Autistic Children Blog

hello lovely people! I know I said I’d write more often but, bloody hell it’s been busy!  We’ve had so much going on. I worked full time for a few weeks which was great, but didn’t give me time to do things I love such as writing on here!

We’ve had a few things going on with Beth. We haven’t ended up going back to the psychologist we saw because we had a call the day before our next appointment to say that she was having an operation and would be out of action indefinitely. Understandable but still annoying, given that this would have been known about before we were taken on as a new client. And annoying because we both really liked her! Next year we shall try again and see if we can get somebody else or if she comes back, resume our sessions.

Beth’s moods haven’t been as bad as they were. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still having a go at Paul a lot about coughing and other noises but she’s not getting as worked up as she did and it’s not quite as frequent. I’ll take that as a win thank you very much!

As far as Coco is concerned, Beth is taking her ownership very seriously! Which has been wonderful. Coco sleeps in a crate next to Beth’s bed. This will be a) until I think she won’t wee in the house overnight and b) until I think she’ll stay on Beth’s bed instead of creeping in to ours. At this stage she enjoys coming in with us as the other dogs are usually in there at night. Beth comes out of her room about 10pm and calls ‘Coco, wee wee” and off she trots with Beth to go out for a wee, then Beth pops her in the crate for the evening. If she wakes in the night (before 5) Beth will take her outside and put her back in the crate but if after 5 she leaves her out and Coco will often come back in with us. I’m ok with that. After all, guide dogs are raised by completely different people for the first 18 months of their lives. Coco won’t start proper training until she’s speyed at about that age and it’s important that she’s a part of the family also. Plus, she’s so gorgeous with such a nice nature that I love cuddling her too!

It took a while for the other dogs to get used to her but she’s part of the family now. There’s something about labs, Minka was an amazing dog and now Coco is turning out to be too. We also got yet another kitten for Bridie. She sleeps downstairs in Bridie’s bedroom in the garage but when Bridie has been away I’ve been bringing her up to the house during the daytime. I won’t tell you how many we have now but it’s a few! So I’m sharing photos of Beth with the animals, a few at work, and some of us when we went to Santa’s magical kingdom last week! Oh and of the lovely reindeer Beth got this morning when we had our pedicures this morning. The girls are lovely with Beth and were very happy to do them for her!

Have a wonderful Christmas everybody! Let’s hope 2023 will be a year of happiness and health (with a little bit of wealth and fame thrown in please!) xxx

Finally, we have Coco home! And what a whirlwind she is! She honestly is the most beautiful puppy though. The other dogs don’t think so yet but they’re warming to her. It’s not helped by her trying to suckle on them all the time!

We went to Dom’s to pick Coco up on Sunday at 12. And if I thought our house would be ready for a puppy I was totally wrong! Even today I am sorting the bottom shelves in the kitchen and bought bike straps for the laundry doors. At least it forces us to be clean for once!

The wonderful thing already is the positive influence it has had on Beth. When we went on Sunday I sat down with Dom to go over all the paperwork while Beth sat on the floor and played with Coco. Once we were home Coco was with Beth much of the time. I bought little steps so that she could climb up and down on the couch rather than jumping down and hurting herself. At one point I sat down on the couch (we have cup holders between our seats) and I picked Coco up for a cuddle and she climbed away from me to get to Beth! As it should be! So…. here’s some gorgeous Coco spam! x

We had a lovely morning this morning. Ash came to teach art class to Beth (and I) and they did some fabulous work. Beth did this very impressive picture of her Coco. I think it shall be the front page of her art calendar this year! She also did a groovy snake. And there’s a picture of her and Ashleigh working on their snakes.

Of course coming up to Christmas, it wouldn’t be a conversation without a Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane discussion! A few years ago Beth and Ash made one but I don’t think it matters how well they make it, it’s not magic so it’s not quite there! I think I need to write to the My Little Pony people and tell them that they need to put out some sort of toy to corroborate this thing that was in one of their episodes a zillion years ago!

Beth has decided that we need a Bambillo massage bed. She says they’re free, or so they say in the ad. I said it would be free delivery, or a set of free steak knives but that confused her as to why people in bed need steak knives! So I looked them up and explained that the first price I saw was over 5000 dollars so we’re absolutely not getting one!

We went to the doctors last Wednesday and we have an appointment in a couple of weeks with a new psychologist who specialises in obsessive behaviours in young ladies on the spectrum. I’m pretty excited! Hopefully they will be able to help us.

Hope you’re having a great week everybody! xx

We’ve had a lovely week! It’s been full of socialising for me  which hasn’t happened for a long time. I feel like I’m coming out of a cocoon and wanting to see people again. Not that I didn’t want to see my friends, but I did find it easy to not see people during lockdown. I’m such a homebody that I really enjoy just being home with the family and watching tv and movies.

Being Beth’s mum has allowed me to accept the things about me that I have tried to change to adapt to what I think I should be like. I have never particularly liked going out at night much (except back in my younger drinking days to try and meet boys!) I found that I would get a tummy ache often and have to come home and I usually have to have something to settle my tummy first, even now. I have realised that it’s ok to say to people that I don’t like going out at night. I’ll explain my anxious tummy and now quite significant night blindness and nobody freaks and tells me I’m wrong. (I have amazing friends btw). That’s not to say that I don’t go out at night every now and again. And enjoy it. But, if given the option, I would choose daytime socialising.

This week I had lunch with an old friend (autism support group days), coffee the next day with good friends and an evening out last night. It was exciting last night because another good friend of mine (from our Jaschat days – you tube autism ) has put out a little documentary and I’m in it! It was the premiere last night and I walked in just as I was appearing on screen! The link is above on the word premiere if you’d like a squiz. I was worried that I might have foot in mouth on the screen but afterwards I had comments that they loved it because I am real and tell it like it is. If it gets picked up the series will be extended as they still have a lot of footage to go.

I also suggested that they do a little doco about our new therapy dog. We went to choose her on Wednesday. (another lovely day of socialising!) My gorgeous friend Dom, the current puppy owner, let us come and pick from 3 chocolate girls. Beth chose so well! The 3 were all gorgeous of course but Coco (how cute!) was the calmest and came over for lots of cuddles with Beth while the other 2 did their own thing. We had lots of noisy toys to see how she startled at loud noises and they didn’t bother her a bit. I even bought one of the farting pigs yesterday (just like yours Dom!) and a couple of other toys. I couldn’t get soft toys because young Miss Lola would pinch them! Here’s a couple of very cute photos. I did some videos but I’m a shit camera person! The good ones were taken by Dom.

I’m very excited! And totally crazy! We’re getting Beth her very own puppy to raise as a therapy dog!

We went to visit my beautiful friend Dom on Wednesday because she has a lovely litter of labrador puppies that needed squishy cuddles. Beth has been asking and asking when we could see them and was really excited. So was I! It was silly of me to think that I’d go and not want one really! The lovely thing is that Dom and I have a history around dogs. We met at the park when Dom and her daughter Chantelle were playing with their gorgeous boy lab Zee. We were on the waiting list for Minka and we started talking about companion dogs as their boy was one too. I was also trying to pick Dom up for my autism support group! She fell in love with the breed and has had many over the years. So it’s a wonderful circle that has brought us around to our love of dogs and our amazing children who have autism!

Since our beautiful Minka passed away last year we have been talking about getting a therapy dog for Beth to help her with her meltdowns and with independance as, with some organisations, they can be trained to go on public transport also. It’s such a dream to think that Beth can come and meet me at work independently! We looked at various options. The thing that swayed me, besides the beautiful puppy smell and squishiness of them was the temperament of the mother. Georgie was just divine, such a beautiful natured girl and exactly the type of dog that would be perfect for Beth.

So we came home and chatted and finally convinced Paul that it’s a great idea to have 3 dogs in the house yet again! Beth knows that the new puppy is her responsibility. We’re going around on Wednesday to choose between 3 chocolate girls. I’m writing up a temperament checklist so that Beth has to look out for signs for a good therapy dog. I’m very excited that she will have this responsibility, I think it will be so good for her.

Right now though (we still have 3 weeks before we get her) our biggest decision is a name. Beth said Hazel to start with which I absolutely love, but now she’s looking at other options. Phyllis (The Office) or maybe Disney Princesses such as Bella (love) or Bold and Beautiful such as Brooke or Hope (not Sheila!) . I’m trying to steer her off of names I don’t like but ultimately it’s her choice. Like naming a baby, if there’s a name of a person that I don’t like it’s a big no!

Bridie had her last 2 wisdom teeth out yesterday and, while I was in the shop on the way home, she took the opportunity to go into the aquarium and buy herself a goldfish! So, new small tank and fishfood etc later we brought Sinatra home. Nicknamed Sinny by Beth. When talking puppy names last night Beth suggested Angelica. I said I wasn’t keen and asked where she got that name. Sinny suggested it apparently!

Here’s a couple of cute pup pictures. We get to choose on of these beauties to be my new fur grandbaby! As you can see by Beth’s smile, she’s in bliss with them all!

hello everybody! Sorry I’ve been absent, it’s been an eventful few weeks!

Our Bill came down with covid a few weeks ago, then 2 days later I had a huge headache and the chills overnight and tested positive. Then Paul did the next day. Then finally, Beth! I was sort of glad that Beth and I had it together as it meant she could come in with me, as she wasn’t happy that we had to stay apart. She knew we did but that didn’t stop her from trying and having massive tantrums about it too! It took me a good couple of weeks to get past it, I don’t like this getting sick at an older age, it takes you so much longer to feel better! The kids were pretty good after a week. Bridie was the only one who didn’t get it this time!

Last week I took my girls, and 2 of Bridie’s friends, to see Hairspray! It was amazing! I absolutely loved it and every time I looked over at Beth she had a huge smile on her face! Here’s some photos of us there. As you can see Bridie didn’t want to show her face. Only her finger, cheeky shit!

Beth’s been back at work since last week too. She’s still really bad tantrum and obsession wise, we’ve got a doctors appointment next week to discuss medication changes and to see if we can find a psychologist who specialises in women with autism. Really hard at the moment as, due to the covid situation, many aren’t taking on new clients. I spoke to one of the managers at her work and explained the situation as she can carry on at work too. I said if she preferred I could keep Beth home until we get things sorted, (fingers and toes crossed!) and she said no, if they’re aware of it they’ll cope. Which was of course a godsend for me! It’s not been enjoyable lately! Anyway, here are some lovely photos of her at work! Have a good week everybody! x

Now that Beth is having art every fortnight we’re back in contact with our lovely Ashleigh. I thought I’d ask her if she was keen to take Beth out on some alternate weeks as we haven’t gotten anybody else for those outings since Caitlyn left.

Today was their first day outing and they went to Eastland because there is a library  there and it’s on the train line. I quite like them using public transport because it’s what Beth would do if she were able to go herself. I noticed yesterday (t’s where I work) that they have a mini beasts trail where they have to find the 4 mini beasts but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. When Ash arrived this morning I suggested it might be nice to do and to maybe google it on the way on the train.

I went for my annual mri this morning (Don’t stress, just a follow up yearly appointment after my op  in 2016) and got a message with lots of lovely pictures of Beth with the ‘mini’ beasts! They’re huge! Very impressive to look at as they’re on the lower floor under where you can look from above. They had to find code words with each one, then went to the customer service desk and Beth got a stretchy lizard as a prize! I’m always so touched when adults do things like this instead of being sarcastic and asking why when she’s clearly a grown woman.

Beth also borrowed 13 books! Glad I suggested Ash take my old lady trolley that I use when I go to work! They are a very varied assortment with more of her favourite ‘…… for dummies’, such as beekeeping and feng shui. A few maths and algebra books then a Disney one or two! She does like her information books does my Bethie!

All in all she’s had a lovely day. So glad Ash is back. I think the week after next they may go into the museum.

Have a wonderful week everybody! xx

minibeast8

Today didn’t start off fantastically. I had an osteo appointment at 9 and Beth decided to have a massive meltdown before I left. So my phone kept ringing and messages were being sent, all from her, while I was driving there. It wasn’t over anything in particular but it did involve the mum voice coming out. As in her screeching her questions at me and my voice coming back out of her mouth (rather deep now that I think about it) with the answer she wanted. It’s really hard not to be a total bitch in these situations. It doesn’t help anyway, believe me I’ve done it before! It just escalates her mood and makes me feel like shit afterwards. But oh my god, it’s awful at the time. I think it was because I’m going out for lunch with friends on Friday and she wants to come. We’ve had all sorts of appointments, that’s basically been my 2 week break, with a lovely night in Maryborough on the weekend. I want to finish it with something nice so having brunch with one friend Thursday and lunch with others on Friday. Beth says she’ll bring a book and be really quiet so I’ll have a think about it.

I took Beth to the movies yesterday, to see the new Minions movie. One when Gru is a little boy. It was quite good actually! Then we went and got our toenails done. I told her it’d be a special day for us so that I could go out unattended later in the week which worked a treat!

Today our lovely Ashleigh came to teach art. I joined in this time which was really nice. I haven’t done art for years and need to finish some artworks I had started, and fix one I had done that I didn’t like. It was really nice getting back into it and Beth seemed to enjoy me being there. She did a lovely colourful snake that she will finish off with patterns next time. I can see another calendar coming on! Dwight of course had to join in. He started off sitting on Beth’s drawings so in the end we suggested she just draw him!

So…. Beth has been having problems with her tummy for ages. She’s had blood tests and on Tuesday I took her for a pelvic ultrasound and an abdominal ultrasound. She had to fast then drink heaps of water. She was such a trouper, bless her, she had no idea what it was all about. We discussed how the pelvic ultrasound would work and she wanted to give the internal one a try. I explained to the lovely (yet out of her experience with people like Beth, not her fault) young lady doing the ultrasound that Beth is a virgin and that if possible it would be better to do an outside one. She was in agreeance but Beth, in her going out of her comfort zone bravery, said she’d like to try. And she did try but then said that it hurt and she didn’t want to. Totally understandable. The girl just did more scans outside and said not to worry at all.

It turns out that they can’t see anything wrong so we’ll go to a gastroentologist (did I just make that up?!) or somebody to do with gut issues and see what else is going on. We then went to the osteo who did a lot of massaging of her tummy, thinking that there’s a type of blockage that has to move around more. So I’m massaging her tummy to make it move down. It’s not helped by Beth’s ridiculous positions that she lies down in, she’s like a contortionist as she’s incredibly flexible. While we were at the osteo explaining the ultrasound, Beth said “I think I lost my virginity!” meaning when they put the probe in a little bit. It’s so hard because I had no idea that she was thinking that! I reassured her that she hadn’t lost her virginity. I have no idea if she had been worrying about it, or really, what she had thought about it as she hadn’t said anything after the appointment. I of course told her I was proud for her trying and that it wasn’t a big deal that she couldn’t continue and that yes, it does indeed hurt!

We went to see Lightyear yesterday and Bill came along. Beth of course wore her Toy Story oodie which is why she wanted that one in particular. It was really good actually. I see a Socks the Cat toy being the next toy request! That’s popcorn in the side of her mouth btw!

Tomorrow we’re driving up to visit my sister in Maryborough. Beth loves us going away for nights together and they’ve got lots of animals for her to check out and walk around to visit. We may go and visit the farmstay place she went to for the weekend too, they’re just across the road! Have a great weekend everybody!

This year is flying by, again! Next week is half year school holidays and I have those 2 weeks off. It doesn’t mean the same as it used to in our house though. I remember when the kids were really little, hating school holidays! Having kids who need constant supervision yet like to be entertained was a bloody nightmare. I also remember that wI’d organise catchups with my friends just before the school holidays would start, and more often than not I’d have one or more of them sick. The time I desperately needed just wasn’t happening!

Then as they got older I really enjoyed it. When Beth was at Emerson for high school the trek to and from both schools was exhausting. I’d drop Bill and Bridie off at Menzies Creek, then drive to Dandenong, then back home, only to do the reverse in the afternoon. I worked out that on a full week it was 800 kms! But, you do what you do when you’re a mum hey! I loved holidays then, sleep in, or even wake early and have a cuppa in bed. It was a lovely time.

Now, I nearly have 3 grown ups. My spare time when not at work is getting Bridie’s learning hours up in the car and dealing with moody young adults and their wants and needs. Beth being the moodiest! Last Thursday Bill was doing some filming work, Bridie was at placement and Beth was at work and I thought, ‘wow, all my kids are at work!’ And I was on my way to work too. After all those years of being a stay at home mum, I’m absolutely loving going to work. I love having an extra income of course, to pay our skyrocketing bills, but I love the people I work with and the job I do! It’s so nice to be somewhere as me again instead of a mum or wife! These holidays will be different as Beth has one of the weeks off. Bridie is house sitting for 3 weeks but of course I’ll still be at her beck and call. And Bill will be doing whatever he does. Paul is working from home most of the time now so I’m hoping that he’ll be making appointments, I miss my alone time in the house!

Beth’s still being quite moody lately. She is still complaining of having a tummy ache so we’re finally getting an ultrasound next week to see if there’s anything going on. She does contribute to her ailments though. Hopefully she has a good day at work today. In the time it took for her to have breakfast and have a shower she informed me that her back was sore, her tummy was still sore and her ear hurt. Having a very flexible body doesn’t help and she gets herself in all sorts of positions when reading or on her tablet. We go to the osteo and I tell her to stop leaning on her hand while lying on the bed with the bottom half of her body practically going in the other direction! Her earache is from grinding her teeth. Her tummy isn’t helped by her position and her back is from the same. Her stock standard answer of a sigh and ‘I know’ doesn’t help because I know she knows what to do but putting it in practice is another thing. As a little bonus she told me that she’d been playing on her phone since 4am, said in an ‘I’m not well’ voice as though it would make me say she could have the day off! Not bloody likely my love, you’ve got next week off. After having the flu she only went back to work last Thursday too!

So, some of you may remember JASCHAT which was a you tube show I did with my friend Jo. She got some funding and is doing an information series on autism. I, of course, have my own episode! Here is a trailer to what it’s all about. If you don’t have facebook I can email it to you if you drop me a message. We’re looking to get it picked up for viewing so if anybody has any contacts I’d love to hear from you!

The other exciting thing is that I got Beth’s passport done last week. The place where she went for her weekend away is going to Bali for 8 days next year so she’s considering if she’s keen to go or not. I know she’d really like me to be there , and it is a long time. But they just got back after checking out some fabulous activities involving elephants and turtle island and hot mineral springs. It looks sensational! So I’m hoping that Beth decides to go! We also need the passport because I’ve finally decided instead of saying we’ll go to Disneyland one day , we should actually go! So I told Beth we’ll go in 2024. She’ll be turning 25 and, as we couldn’t do anything for her 21st it’s time we went to the most magical place on earth!

By the way, my emails have been stuffed around with the blog and I have been told they are fixed now so you will hopefully be getting them if you are subscribed. And if you’re not, why not?! Also, if you reply the messages will go through to my current inbox which hasn’t been happening either. Only took me 2 years to realise!

Here’s some photos of Beth at work with a bandicoot, walking a duck and cuddling a snake! Just another day in the office! xx