Looking back over 2020 with our autistic, ADHD and neurotypical family

Usually at this time, I'd scan through my blog and pick and best posts over the last year.  Previously it has including how we helped our amazing son zip line not only in the forests of Maui but across the Canadian Rockies and the moment when for the first time in his life, our son didn't cry about going back to school. But it's not really been one of those years has it?  

Most of it has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, being out of school and coping in the home with everyone in it. But that doesn't mean that we haven't achieved or had things to highlight.  To here's to what was in 2020, for us at least. 

Spring - Why Minecraft is suddenly better than Fortnite

Warning: This isn't a gaming post ;-) Despite its appearances, its title and indeed my continuous rant that games and tech benefit my kids - this one isn’t about that. It’s about an 11-year-old autistic boy who has suddenly realised he might like a friend.

Read about this heartwarming moment that shows us how much our lad has learned but still to learn to, in our post from the Spring.

Summer - Come and get your love

Autism almost crept into our lives. We loved the boys and thought they were great people long before the words autistic, autism or the acronyms ASD or even ADHD were in frequent use in the home. When their diagnoses came, they helped us understand and support them, support us and in some ways admire them for what they do everyday to get to the end of it. 

Often people see the challenges or meltdowns, which can be truly heart breaking. They don't often get the chance to see how easy it is to love our kids. One of those chances is when Alexa plays Redbone... and we all dance in the kitchen.  

Read about the joy of dancing to 'Come and Get your Love' with my autistic son.

Autumn - Celebrating our trip to the beach with a coral reef motor skills and learning craft

This year we had a summer staycation and spent some of the summer up at my parents place on the North Coast of Scotland, stomping around the coastline, finding creatures in the rock pools and spotting creatures out at sea. We weren't sure if we would make it there this year but managed to see them for a week as the lockdown rules relaxed and that's mostly why it's made it onto my list. We managed to get away! 

As a small celebration, linking in with home learning about looking after the environment, we did a fun craft activity. See what we got up to and what we made as summer turned to autumn.

Winter - Giving our autistic son a COVID19 test 

Get tested. We all know it. But when a child has autism it’s not the easiest thing to do. One day this week I missed a call from David’s school. I always pick up the voicemails quick - he'd been coughing in school. Some parents may worry about their child falling behind. 

Well, when your child is already 4 years behind when they are in Yr5 you don’t want them missing a single day of learning. So we decided to get him a test so we could all return to school and work easier.

Because if like us every time we are able to do something unexpected or new without drama is a major success  - this is the one to read.

Well that's our summary.  I hope you've enjoyed our sharing this year.  We're in the midst of some pretty tough stuff at the moment, but we're doing our best to bring you our stories and offer support.  All the best for 2021.  xxxxx