Well done to Loose Women this week for providing the first Autism Hour on a TV Show. Last Saturday I spoke about Autism Hour taking place in many shops this week and the team at Loose Women also made similar changes to their programme and to the actual set so that autistic people and families who were invited could enjoy the experience. So what did they do to make it all autism friendly? Well.....
The show included Christine McGuiness, wife of Paddy who have three children with autism. She explained more about how life was like trying to juggle shopping trips and general daily life with their children. Robert White, runner up from Britain's Got Talent explained how it was to be an autistic adult and talked about his diagnosis. Linda Robson went on a shopping trip with mum Fay Hough and her son Bowie which gave people an insight into what is involved with going out, the decisions that have to be made and how we as parents deal with comments made by other members of the public who don't always necessarily understand about autism. It seemed to work so well and people who did go along gave positive feedback which is brilliant.. I don't always watch Loose Women to be honest but I enjoyed this and it was nice that autism was featured so much. I cried a little as I can just feel all those emotions that other parents are feeling and can identify with what they go through, gets me every time. So well done ITV for being the first to do something like this, it helps to get information out there to hopefully help people to understand a little more about autism. You can catch the programme on ITV Hub, it was aired on Wednesday 10th October and will be available for 7 days from then so catch up if you didn't see it. Thank you for reading today, join me tomorrow for some more tv chat on Pass the Remote Sunday but for now........ Take care.
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Yes it's back! From today and for the rest of the week, around 10,000 retailers have signed up for Autism Hour. Last year there were 5,000 retailers so this is a massive increase in helping people on the autism spectrum and making the public more aware of autism.
For autistic people the shopping experience can be a very stressful time with for too much information to try and process all at once. This can leave people feeling like they would rather avoid shopping altogether and leading to feelings of isolation. So how can retailers help? Well by.....
Some retailers are providing an Autism Hour for a lot longer than one week but by highlighting Autism Hour within this week, well it may highlight other retailers to take part on a regular basis. After all this helps the shops by encouraging more customers to shop and most of all helps people on the autistic spectrum and their families. So you can support Autism Hour by going along to your local shops and if you know of anywhere that isn't taking part maybe you could encourage them to. There are resources on the National Autistic Society website at www.autism.org.uk and you can also go on there and search for local shops in your area who are taking part in Autism Hour this week. Can I just say a big thank you to all the organisations taking part, you are really helping in a big way!! Thank you for reading today, pop back tomorrow for some tv chat on Pass the Remote Sunday but for now....... Take care. Oh take a look at The National Autistic Society as they have had a bit of a makeover with a new logo, a new vision and mission.
Their vision now is: a society that works for autistic people and their mission is: To transform lives by being a trusted source of support and practical advice for autistic people and their families at key stages in life. To change attitudes by working with businesses, policy makers, autism professionals and the public to reduce isolation and open up opportunities in society as a whole. The values remain the same: we learn from experience, tell it like it is and are courageous. Not bad eh? Nice positive statements there for the future of the NAS and what it will mean for people on the autistic spectrum. The logo is nice, fresh and very modern with it's bright colours. It represents the spectrum, with the flow of colours running through it and takes the form of an 'a' for autism. I like it and think it needed a bit of a update after a good many years. I didn't actually have a problem with the old logo, it was believed to be seen as patronising but I never saw it that way. I can't see an 'a' so much in the new logo but I suppose it's subtly there. The word 'autistic' seems to be more commonly used now which will take me a bit of time to get used to. Personally I've never liked the word 'autistic' but I must be in the minority, not sure what it is but I would always shy away from using it. I tended to move towards saying 'people with autism' or 'living with autism' but they are phrases we are now encouraged not to use now so I'm obviously going to have to change my ways. It's a good move though and it's nice to see a charity which was founded 56 years ago moving with the ever changing times and I think with new visions it encourages us all to make this world a better place for autistic people and their families. I hope you like the changes too, let me know what you think. Thank you so much for reading today. Please join me again tomorrow for Pass the Remote but for now....... Take care. How was it?......Going back to school?
were you calm and did you stay cool? Probably not, it can be a stressful affair a little bit more with Autism in the air Some just can't wait to get back as with holidays, routine and structure they lack Some Auties love a timetable they do it tells them where to be, have lunch and even when to pop to the loo If you are pulling your hair out then please don't fret there is always someone to talk to, your situation they will get Yes there are others struggling in this Autism world possible harsh words have been said, items thrown and even hurled Whether you cope very well or find it hard there are no points to hold up on a card For whatever you are doing you are doing it well even if it seems you're on a rollercoaster from hell Go along to a support group and talk to others there's a mixture of professionals, fathers and mothers It may just help to make everything clear look towards positivity and not to live in fear ✔️✔️✔️ All the best everyone for a good term and thank you for reading today. Join me again tomorrow for Pass the Remote but for now Take care xxx I always think that it's so important to promote a small business now and again. People work hard all over the place trying to earn some extra money or make little enterprises work and I like that.
So my friend has started a little business while she has been on maternity leave making little crafty jewellery and gifts. These items caught my eye as they are necklaces and small fiddle toys which are chewable. Originally aimed for teething but I put the idea in Jenny's head that these would be great for anyone who has sensory issues alongside Autism. The small fiddle toys can be attached to a bag or mounted onto a keyring. What a great idea and just that nice handy size to keep literally in your hand as a calming mechanism or to bite on as well. The necklaces can be worn discreetly and chewed on too and this is great if you are conscious of carrying a toy or afraid of losing it somewhere. They are created in super nice colours and I think they look really cool. The necklaces are priced at £12 and the smaller fiddle toys are £8. Jenny has other lovely gift ideas perfect for any occasion, maybe a birthday or dare I say Christmas is looming? Argh I mentioned it didn't I? Best to be prepared though I feel. I'm sure if you have someone with sensory processing issues, you could share some ideas of something that may work for you or your young person with Jenny, she is absolutely lovely, so friendly and I'm sure she would be happy to help. There is a Facebook page for Mama & Munchkin here at: www.facebook.com/Mama-Munchkin-898273937038789/ So take a look and as I say if there is anything you are looking for to help with sensory needs then message Jenny on the page. Let's support the small business's! Thank you so much for reading today....please join me again tomorrow for some telly talk with my Pass the Remote item but for now take care. It was great to hold our first support group meeting again after the summer holidays. I am with the National Autistic Society Derby and District Branch and we hold various meetings every month but we do tend to have a bit of a break over the holidays mainly because some of our meetings are held at local schools but also that people go away on their holidays and have other commitments too.
We had a lovely get together and I probably find myself repeating myself a lot when I say how great these meetings are. I'm not going to apologise though as I think it's important to tell everyone how useful these meetings can be. We shared a lot of our personal stories and our current situations and then were able to try and find solutions or at least be able to sign post people to other organisations that would offer further support. There was a lot of talk about diagnosis and how people are still having to wait. In desperation this is leading people to contemplate going private with their referrals or travelling miles to get their selves or their children seen. This was so frustrating to see and I know the government are wanting to change this but it needs to be sorted quickly as I don't think it is acceptable to wait two years to be seen. There are also some schools who need to receive more training or support especially the smaller sized schools. There are many that are fantastic and are totally on the ball with seeking referrals but I suppose funding for a lot of educational placements is an issue. We laughed.....shared our frustrations but also good news too and I hope people went away feeling that there were some answers and hope at least. I always worry whether our meetings lack a certain something if we haven't brought in a speaker but it's nice to have a change. I think you can still gather as much information from other people in a similar situation as well as you can from a professional. So thank you to those people for a lovely meeting, please do get in touch with your local support group and don't feel at all nervous. We are all there to support each other and help, you wouldn't believe just by talking how much stress and anxiety you can release.....it does really help. To find your local NAS Branch or support group then search on the Autism Services Directory which is located on the main NAS website here; www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx Thank you for reading today and please join me again tomorrow for some telly talk on Pass the Remote Sunday but for now take care. This poem was written as a post originally in my Verse for Thursday feature back in March. It was written for Autism Awareness Week but I think it would be a nice time to share it again here after all raising awareness isn't just for one week, it is something we should do every day......
What does Autism mean to you? Are you aware or is it all quite new? It can seem really complicated and making some people feel isolated But do not fear as there is help quite near Groups where you can drink and have a chat and pick up the odd interesting fact As a community it's good to look out for each other especially if you're on the spectrum, a relative, friend, father or mother The professionals, they need someone to lean on too It's almost like one big Autism stew Yes, a hot pot of boiling stress sometimes causing a bit of a mess But the more people we make aware then the problems we may share So please pass on the word about Autism this week and feel free to go out there and speak Don't be afraid to ask how and why Shrug off that curiosity, please don't be shy ❋❋❋ Thank you for reading. Please join me again tomorrow for Free From Friday. For now though.... Take care xxx I wrote a post back in June about the fact I was going to try giving my son CBD oil to see if it helped at all with his Autism. You can read that here:
oils-diets-and-therapies.html Well we did give it a go and he was very good taking the oil. It didn't taste great so we did change to a strawberry flavour which was a lot better. It didn't make any great changes for my son so he has stopped it now but I do believe it can work for some people. I read a post on Facebook the other day on this very subject. Someone was asking whether anyone had. tried it and if it had been any advantage. There was a lot of positive feedback and for those who suffer from convulsions it made a massive difference so it depends on the situation as to whether it has an effect. I still believe it has it use with a lot of conditions, not just Autism. I think it can work for periods of anxiety amongst other things and if it helps then I say use it. Let me know if you have used it or are using it. Does it work for you? I wouldn't say anything negative about it after our experience, it just goes to show we are all different and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another but that's us humans for you. We are very interesting eh? Thanks for reading today, it's nice to update on previous posts. If I say I'll keep you updated on anything I will try my best to do just that. Join me again tomorrow for Pass the Remote for now take care. To all those crocheting experts, yes this is terrible but it was my first ever attempt at a granny square while following a You Tube video. It was a reasonable try though. What has this got to do with Autism you're thinking.....it's not Crocheting Saturday.
Well my son likes a blanket as a stress reliever/comforter but obviously he can't cart around his blanket around at eighteen so we always look for an alternative. He has the blanket with the satin edge as he finds that so relaxing and it does control his anxiety. I did cut a piece from an old blanket but he didn't really like me cutting his blanket up even though it may have been dropping to pieces anyway. He has however taken to my slightly messy crocheted granny square, it's handy and he can put it in his pocket. He likes popping his fingers through all the holes and nobody really notices he's got it. He seems to have his anxiety pretty well controlled at the moment but he can have this handy in his pocket or in his school bag just in case. I hadn't thought of this being so handy. I'm a better knitter I think than a crocheter but hey it may only take a bit more practice. Whether you knit, crochet or sew you can come up with anything like this if a blanket has been of some comfort. They can also be made to any size, colour or texture. You could even sew a button and a loop on for that fidget fiddly facility. Plenty of ideas to make life easier eh? Not only for our young people but for us too, just knowing that there is something quite simple to help with any emotional change. This may not be a solution for everyone with Autism but for us it's been great, I hope, even if this is not ideal for you it may still give you a hint or an idea of something that may work for you. Thank you for reading today. I do hope the holidays are going ok for you all. Please join me again tomorrow for Pass the Remote but for now you take care. That's what I've told my son this week as he seems to have eaten a lot of them lately. You see I have been taking a few liberties recently now my boys are getting older. My eldest who has Autism has been staying home with his bother while I nip out on a few errands. I know.....get me - a bit of freedom.
I felt it was a good time to teach my son something easy to cook if I am out around a meal time. which has happened on the odd time. Beans on toast is a great, simple meal to start with and I think most of us start there. He has been learning a few tips while at college this year while studying a course in Pathway to Independence. so I thought I would carry on the good work at home. I told him I could pop some beans in a microwave container in the fridge and then he could just take them out when he wanted them. I showed him how long to warm them up in the microwave and that was it....easy peasy. He could already prepare toast so he was set up to be a little independent with his super quick meal. The last time I popped out I was back by his meal time so I was back in time to make him some lunch. When I got in he had helped himself to his beans on toast, in fact he's made it quite a few times now. He has been opening a can himself and instead of halving the tin he's had the whole lot. To say it's been a bit windy in our house is an understatement, more like a human hurricane. He did well though and I think he's found it quite a novelty. Maybe it's time to move onto something different so his next meal to try is a frozen baked potato which is another easy one to do.....four minutes in microwave and he can top it with cheese but maybe have a rest from the beans. I love teaching him things as he wants to learn and after all one day he will have to try and be as independent as he can. He still needs supervision on alot of tasks but every time, every project is a step further into helping himself. He's eighteen now and a fine young man and fortunately still a Fireman Sam fan. I say fortunately because there are many fire safety tips that he can recite so this is a good basis for cooking. Thanks for letting me share our 'beanathon' with you. It may seem a simple thing to teach an eighteen year old how to cook beans on toast but those parents caring for their loved ones with Autism will know that every small step is a huge big deal especially if we get through without any anxiety or a meltdown. Please join me again tomorrow for Pass the Remote Sunday.......take care for now. |
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