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Monthly Archives: February 2011
Special Needs Satellite Classes
One of the options introduced to me in the search for the best school for my autistic son, was the idea of a satellite class. It took a while for me to understand how these classes were run and their … Continue reading
Posted in Resources for Parents, Schooling
Tagged Education, mainstream school, Primary school, satellite class, schooling, Special education
4 Comments
Getting to the roots of Bad Science: Reflections on the autism/vaccine debate
With a recent measles outbreak in my home city – and the accompanying call by the authorities to get children up-to-date with their MMR – the autism/vaccine debate has again roared to life. For a while, I get passionate and … Continue reading
From Diagnosis to Support, Part Two: Funding for starting school
Once my son’s fifth birthday loomed, it was time to work on his ORRS application. ORRS stands for Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme, it is administered and supplied by the Ministry of Education. If his application was approved, he would … Continue reading
From Diagnosis to Support, Part One: The Kindergarten Years
I’ve decided I should record the steps we went through, from diagnosis to full and on-going support for our autistic son. It was a very long and stressful journey, but worth the outcomes. I hope by sharing this other people … Continue reading
Posted in Diagnosis, From Diagnosis to Support, Help Groups, Resources for Parents, Schooling, Therapies
Tagged acronyms, ASD, Autism, Diagnosis, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand, special needs children, support services, Taikura Trust, therapists
10 Comments
Refined, better, or different parenting?
Before I had my first child I put a lot of thought and time into figuring out good parenting skills. I watched all the right programmes and documentaries, read the right books, and spoke to the right people. I went … Continue reading
Posted in Parenting an Autistic Child
Tagged ASD, Autism, Caregiver, Neurotypical, Parenting
2 Comments
The Happy Child
The most common observation I hear about my youngest son (the one without autism), is how happy he is. He’s always ready with a smile and a laugh. If he falls as he’s toddling around, he gets up and throws … Continue reading
Don’t mention the V word
Sex, religion, politics: The three topics you should avoid to keep friendships on an even keel, and to steer clear of arguments in general. That’s not to say they aren’t important topics – quite the contrary. It’s because they are … Continue reading
The Tyranny of Gravity
My son hates gravity. I first noticed this hatred when he was about two and was obsessing over lining up his cars in exactly the right way. This line-up was sometimes on a slope, typically the slope of the edge … Continue reading
