Starting with lovely positives this month; great news from MotherGeek in Do you believe in fate? and her follow up post SEN school place at last. Jane from Our Little Escapades wrote about some driving time this month in her post Legoland Windsor Driving School, and Legoland is applauded again in Legoland Windsor Brick or Treat by the Sensory Seeker. In ‘Inclusive Dance‘ I talk about our great experience at a local dance class this week and I loved the post titled Just Like Everybody Else from Raising The Rainbows about their family trip to Gullivers. It really is magical when things are done right for our children; they often need just that extra bit of help. People and their attitudes can make all the difference, and it’s good to feed these type of occasions back to others so great efforts can be spread as good practice.
There are certain difficult parenting issues which crop up for many. Food, toileting, siblings and sleep tend to be the main ones; the cause of much stress amongst families. In her post Is Medication the answer to the toddlers sleep problem?, Gym Bunny Mummy talks about sleep clinics and melatonin. I’m sure there are plenty reading who can share similar stories and who have asked themselves the same questions. There are plenty of arguments for and against online; I would certainly be interested to hear more from those with first-hand experience of Melatonin. On another parenting issue, education levels are always being watched, and Raising the Rainbows talks about misconceptions around non-verbal children in Learning to Read and Autism.
Orli at A Few More Steps and Gym Bunny Mummy are kind of looking at two different sides of the same coin in their respective posts Is He or Isn’t He? and Why I want my little boy to be diagnosed with autism. The whole issues of ‘labels’ for children is one of the earliest conversations SEND parents will find themselves in, whether self-directed or having their thoughts challenged by others. A label can help; it can sometimes be the door opening to new support, whether that is via practitioners or other parents. Of course we all know that the support in certain areas may be limited, but label or not I believe the best thing to do is to try to really understand your child and share that knowledge with others.
In her post Our Mummification Mishaps over on Our Family, perspective and autism, Ann talks about the challenges which dressing up/costume days bring. The difference between SEND children and Neurotypical children is particularly obvious at these times, as NT children generally recover and move on much quicker when having to go with less than they expected. Changes from routine often bring a much higher anxiety level, but can also turn out to be amazing times, as I talked about in Christmas Show Success. Today is a non-uniform day for us, which can often be just as challenging! Staying festive, some Egg Carton Christmas Tree ideas from The Sensory Seeker could help with fine motor skills in the run up to the big day?
Last again, but definitely not least, Jenny wrote an awareness post, Ehlers Danos Syndrome – An Invisible Illness, in which she describes how EDS affects her in ways others can’t see. That’s all for this month folks, please do link up below any recent posts you’d like including for the next round-up – remember to come back once you’ve written more! You have until December 15th… would love to do a full Christmas round-up in December, whether that’s success stories or challenges that the festive season brings.
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