The Autism Journey begins but I prepared Snacks

So after the revelation on my last post I've had some time to digest and I in a really good place.

My son is beautiful and will always be a shining light in my life and all I know is we'll be taking a different route to his amazing-ness that the path trod by neurotypical children (yes I learnt a new word ooh fancy),

Learning and help that is the way I going to get this autism thing down, and that is what has been happening, which in turn is making me so positive.

Just need to give a big shout out to my Nursery and Kent County Council and they have been so so so so so helpful.

We're already had a meeting with the areas Education person (can't remember her full title) that the problem with having Dyslexia and Dyspraxia we sometimes find it hard taking new information in and with getting a autism diagnosis there is a lot to take in - lucky I have my darling Hubby about to help where I forget.

so we had a really positive meeting about his education needs, we've with mega help from His Nursery applied for SCARF (Sever and Complex Accessibility Resource Funding)

Oh yes now learning a whole new vocabulary as everything is an anagram, think I'm going to need to write my own dictionary on it.

Also talked about starting the application process for EHC (Education, Health and Care) plan - if you want to find out more about it the .GOV.UK website has some great info: although if you're outside the UK reading this I'm sure a quick google search will help ☺☺

Then we had a meeting with a Speech and Language Therapist and they going to start him on PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) really looking forward to that, as my son is non verbal. I am hoping it becomes a way for us to communicate better with each other. Although just a hug between us can say a thousand words.

I have also been proactive I have joined a parents group and attended two course in a local special school resource centre - Strategies for Kids with Speech and Language Difficulties and Starting the Autism Journey.

Both have been so informative and just being able to meet other parents and know I am not the only one going through this and finding out about why he does thing and getting a small glimps into how they think and process things is truly amazing and so helpful.

It's true what they say Knowledge is Power and it this case it the Power to feel positive, to Feel no so helpless and to feel that you will definitely be able to do this.

This is the power I so needed right now, so now turning into Dyslexic cooking Mum - Autism armchair specialist!

My new found positivity is spilling over into other things I've started training again as I am going to run the Hackney Half marathon this April.

Although I still have other things going on in my life that are not so positive (won't bore you with my work related stuff nightmares) at least my personal part of my life is looking a lot better.

I've also gone back to trying to eat health and decided to make Potato Cakes. Now I know I did this before but I have rehashed the recipe a bit - to add some Super Speed food - yes I am back on Slimming world but also some other ingredients to make them a bit more filling.

I took: 

2 potatoes

1 bag of Sprouts

4 rashes of reduced fat bacon - or normal bacon with all the fat cut off before cooking

2 tbs of Quark

Boil up the potatoes and the sprouts.

Mash together.

While the potatoes and sprout are cooking get your 4 rashers of bacon

And cut into pieces

Add the cooked bacon and the quark to the mashed up sprouts and potateos

Then once the mixture is all combined roll into balls

Place on a baking tray then cook in a 200 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Now you can either eat these fresh straight from the oven or let them cool and use them as a fab snack for picnics or anywhere really.

All I know is there healthy and tasty.

Just so glad I got to find time to do a bit of cooking and share it with you all.

As with everything going on it nice to share my passion for cooking.

Some .......... "News"

So I've haven't written in a while, nearly two months.

Why you ask, why indeed well where to start...

In December we got the "-----" news that our son is Autistic, diagnose with "Autism Spectrum Disorder" - The reason I left that space blank before news is there so many words I could put there.

The most obvious on is Bad news - but I don't think I like that term, as my son went into the Doctors office the same way he came out of it - he hadn't changed that always been a part of him, so it can't be "bad" as that would make some part of who he is bad and he's just fantastic.

I could use "informative" but that wouldn't sum it up either as being told your child has autism is information of a type.  It's helpful you are a name round it, but then you realize you have no real knowledge and are woefully under informed on the subject.

The internet has been helpful and especially the National Autistic Society but it's not the whole story and you have to do the leg work. You get told about these organisation but then you have to leave the Doctors office come blinking into the light and have to do something when frankly the first thing you want to do is cry.

I could have used the word "Harsh" or "Unfair" as it is a bit harsh to get this news, at the time really I felt really unfair why us, actually more why me. What did I do to deserve this. Like the universe had it in for me especially even though it my Son who is suffering - luckily the unfair thoughts wore off quickly as just looking around the world my life is anything but unfair.

I could have used the word "Painful" as a bit like harsh it hurts, it was like being winded. You feel the pain but as the wind is knocked out of you, so you can't express the feelings within.

I could have used the word "confirmed" news, as anyone with a Autistic child before the diagnosis knows there is something wrong, my son is a brilliant little boy but not in the same way as the other children in his nursery. As he's my first and currently only child to me all his quirks seem sort of normal in the closed setting of our living room but in a room full of other children you can see he's walking his own path.

I could of said "Hard" news as it will be hard as there is help out there but the world is set up for the standard (I nearly said normal but I hate that word as no one is truly normal) world and if your world is different it will be harder to engage and access the same things. For example my son doesn't look at people when they're talking to him, he can hear them fine but without the standard social convention of eye contact most people give up.

Now I'm not having a go about that as it is a social convention and even now when I'm talking to someone and they look at their phone I do think I'm sure they're not listening to me. But I do talk crap most of the time so not really their fault.

So it will be hard as I will need to make concessions, plan more for even simple activities and will have to engage on a higher level with services like Schools, institutions and social activities to make sure he is getting the most out of life.

Being a parent is hard so extra challenges just add another layer of hardness - not that it's not worth the all the extra effort.

That's why I'm just going to leave the statement as just plain old "News".

As it will be hard it will be painful it will be harsh at times, but it also will be brilliant, amazing, wonderful and ultimately so worth it.

I am a strong mumma bear and my disabilities have sometime been hard to over come but I over came and I am a better person for it. So I know the challenges my son will face in his lifetime he will over come and will go to shape him into an even more amazing person.

So from now on my blog like me will be altered - it will still have food, Disney, dyslexic, dyspraxia and general life stuff but will now have a new addition of Autism - I hope to learn and pass on knowledge I find out and be a record of our little journey through life.

Who knows he could be reading this while siting in his Prime Minister office or the set of his next block buster or in the middle of nowhere search for a new species of newt.

He has so many possibilities and so much to see and do and I know that it is my job to make sure his Autism is never an reason for him not achieving - so woe betide anyone who says he can't do that or he's not capable of... as they will have do deal with an angry dyslexiccook lol