Reflections
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PDA Parenting Isnāt Perfect: Itās Real, Raw, and Relational
One night, not so long ago, we had a PDA standoff.. well, not really a 'stand off' but a "let's see which PDAer can hang in there the longest" with one of my PDAers.
It's shower night. I reminded them...
Is this my child's lack of gratitude, or is it my grief?
Is this my childās lack of gratitude, or is it my grief?
There are times I catch myself thinking my child is āungratefulā for the life they have the privilege of having.
So many of us will recall be...
A Letter to Myself at 7, and the Life I Lived to Write Back
"Dear kristy,
I love my parents I want to be a hair-dresser when I grow up. I wont be a murderer I will be a tenderly loving person. My birthday is in july the thirteerth I'm in year two. I made my fi...
The pressure to āfixā autistic kids is hurting families
Iāve been raising, loving and supporting my own autistic children (four of them: 27, 20, 14 and 11) for 27 years this year. Weāre a completely autistic family, with additional forms of divergence thro...
PDA accommodations for children can be challenging for parents and carers to identify
My youngest says "No" and all its variations in response to almost every request I make of them.
And I don't flinch.
This is an accommodation. It is a means of balancing what feels off kilter for a PDAe...
Advocacy for Education is not an attack on Educators
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Whenever I write or speak about barriers to education for autistic children, or inaccessibility, or childism or discrimination, I am always met by those interpreting my lived experience as a dir...
How will they learn they are safe to say No?
(ETA: This is not a post regarding my personal life as a parent. My child's school are incredibly supportive and wonderful educators.)
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I was not surprised at a recent PSG when I asked about a child...
Raspberry slurpee on the carpet: How I coregulate as a Mum to PDAers
Two weeks ago, my ten-year-old spilled a raspberry slurpee on my bedroom carpet.Ā
I was exhausted and snapped. I raised my voice in panic and frustration and immediately regretted it.Ā
For many of o...
What is PDA?
What is PDA for me? I can only share my own experience.
When I was interviewed this year by a national newspaper on PDA, I told them I only care about families who are in crisis and having a hard tim...
Firmer boundaries, comfort zones and PDA
I recently heard a Clinical Psychologist recommend parents of PDAers do the following:
- Have firmer boundaries
- Use declarative language ("It's important we shower for healthy skin" to have child ...