Sawyer's Adventures in Thomas Land. 1 woman, 1 man. 1 girl, 1 boy, 1 train. And a diagnosis of ASD
You’d think that, given the huge amount of trust needed to put your child into a taxi each day, that the local authority would be sympathetic and helpful in finding the right service for each child. Unfortunately that simply isn’t true. Lloyd rode in the taxi with Sawyer for the first few days, and although… Continue reading Guardian Angels Part One
Hi. Ahem. Hello. You can’t tell but I’m blowing dust from my laptop and awkwardly smiling like I have a guilty secret to tell. I don’t. I don’t think? Maybe we'll find out. But first thing’s first – I hope you’re OK. I hope you are well, and I hope that if you are well,… Continue reading Ghost Writer
One of the most incredible parts of being an autism parent is having to make life-changing decisions before 10am, and then spend the rest of the day pretending it never happened. I left Sawyer’s EHCP meeting in a baffled haze at around 10.30am and made my way in to work for Christmas lunch. Mainstream school… Continue reading Orientation
Friday was school disco day, and to our alarm surprise, Sawyer said that he wanted to go. After some gentle reminders about what the disco would entail, Sawyer dug out his Woody costume, kissed me on the cheek, and bounced out of the house with his dad in tow. However by the time they arrived… Continue reading Disco Dad
Dear Sawyer, Today is your 8th birthday. And what a year you have had! At school, this year has been a real turning point for you. You have gone from not wanting to go to school at all, to winning an award for effort in the end of year assembly! You seem to have found… Continue reading Pieces of Eight
As Lloyd’s story starts to unfold between us, I am surprised by how easily he can access his emotions when I ask a direct question. It occurs to me for the first time that although he rarely offers out his innermost thoughts, they are in fact very close to the surface. The conversation continues to… Continue reading Blame: The Husband Diaries
I sat on the end of the sofa and blinked slowly as my tired eyes followed Lloyd around the room. It had been only a few hours since Sawyer was given a formal diagnosis of ASD. Both of our children were in bed and my mind was still buzzing with it all - filled to… Continue reading Denial: The Husband Diaries
Fathers of autistic children are often lost and forgotten. Their feelings are not regularly discussed, their voices not heard, and their stories never told. If you were to google the words ‘autism blog’ you would discover pages and pages of words written by mothers, but there are comparitively very few that tell stories of what… Continue reading Autism Dads