The Inside

Don’t Panic – Tips for Parenting a Child with Special Needs

I am not ashamed to admit this, as I'm sure there are parents out there that feel the same way and may feel that it is shameful to say this, but there are times I wished my son didn't have autism. Phew. There, I said it and I welcome the condemnation I deserve... I could … Continue reading Don’t Panic – Tips for Parenting a Child with Special Needs

The Autism Uprising – The Revolution is at Hand…

I have become one of those parents who are trying to change the world to a more understanding place because of my son. For those parents of children with autism around the world, I have also taken up arms and I'm willing to lead the fight against the insensitivity of the neurotypical homo sapiens (now … Continue reading The Autism Uprising – The Revolution is at Hand…

The Institutionalisation of SEN Learners.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to be invited to a council meeting to discuss using wellbeing models to lower exclusion rates in Hackney schools.   As a staunch supporter of structured wellbeing models, I was particularly interested in the council's plans on implementation and understanding what their proposed model would look like. … Continue reading The Institutionalisation of SEN Learners.

The Power of Power

My favourite comic when I was younger (ahem, a couple of years ago... Ed) was Spider-Man. I was, and still am, a big fan of his. The reason I liked him so much was he reminded me a lot of myself. I was a cocky little bastard growing up and often bit off more than … Continue reading The Power of Power

The Fuck It Principle (FIP)

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Reinhold Niebuhr Firstly, I liked to apologise for the profanity. It is not my usual mode of writing, but this is a principle I have invested a lot … Continue reading The Fuck It Principle (FIP)

Small Steps to being a Giant

 Small means insignificant, mediocre, unnoticed, inadequate, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insufficient, limited, little, meager, minuscule, minute, modest, narrow, paltry, petite, petty, pitiful, poor, puny, short, runt, stunted, toy, trifling, trivial, unpretentious, wee, young. You may identify with some of these words, or even all of them, but it's not as unnatural as you think to feel this … Continue reading Small Steps to being a Giant

Religion and the Healthy Mind

"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do" Freya Stark I'm not a religious man. I don't believe there is an all knowing power watching me and listening to my whims, moans or demands. I don't have anything against organised religion, in fact I've studied … Continue reading Religion and the Healthy Mind

Tips for dealing with Meltdowns

One of the most enduring aspects of having a child with autism, especially a child who is non-verbal, is the meltdowns. For those parents of neurotypical children, a meltdown is not a tantrum. A tantrum is an attempt to secure dominance, in the most embarrassing situations. You can almost reason with the brat, er um, … Continue reading Tips for dealing with Meltdowns

3 Simple steps to securing the right SEND support for your child.

Last week the DfE released a document to help young people with SEND complain about their support services. Although I’m not a fan of the pre-school design of the document, I commend the DfE for publishing this. Young people are too reliant on their local authorities, schools, colleges and universities to do the right thing. … Continue reading 3 Simple steps to securing the right SEND support for your child.