I’m going to be completely honest with you, I have absolutely no idea how to start this.
I’m just a normal mum, who has no idea what she’s doing or how she got here, but suddenly I find myself with a bank of information that other people seem to find useful and helpful, and some well meaning friends pushing me to put pen to paper. So, this is it. This is the inside of my brain, a complex collection of ideas, failed attempts, heart-felt confessions and sheer bloody mindedness. I suppose I better tell you what I’m waffling about…
I’m Jayne, I’m a 30 something happily married mum with an amazing almost 4 year old called Noah. Noah is on the Autism Spectrum, and is what I like to call “Pre Verbal”, because what the kid lacks in words, he makes up for in volume. There is nothing quiet about this child.
This blog is the result of me reaching out to other parents on the same path as me, because when this yellow brick road first came into view I was the only person on it. I didn’t know anyone with a child who behaved the way that mine did, and I had the fortunate/unfortunate position to have my son at the same time as 3 of my closest friends did, so comparison had definitely been the thief of my joy.
My intention is to help as many parents who are new to autism as I possibly can. As a stay at home mum, responsible for most of the research and appointment chasing, I’ve spent the last 18 months feeling lonely, depressed, hopeless and completely left out. No one should ever feel like that, and by reaching out to other people in our position, I’ve realised how many of us do. Aside from the support from my husband and family, I struggled to find much help and guidance out there for families with autistic children, and far too much misinformation! Autism is nothing to be ashamed of, but how the world currently treats autistic people IS. If I can change one person’s mind, or reassure them and make them feel less alone, I’ll have done my job. Every child and every experience is different, I can only speak for my child, there is no one idea that fits all, but all ideas are worth trying.
So, I’ll go back over our experiences over the last 2 years, things we tried, things we should have tried sooner, things I wish we’d known, things you’ll be eligible to apply for, as well as some of the funnier sides of the journey. Here, we celebrate the little things, because when your child successfully uses a spoon for the first time at 3 years old, it's time to pop the champagne… even if it is only for a yoghurt (also known as liquid gold if you ask Noah) I’m going to end every post with a checklist a little something like this: Did your child eat today? (chicken nuggets ARE STILL a food group!) Was your child warm today? Are they happy?
Did you show them love today?
- If you can answer yes to most or all of them then stop doubting yourself and pour yourself a glass of wine, or grab some chocolate, because today is a WIN.
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