Covid 19 has scored a sizeable hit on life as we once knew it. Businesses and services were closed. Many people lost their jobs. Travellers were stranded overseas and grocery shopping became the social highlight of the week. As schools closed and moved to online learning, many parents struggled to balance working from home with … Continue reading Caring During Covid 19
autism
A Puzzling Time
Jigsaw puzzles have always been a favourite activity for our family but it has taken on a new meaning as we are spending more and more time at home. With Bec and I both studying online from home, there are times when we need to find something to keep Dan occupied. Dan has a lot … Continue reading A Puzzling Time
Cruising the Whitsundays
Last week, Dan and some of his friends from Yellow Bridge boarded the P & O cruise ship, the Aria, and headed up to the Whitsunday Islands for a four night cruise. The Whitsundays are a group of islands 900km north of Brisbane in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. They are … Continue reading Cruising the Whitsundays
Breaking the Communication Barrier
Communication difficulties and autism go hand in hand. It might be misunderstanding facial and body cues, taking things too literally or just physically getting the words out. Dan’s communication difficulties were the first indication that something was different. It was a very frustrating time for all of us. There was a lot of pointing, leading … Continue reading Breaking the Communication Barrier
No More Plates
Just to be clear, we have not decided to dispense with using dinner plates but have finally come to the end of attaching Provisional Driving plates onto the car. After four years of attaching yellow learner plates, then red provisional plates and finally green provisional plates, Bec has officially come off her Ps. So no … Continue reading No More Plates
Autism: To Have or To Be
Here in Australia April is the middle month of Autumn. The weather is cooling down and the deciduous leaves are starting to change colour. April is also home to World Autism Day, Autism Awareness Week and Autism Awareness Month. It might seem a little funny to have one day or one week or a … Continue reading Autism: To Have or To Be
An Extrovert in the House
Do you like time to yourself? Do you like to have time to think through problems or decisions before responding? Do you prefer communicating through writing rather than talking? If you have answered yes to all of the above, than most likely you are an introvert, just like Bec and I. We like peace and … Continue reading An Extrovert in the House
Dan the Mailman
In this digital age, an actual letter in the letterbox is a rare occurrence. Most of our mail is announced with a ping in the inbox rather than the roar of a motorbike. Yet every day we still trek out to the letterbox, just in case there is something to retrieve. However, apart from the … Continue reading Dan the Mailman
A Sticker for the Ow
One of the challenges of Dan's autism is his high pain threshold. We often don't know that something is wrong until it is very wrong. Recently Dan went to bed one evening perfectly fine, but the next morning he could barely hobble to the kitchen table to have breakfast. What's wrong? Why are you limping? … Continue reading A Sticker for the Ow
Caring for the Carer
Life is a difficult balancing act. Most of us are trying to juggle work and family commitments while also trying to maintain our own well-being and sanity. For the most part, it works, even if sometimes it’s a mad scramble and there are a few near-misses. Occasionally though, it doesn’t work and everything falls in … Continue reading Caring for the Carer
