Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
Q: My daughter is in Kindergarten and has just been diagnosed as Autistic. She was assessed after her teacher pointed out unusual things she’d noticed at school and we were worried about how little she sleeps. She likes going to school, and seems pretty happy in her small group of friends. She doesn’t have any learning problems. So should we even tell her about her autism? Should we just keep an eye on it and[…]...
Q. My daughter is 12 and will be starting high school next year. She was diagnosed with autism when she was 6 but has got through primary school without any support other than her teachers helping her through some fights with friends and not sticking to one peer group. This term she seems to be losing skills. I have taken her to the doctor because I was worried there was something wrong with her body[…]...
Q. We are very lucky that my son (autistic age 7) has been invited to most of the birthday parties for his classmates even the ones that are a small group instead of the whole class. But for me it’s really upsetting because when we’re there it’s really obvious how different he is to his classmates. They try to include him but a lot of the time he doesn’t join in like everyone else or[…]...
Q: My son is a very fussy eater. He only has a small list of things he will eat and it is almost all junk or carbs. Why can’t I get him to eat healthy food? Dad of son aged 2-5 A: Selective eating is very, very common amongst autistic people. For some it will be a shortlist of safe foods. Others will have specific preferences for particular brands or types of food even if[…]...
Q. My son’s daycare have suggested we might want to get him assessed for autism. The things they have pointed out I agree with but thought it was age appropriate. He is our only child so we don’t have anything else to compare to at home. I have been reading a lot about it online and can see what the daycare staff are talking about. I am also thinking my husband and I are probably[…]...
Q. My kid often says they can’t do something I have asked them to do like getting their shoes from the cupboard but I know it’s something they can do. If I ask them why they can’t do it they say they don’t know why. What can I do to make this easier? Mum of autistic daughter aged 5-8 A. This is a really common situation for autistic children, and children with ADHD (and adults!),[…]...
Q. My daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD and is on [medication] daily. This has helped with a lot of aspects of her ADHD but she is still very disorganised and untidy. We have tried habit trackers and reward charts and bribery but nothing works. How do I force her to follow some routines? – dad of daughter, aged 8-11 A. Long story short, you don’t force anything. Ever. I think the vast majority of[…]...
Q. My kid leaves merit awards from school in their school bag and tears them up and I find them in the bin. If I find them in their bag before they destroy them they don’t want to talk about them and get angry if I get congratulate them. If I’m lucky I get a shrug and told it’s no big deal. What’s this about? Dad of autistic (and gifted / “2E”) son aged 11[…]...
Q. I was of the belief that the right thing to say these days is “my autistic daughter” instead of “my daughter with autism” but someone pulled me up for it yesterday. There was also someone on a huge local Facebook group saying that writing “my L3 ASD daughter” is really bad. Is there a right and wrong way? What is best? Mum of daughter aged 8-13 A. This is such a great question, because[…]...
Q. Why does my kid constantly complain about being bored even when we are busy? Mum of girl aged 5-8 A. It’s a really interesting that this question should come through this week, as I have had this conversation with three separate people in the last five days, including regarding my own Autistic child. One asked about their child frequently “whining” about being bored, walking around the house aimlessly. This usually ends in a meltdown[…]...
Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
