Hanging Out with the Boys

Hanging out with your friends is something that most young people take for granted. Going out for a drink, watching a movie or cheering your favourite sporting team are all rites of passage on the journey to independence. Young people meet up, hang out and bond together spontaneously without hardly a second thought. But if …

The Carer’s Road

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. Matsuo Basho  From the moment we are born, a path stretches out before us. We don't know where it will lead. We just begin, one step at a time. Sometimes the way is a smooth, well-worn path and at other times it feels like …

The Journey into Autism

The word ‘journey’ can conjure a variety of images in our minds. Perhaps you imagine packing your bags and catching a plane for that once in a lifetime trip around the world. Or perhaps you think about stepping into the great unknown, travelling down an unfamiliar track, not knowing where you will spend the night …

Miss You Too, Buddy

Lately I have had to spend a lot of time in Brisbane. It's not easy for country kids to move to the city to attend university. The city is a noisy, crowded, busy place. It is an unfamiliar place, teeming with strangers and unfamiliar sounds, smells and routines. Bec is a quiet kind of kid. …

For the 18th Time

We are moving house - again. For me, it will be move number 18. And I expect I can look forward to a few more moves yet. I don't remember my first move. I was only about three when my family moved from a small country town to Adelaide, where I grew up. Almost my …

Recovering the Christmas Spirit

Just one week ago I would have said, "Four days to Christmas and I'm already over it!" It was hot. The roads and shopping malls were packed and the list of all the things I was supposed to do to ensure everybody had a Merry Christmas was growing by the minute. If this was Christmas, …

Life with the NDIS

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been progressively rolled out around Australia over the last few years. It is a scheme designed to provide individuals with disabilities the support they need to live a life that is purposeful, fulfilling and as independent as possible. Here in Toowoomba, the NDIS started at the beginning of …

I Love a Good Story

In the Age of Technology there are champions and nay-sayers. Some praise the wonderful advantages of technology in the modern life, while others voice concerns about failing eyesight, bad posture and poor social and communication skills. I'm inclined to think that both sides have a point. Technology is a major part of our lives today …

Dan Turns 21

Three cakes. That's how you celebrate turning 21 – Dan style. It's a momentous event when your firstborn turns 21. Dan knows when his birthday is. He can't tell me in words but he can find it on the calendar. He has this unique ability to know exactly what day and date it is. Dan's …

The Trials of the Non-verbal

Dan is non-verbal. Well, that's what I usually tell people when they first meet him because it's easier than trying to explain the ins and outs of his oral communication abilities. But he's definitely not mute. You can ask his sister, Bec, about that! Dan loves to sing – at any time of the day …