Reflections

Image of a label with the words 'Remove this label' on it.

Labels, labels, labels. autism language neurodivergent Aug 13, 2021

Trigger Warning: swearing, harsh words.

I hear families often speak about their fear in "labelling" their children autistic, ADHD, among other neurodivergences because they worry their child will be judged, defined, misunderstood, overlooked, *insert very valid fears here*.

...

My university days went like this. education learning styles neurodivergent parenting Aug 12, 2021

I'm not an autistic researcher.

I am not a psychologist.

I take my hat off to my neurokin who are.

I am forever grateful to those who are engaged in research and academia, creating significant and important social change and opportunities for the autistic community and...

A school-aged child stands behind a bright yellow school bus, carrying a backpack on her back, and smiling.

She is so much more. autism behaviours parenting schooling Aug 05, 2021

I often touch on how important it is to move beyond the generic support framework for our autistic children in the classroom. This includes a timer, dot points on the board and visuals.

Whilst these are really great supports for many of our children, I often see them used without...

Image of a pile of pink coloured calendars with gold embossed letters and numbers.

My PDA neurobiology. adhd anxiety behaviours pathalogical demand avoidance pda radical acceptance Jul 29, 2021

I'm up at 5am this morning.

I have an appointment in the city and it's at a new address I haven't been to before.

This means that I get up early, google the address over coffee to check out some images of the building and its surroundings, places to park and how long it takes...

An illustration of a women kneeling down with a dustpan, and a young child sweeping with a broom towards her.

We bring our children home. autism neurodivergent parenting schooling Jul 22, 2021

We bring our children home

From failed systems

That have been enabled not to care

Not to care for our children

For us; when we were the children

We educate our children

And while trying to create a safe space

For their trauma to unravel

Our trauma too, unravels

Our children are...

Where my grief came from. autism parenting selfcare Jul 15, 2021

This morning as I was barefoot walking through the garden, connecting with the earth, I felt a deep sadness come over me.

My instinct was to push the sadness away and to think of something else fast in order to distract myself; but as soon as I became conscious of this, I returned to...

School Trauma: Tuning into the language of behaviour. behaviours communication neurodivergent schooling Jul 08, 2021

For many of us, when we withdraw our children from school after prolonged challenges within that system, we expect that our children will begin to do better at home.

This isn't always so.

Our children do the best they can, in survival mode.

Survival mode...

A photo of Australian-based Autism support specialist, Kristy with a group of people who are dressed as Stormtroopers from 'Star Wars'

Appearances can be (so very) deceiving. autism behaviours communication neurodivergent socialising Jul 01, 2021

I'm a PDA autistic (Pathological demand avoidance).

This means that my social connectedness; my ability to engage with others naturally and to make eye contact gives the impression that I possess a higher level of social "ability" than what is expected of me.

As a PDA autistic,...

A photo of Australian-based Autism support specialist, Kristy and her husband.

How I show up in friendships. autism behaviours friendship neurodivergent Jun 24, 2021

Hi!

I'm Kristy, and I'm TERRIBLE at being a friend in the neuronormative sense.

I take months to respond to messages in my inbox, if ever.

Sometimes I say things that come across as blunt, forceful, offensive and/or rude.

I say No (a lot) to outings, catch-ups and people...

An elephant with its calf walking in a field

An invitation to lead with love. autism neurodivergent parenting Jun 17, 2021

Contrary to popular parenting advice, the time when our children return to the safety of our energy after being in trouble is not the time to lecture.

It is not the time to remind our babies why we were angry or what they did wrong and why they should never do that thing again.

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Sensory overload and a social hangover. autism behaviours neurodivergent socialising Jun 10, 2021

Sitting here reminiscing about the good ole masking in social situations; days of extreme and intense anxiety for weeks, months leading up to events with other people.

The day would finally arrive and I’d be frozen ALL DAY, unable to get moving.

A last-minute sprint clean...

Hand reaching for snack on kitchen table

Food, glorious food! anxiety parenting pathalogical demand avoidance pda Jun 04, 2021

Trigger Warning: Mentions food, eating disorders and sensory aversions.

Please note the below is my personal experience and I am not a qualified medical professional or dietician.

Food. Glorious food.

Let’s talk about it.

In our family, we’ve had a variety of...

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