Quirky Infinity logo Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation

More Than Quirky

Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation

More Than Quirky logo with Infinity symbol blending with the Q

Quirky Infinity logo Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation

parenting

Extended Family Events: Thriving At Christmas

For even the most neuroaffirming family unit, Christmas celebrations with extended family can be incredibly difficult for families with neurodivergent members. Some find this is down to the lack of accommodations. For others it is due to blatant judgement. Some children are dysregulated by particular family members. Parents can be frustrated by their usually-regulated child having a “bad day” in the presence of so many family members. Obviously these potential “bad days” are absolutely understandable,[…]

Talking About It: Mental Health Buffering

October is Mental Health Awareness Month, and October 10th is World Mental Health Day. In NSW, the theme for this year’s event is “Let’s Talk About It”. Neurodivergent people are more likely to experience mental health conditions including mood disorders and anxiety. There is no clear evidence as to how much of this is biological or genetic, and how much is resultant of the difficulties of living as a neurodivergent person in a neuronormative society.[…]

Just Because You Used To: Change is Okay

I was recently talking to a parent whose child was facing a dilemma. This ND kiddo had developed some anxieties around going to school. It didn’t look like the usual “School Can’t” (which obviously doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t!), as they were happy getting ready for school, and travelling to school. It was more that they had started insisting that their parent stay until the bell went and then walk them to class, after quite[…]

Not Refusing: School Can’t

School Can’t is still generally known as School Refusal in political, medical, and educational circles, unfortunately. However the understanding is that children who experience this are not refusing to go to school, or refusing to try. They simply can’t. Your child can’t do it easily. They can’t even try without immense effort. And often they can’t go at all. What is School Can’t? School refusal is a type of school attendance problem characterised by a[…]

Big Feelings: Assisting with Distress

Autistic people frequently suffer from ongoing stresses, like being misunderstood, feeling unheard, experiencing RSD, having schema disrupted, etc. Most neurodivergent people experience many of these, even if allistic, due to the pressure placed upon them by neuronormative societal expectations. While this can result in meltdowns, or challenging behaviour, another demonstration of this can be straightforward distress. What is Distress? Distress is extreme sadness, anxiety, or pain, and can present in a number of ways. “Distressed[…]

Doing Hard Things: Ready to Fall

There is often an instinct in play to protect our neurodivergent kids from failing. There are enough unavoidable hurdles in their lives to feel like it’s fair, or a good decision, to knowingly launch them towards another one. Particularly one that looks too big, or looks a lot like one that has tripped them previously. But all people – neurodivergent and neurotypical – learn from challenging themselves to do hard things. Sometimes these changes and[…]

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