Centacare and MyTime are offering a 3 session parenting program at Kangaroo Point (Brisbane) for $10. Fortnightly from Wed 10 October.
parental anxiety
The difficult parent
The difficult parent is a very encouraging article, outlining the reality of parenting a child with special needs, and the “above and beyond” nature of their advocacy, even when it’s uncomfortable for them.
Advice to parents of newly-diagnosed
Advice to parents after an autism diagnosis, by ASD Dad. A very positive list! Includes tips like:
- nothing about your child has changed- they can just access services and support,
- presume competence,
- get to know teens and adults who have autism- they have great insights,
- let go of your expectations and live in the present,
- remember that your love and acceptance for your child is what matters most.
Picky Eater Strategies
3 Picky Eater Strategies that Work, by Sarah Remmer. They may work for you … they may not, but they’re practical and simple, and similar to what we’ve used in feeding therapy (SOS approach by Dr Kay Toomey- Sequential Oral Sensory).
Just for interest, this post has the 32 steps to eating chart, plus some description about how it was implemented.
Presume competence, in me
Presume competence, in me (Autism Bubble blog).
I’m tired of seeing great, loving parents, who never stop looking for ways they can do better for their kids being beaten down, and feeling like they can never be who, or what their children need.
We struggle to accept compliments, or encouragement as parents without feeling obligated to be offended on our child’s behalf, when usually all the person is saying is, “Hey, you’re doing a great job, keep it up” without meaning anything derogatory about our kids, or about autism for that matter. I say that all the time to my friends with neurotypical kids, because parenting is hard, and their response is usually ‘Thank you, I really needed to hear that today.”. So why is it so wrong for us to need and accept the same validation as parents from others?
“At least your kid talks”
“At least your kid talks” (Autism with a side of fries blog).
I hear this a lot. It’s meant to check me into reality that the autism I am familiar with isn’t every one’s. I get it but here’s the thing. There’s a difference between talking and successfully communicating.
The thing I love about this post, is that it highlights that everyone struggles with something. It’s not a competition about whose struggles are harder- they’re just different struggles.
Baby Bridges and a Developmental Tracker
Baby Bridges is a free program for 0-5’s with disabilities and/or developmental delays, and their parents/carers. The standard program consists of two components: children’s play and specialised therapy sessions with qualified therapists; and parent information and training sessions. It is offered at several locations throughout Queensland, however, the location at Auchenflower (Developing Foundation) incorporates the Developing Childhood program and Funtastic Creations.
The Developing Childhood program designed by child development experts (which is available independently of Baby Bridges) is a fantastic opportunity for parents of children to track and enhance milestones from birth to a functional age of 3 – and there are 342 of them in the first three years of a child’s life! This detailed record-keeping is invaluable for parents who may be concerned about developmental delays, to track and to share with their paediatrician or therapists. In addition to charting milestones, the program offers a personalised program ofactivities to help stimulate and encourage your child towards their next milestones. The site offers a one month free trial (which I highly recommend checking out!), and the full cost of the program is $95 (total).
Mercy’s Goodna courses
Mercy Community Services provide many different kinds of family and disability support. I particularly noticed the quality programs they offer at minimal cost or free- here are the programs they’re running from Goodna in terms 3 and 4:
123 Magic and Emotion Coaching flyer Term 3 2015 (Learn to manage big emotions and challenging behaviours in children 2-12 years old)
123 Magic and Emotion Coaching flyer Term 4 2015 (Learn to manage big emotions and challenging behaviours in children 2-12 years old)
Fun Friends Flyer Term 3 2015 (Building Resilience in 4-7 year olds through play)
Fun Friends Flyer Term 4 2015 (Building Resilience in 4-7 year olds through play)
Friends for Life Term 4 2015 (Help build resilience and prevent anxiety and depression in 7-12 year olds)
Engaging Adolescents Term 3 2015 (Learn to manage big emotions and challenging behaviours in adolescents)
CoSTermFour 2015 (Circle of Security parenting series)
Available to people who live within the Ipswich City Council geographical region (but still worth enquiring if you don’t!). For further information, contact the Family Matters Team at Mercy Community Services, Goodna on (07) 3280 8000.
Blowing out prayers
Raising Peter – what my son taught me about my faith, by Mary-Beth Werdel. The author outlines her experience taking her 4 year old son to Mass- his determined desire to “blow out people’s prayers” (the prayer candles), and his terror of the noise of the bells. Like many families of children with autism or sensory processing difficulties, they stopped attending church for a period of time, and during that period, she changed.
I see now why I could not let go of Peter’s phrase [“blow out people’s prayers”]. I pray now in thanksgiving and in gratitude for the fact that Peter has blown out my old prayers of normalcy and re-ignited them as prayers of relationship and love. And I pray that with education—on autism and sensory integration, on a theology of hospitality and on a perspective of love—others, like myself before them, will find a space in which they feel safe enough to let a little boy blow out their prayers.
Adjusting your priorities
Adjusting your priorities – a wonderfully uplifting article about choosing appropriate parenting priorities for your family, which will look different from other families, but are right for yours.
lovenlearning 