some of the social situations autistic people can struggle with. I’m sure lots

aspergers, autism, disability, diversity, parenting, psychotherapy, special needs, autism awareness, autism acceptance, autism parents,

The Secret to Successfully Parenting Autistic Children

It’s fair to say that we live in a world where the path to success is constantly changing. When I was a child in the 1970’s, success meant getting good grades at school, and as a young woman it meant getting a ‘proper’ job working in an office. These were seen as the quickest, most

aspergers, autism, disability, diversity, parenting, psychotherapy, special needs, autism awareness, autism acceptance, autism parents,

Some Very Good News About Autism

In 1990, when computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, I was expecting my first child, and the mysteries of computers and the internet were completely beyond me. I didn’t realise it then, but this lack of technological ability would prove to be a real blessing not only to me but also to

aspergers, autism, disability, diversity, parenting, psychotherapy, special needs, autism awareness, autism acceptance, autism parents,

When Laces Tie You up in Knots

If there’s one sound that’s guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of autistic people across the land (and their parents too, of course) it’s someone uttering the word ‘shoelaces’. Now, I’m quite certain that somewhere on the planet there’s an autistic child who’s never struggled to tie their shoes, but I can honestly say

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5 Healthy Foods Your Autistic Child Won’t Eat

  If you’ve been parenting an autistic child for any length of time, you’re going to be very well aware of the term ‘food aversion’ and have plenty of experience of exactly what it means. If you’re new to the condition however then brace yourself, because we’re not talking ‘picky eater’ here, we’re talking full

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The Appropriation of Autism

Since, at 51, I’m officially an ‘Over 50’ – and really should be finalising my funeral arrangements by now according to the adverts suddenly appearing on my TV and Facebook feed – you won’t be surprised to hear that many terms used today are completely new to me. ‘Cultural appropriation’ is definitely one of them.

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