Thread 12. Autism and any other additional needs.

[danni0509]

Thread 12.

For parents / carers of disabled children, autism, adhd, and all other related neurological conditions. Most of us have children in primary school. But everybody welcome!

Chatting about anything and everything related to SN!

Just typing quick as ds needs to get ready for bed. I’ll link the previous threads later.

x

On that note I’m going for a beer.

Enjoy your beer Carrie. My DS won't stop drinking sea water either

My ds hasn’t swum in the sea but always drinks a ton of pool water.

carrie have a fab time. Glad nothing serious re. ds.

dimples glad you make it back ok, sorry about the food poisoning.

<waves to everyone else>

We’ve done bugger all this weekend. Going to plan some fun things for next week. I have booked a Halloween and Christmas event already though.

We went to the seaside this week and ds wanted to leave after two and a half hours 😆

We also went to the beach today and DD drinks so much seawater. Although sometimes we go to a lake in the dunes and it bothers me more there… She loved the beach but rolled around so much she was literally 2 eyes in a sand person. Totally bizarre to me but whatever keeps her happy!

We had a really bad night so hoping for a better one tonight. Atm she really screams when we put her in bed - however late it is (typically it’s 2230/2300/
later atm). The screaming thing is quite new and not sure where it’s coming from. Have to do it several times and ultimately leave her to it until she settles. sometimes background music helps.

@carriebradshawwithlessshoes enjoy Mallorca - indeed gets so hot doesn’t it but good plan on the swimming and the beer. Do you have a car to get into any of the hills? Some nice villages if I remember but not sure if DCs wojld be into that. And a nice train ride along the coast somewhere?

@openupmyeagereyes is the seaside a long trip away? 2.5 hours sounds OK to me but realise it depends on the drive!!

@danni0509 not heard from you in a while (I don’t think - I do tend to miss things on here sometimes!) Hope you’re doing ok.

@dimples76 yes I think DD is only just used to being back home after the wedding weekend.

Ahna about 3.5 hours driving in total. It’s really common for him to want to leave when he’s had enough.

Open, have you been away this hols, do any of you do what we are doing ie the beach/ pool abroad hol somewhere hot? I’m a hotel?

each year I don’t know really what our ideal hol is and struggle to get it right! Ahna, despite being a v good driver dH won’t drive abroad and I don’t fancy it. So we are stuck where we are! The positives of this arrangement are it’s hot, obvs, kids love the water so that’s a winner, hotel is beautiful, no cooking, we have never really moved away from adult type hotels. Negatives are it’s so hot I can’t walk down the street without needing a clothes change, it’s very fixed re food times, I feel like we are a bit in a goldfish bowl (with ds). It’s not esp child friendly in some ways. We love the south coast and if the weather was guaranteed prob wouldn’t do abroad but the beach just isn’t the same when it’s cold and wet. Also think self catering is prob better than a hotel but abroad with no car I guess that’s probably a problem.

In not I’m!

DS also getting lots of looks re his eating ie using his hands more than cutlery, food ending up on table cloth rather than plate etc. very few English people here, DH said do foreigners just stare more than us (i don’t know maybe it’s just DS!)

We are still tromping around Norway, back on Wed. We've stayed in a few different self catering places and hired a car. I like the freedom and we can be ourselves more. DS is liking it too, a bit too much time in the car the other day, but now we're in the same place for a few nights. Everything is so expensive here though. He celebrated his birthday the other day, so we now have an 8 year old!
I'm just about to make dinner and pour some wine, looking out of our apartment window where there is currently a battle going on between Arctic terns and kittiwakes! I'm not particularly looking forward to the flights home though!

Sounds lovely!! I think the kids and I admit we associate summer hols with heat and beaches and swimming. Both kids get quite irate sightseeing/ wandering around. Even DD moans (to Dhs displeasure). Also now in the room picked up wine on way up. Barman said 2 glasses?? No, just one. Nuts? Something to eat? No just the bloody wine please 🙄🙄🤣🤣

That sounds gorgeous ElizabethBennett'sBoots

Carrie I have only been abroad once since DS came along to Australia (to visit my brother and family). Neither of my children can swim and DS has no awareness of danger. As a single parent I would find it exhausting going somewhere with a pool as I would have to be hyper vigilant all the time and it's not the kind of holiday that my Mum would fancy joining us for. I am hoping when they both can swim to go somewhere self catering. DS does like to eat at random times and is a real grazer so hotels/restaurants don't tend to work so well for us - although both kids love a breakfast buffet.

I was back to work today and DS was with my Mum. He had a complete meltdown when I collected him - screaming, death threats, punching me. When we got home he took himself off to his room. I gave him 5 mins then went to check - he was asleep. He slept for 1.5 hours and has just woken up. I tried to wake him up after an hour but he threatened to stab me - fortunately he has got up in a less violent mood.

Dimples DS can’t swim either, but he has one of those built in float swim costumes or a jacket that’s always on. Though yes, dh or I are always in the pool or sitting on the side. Tbf it’s more relaxing than chasing him round. Also he will do the jumping over waves thing for hours which so long as he’s wearing appropriate swimwear and I’m not that far away is ok. Agree the the food!!

carrie that was never our sort of holiday pre-ds. We would visit a country and stay in 3 different areas and sight-see. Would try and make one of those places near the sea if possible but not to sit on the beach. I can see how it’s an easy holiday when you have dc (and two parents) but I’d be bored stiff after a couple of days.

These days we rent a house, preferably with a garden, so ds has space to move about and we do more child friendly things - castles, aquarium, steam train, seaside, zoo etc. with plenty of downtime for ds.

Plus we used to ski. I miss that more than the summer holiday.

Belated happy birthday to your ds Elizabeth. Your holiday sounds amazing, I’ve never been to Norway though have been to Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Open, would ds ski?

before kids we would do that some of the time but also sightsee. I’d take a stack of books and then visit places too. Unfortunately the kids won’t sight see!

I’d be too terrified to take him up a mountain! He’s not keen on the very cold so I can’t see it tbh. Maybe one day.

@openupmyeagereyes we used to do holidays like that pre DS too, our parents keep going on about how nice a beach holiday would be, but we'd all be bored after an hour! I like travelling and seeing new places. Any change is hard for DS, so it feels like we might as well just show him the world! Although after this holiday, we'll need some cheaper options for a while. I'm wondering about Scotland for next year, up jn the Highlands maybe. Has anyone been?
Back home tomorrow.

Elizabeth I’m thinking of the Cairngorms next Easter. I’ve spent considerable time in Scotland, the highlands are beautiful.

Because the kids love swimming so much it’s really if they are happy we are. We could be in the most interesting place in the world but if DS is kicking off and DD is moaning it’s not worth it. Left to our own devices it would be different. DH doesn’t like beaches so it wouldn’t be a beach hol but we have had great times staying in Italian cities with a pool and then travelling beyond, so a mix. One year we stayed in the Italian lakes then got the train off all over which was fab. Just can’t see that happening with the kids though.

that all said i find with such a stressful life at home I could sit easily on a lounger for a few days with a mega pile of books and not be ‘bored’ prob because I can’t do that at home. I’ve not even brought a book here because I know it will go unopened!

@carriebradshawwithlessshoes yep I think doing what works is a good plan! DS would get bored in a resort and then would start acting up, so we keep busy to keep him busy!! But don't get me wrong, I'd love a bit of time in the sun!

My ds loves swimming and I’m sure he’d like to stay somewhere with a pool. I’m keen to book a long weekend at Centre Parcs.

Carrie lying by a pool in the sunshine with a big pile of books sounds idyllic to me.

We went to East Fife this year (just south of St Andrews). I absolutely loved it. I think the Highlands are breathtaking (but a rather long drive). Last year we went to the Isle of Bute which was beautiful and very peaceful. As you can tell I am a big fan of Scotland!

We went to a forest with lots of play areas this afternoon. Unfortunately DS insisted on bringing his beloved cuddly toy pelican and has lost it. He seems to have taken it in his stride ... it is Pelly #5. So now I need to order another one from Oz - the delivery cost is equal to the cost of the toy.

Ha ha Dimples, that made me laugh! The joys of being a mum eh?! 😂😂