Seclude, Exclude, and Excuse.
What does it take, to justify putting a child in a small, empty, locked, dark “time-out” room in a school, when they’d otherwise be playing with their peers, or learning in the classroom? The answer...
View ArticleDental Fear or Dental Care
My children’s dentist is a free dental clinic attached to a school that is about half an hour’s drive from home. It’s not close, it’s not convenient, and I could get free dental care for the kids...
View ArticleSeclusion versus Time Out, and Alternatives
Why is it so wrong for schools to use seclusion, how is it any different from time out, and is time out a good idea anyway – what are the alternatives? These are important questions, that have come to...
View ArticleWe Stand Together, or We Fall Apart
There is a growing awareness in New Zealand that our education system is not delivering on basic obligations to a significant and vulnerable group of children. This failure of the system affects all of...
View ArticleWhat to look for when choosing a school for a child with special needs, in NZ
One of the most challenging, and most important, decisions we make as parents of young children with special needs, is where to send them to school. I have two children with various special needs. One...
View ArticleRevelations
When I was dragged into the world of disability by my eldest son, I was forced to confront a lot of new and uncomfortable truths – truths about people, about society, and about myself. I couldn’t stay...
View ArticleUnderstanding the cuts to IDEA autism services * UPDATED *
This post has been updated, due to important new information being revealed during question time in parliament, on April 6th. There has been a flurry of concerning stories of late, about changes to the...
View Article“Choose Your Battles” (and dealing with those who didn’t get their copy of...
Autism never affects a singular aspect of a person, and from a parenting perspective the myriad of ways in which autism impacts on your child is overwhelming. When you first get your child’s diagnosis,...
View ArticleDrowning in Need: Autism and Swimming in New Zealand
The ability to swim is particularly vital for autistic children, as they are 160 times more likely to drown than other children are. That shocking statistic is a result of many factors, including that...
View ArticleFive (or Six) Diagnoses, Two Woo-tastic Communities, and an Eight Year Old...
My eight year old is collecting diagnoses like it’s going out of fashion. We’re up to five (with a sixth in contention). He has confirmed diagnoses of autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, anxiety,...
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So long, and thanks for all the clicks :)
This is my last blog post. There are a number of reasons I’m moving on, that have been impacting me for a while and have now become too overwhelming to continue this blog (nothing too scary – I’m OK!)....
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