Fidgeting: the dos and don'ts

Recently I blogged about movement breaks and how they can assist an individual to self regulate. A few years ago, fidget spinners were introduced on the market, then bubble poppers and now , any time you go to literally any shop, you will find many different types of fidget gadgets.

Fidgeting is a form of a self regulation tool that many Autistic individuals use as a means to self regulate their emotions.

We all fidget, regardless of whether individuals are neurodiverse of neurotypical. But how does fidgeting assist us?

Fidgeting promotes movement of the fine, and at times gross, muscle groups as well as provides tactile input, or a sensory input, to an individual.

Fidgeting is one strategy that O has in the sensory tool kit to assist O to focus on a task. As O has said numerous times, "when my feet are busy moving, my brain can stay still to focus."

When used correctly, fidget tools in the sensory kit assist O to become a better listener. Fidgeting assist O to focus attention on the task at hand. Fidgeting assists O to slow down the body and in turn calm the mind. Fidgeting assists in cutting out the extra sensory information that floods the brain.

We have worked with both little superheroes to assist them both to identify when they need to use their sensory kits.

Many schools have now banned fidget spinners and other items that are classed as fidget tools as students become distracted by them. But there are a few points that can be taught to children so that they know when to use their sensory tool kit.

1. Be mindful of what is occurring around the student - if in an exam, using a sensory tool that has the potential to be noisy may in fact disrupt the class. Both little superheroes have a range of items in their sensory tool kits, so they can choose the item that best suits them in which ever environment that they are in.

2. Only use the tools to focus or calm down. This is a point that we make sure their teachers are aware of as well - you will know if a sensory tool is doing what it is intended to do, if either of our little superheroes begin to calm and focus, the sensory break is needed. If it has the opposite effect, the individual becomes even more distracted or unfocused, then a movement break may be needed, or the individual just doesn't want to do the work!

3. Don't use if they become a distraction to others or interferes with others. This goes back to point number one! If those around the individual are becoming distracted, then choose another quieter item from the sensory tool kit.

4. Once the sensory tool has been used and the individual is calm and able to focus, put the item back into the tool kit. Both little superheroes have a large pencil case to keep all their sensory items in. In the past, if an item hasn't been pout back into the pencil case, it has often been misplaced or taken by another student. This has then caused a severe anxiety attack for the little superheroes. They both know now, through losing or misplacing items, that they need to put items back where they belong.

5. If all else fails, and the sensory tool kit isn't working, a movement break is definitely needed. Movement breaks work on the gross motor muscle groups and provide a much more intense sensory input then the fine motor muscle groups.

And as with movement breaks, if you notice that you, or a child, is not focused, please give them a discrete reminder that they may need to move.

Movement breaks

Movement breaks. Oh my gosh, what more can I say about these?? I'm fairly certain that the teachers at the little superheroes schools see me coming and think "but I've been giving them movement breaks!"

But first a little background! As with most topics, I have briefly spoken about movement breaks in other posts but have referred to them as sensory breaks.

Movement breaks, or sensory breaks, are all about our proprioception and our vestibular senses - two of those hidden senses that people generally aren't aware of.

Children aren't meant to sit still all day at school, so they need to move, and not just children who are Autistic. All children are not built to sit still all day, every day.

O has always described the need to move or to fidget as "if I move my feet and legs, then my brain can stay still."

Movement breaks can assist children to focus - one of L's teachers a few years ago recognised the benefits of movement breaks for all children in her class, and started getting the students to do simple yoga poses every afternoon for the last ten minutes of school. When one of the students asked why, she responded "do you learn anything in the last ten minutes of the day?"

Movement breaks can assist children to self regulate their emotions - both little superheroes have various movement stims that reflect how they are feeling emotionally. By stimming, or moving, they are able to self regulate their emotions.

When we're out and about as a family, we will give both little superheroes the opportunity to run, jump, climb to burn off the excess energy, which in turn assists them to calm.

Allowing a child to run at school when they need to self regulate can be tricky, due to supervision of the child.

So movement breaks don't necessarily need to be big movements. They could be as simple as running an errand from their class to another - often L is sent on errands around the school to deliver an envelope to a specific teacher. The note inside the envelope simply says "I need to move, please now send me back to my class."

The movement break could be doing simple yoga poses as a class - there are many free yoga for children videos on YouTube.

The child could be asked to help to hand out books or other items in class - this simple movement is often enough to assist in calming a child. Even moving chairs from one part of the classroom to another can be enough to calm a child.

We'll often give L the opportunity to move before school - we head to a park near by his school that he can, run and climb in.

O used to have a sensory chair band on the front two legs of the school chair - think a lycra band looped around the front two chair legs. Just by bouncing O's feet on the band during the day was enough to provide the movement breaks that O needed.

The important point to remember about movement breaks, is that children may not know that they need to move until it is too late. By the time that L thinks he needs a movement break it is often too late and the movement break will have the opposite effect. Instead of assisting him to calm, L will become even more agitated and fidgety! 

Movement breaks, therefore, should be scheduled regularly throughout the school day. 

Making Outings More Enjoyable.

Let's talk about outings.

Outings for our family can be touch and go and it really depends on where we are planning to go. Both little superheroes struggle with new places, loud noises, changes in plans, large crowds and so on. But if we stopped going out as a family, we'd lead a pretty boring life!

Over the last few years on our Autism journey, we've learnt a few tricks of the trade to help both little superheroes on family outings. So here are a few tricks and tips that we hope you too will find useful.

We do a lot of talking about the outing beforehand - where we will be going, what we might be doing and/or seeing, how we will get there and how long it may take. This prepares both little superheroes for what lies ahead. If we decide on an impromptu outing, we will generally go somewhere that the little superheroes have previously been and a place that they've enjoyed going to so that there aren't too many surprises. Surprises can be overwhelming.

Wherever we go, we usually look as though we're planning on a long term stay - we will always take a snack bag as due to both of the little superheroes food aversions there may, or may not be, food that they will both eat. As they become older, they are both more willing to try new foods. At times, they may not eat all of the new food, so a snack bag is a must. There is also a back pack - changes of clothes for both, wipes to clean up any messes and fully charged battery chargers.

Which brings us to the sensory tools that we take. Both little superheroes struggle with loud noises so block out ear protectors are taken everywhere. We may not need them every time we go out but I can guarantee that the day we don't pack them, is the day that we will need them. We also have a few small sensory fidget tools as they help both little superheroes cope in challenging environments.

Electronic devices are also a must because they are a great distraction tool for when either of the little superheroes are having a rough time. Hence the fully charged battery chargers!

Over the last few years we have refined the baseline of our expectations. Depending on where we are going, we are usually the first in and the first to leave. We arrive when the crowds are low and then leave when the crowds become overwhelming for the little superheroes.

Knowing when to leave is important as well. We may not be able to see or experience all of the attraction that we're at, but there is really no point in extending the length of our outing if either of the little superheroes are struggling due to sensory or emotional overload. It's just not fair on either of them. And there is always a next time.

And wherever we go, participation by the little superheroes isn't mandatory. If they need a break, we have a break. A break in a quiet spot away from the busyness of where we are, is usually enough to allow the little superheroes to recharge their batteries. For L, this usually means running around to gain some proprioception input or some lap lays and cuddles from Henry. For O, it usually means some device time.

Henry has had a huge positive impact on our family outings as both little superheroes know that he is very capable of assisting them both to calm. 

Not every family is as fortunate as ours to have an Assistance Dog placed with them, but hopefully you will be able use a few of our other tricks and tips. I'd love to hear how you go utilising these ideas.

L's Sensory Space

L has always been one to hide in small spaces - cardboard boxes, under chairs, if there is space big enough to fit his body into, L will attempt to hide in the space.

Oversized cardboard boxes have always been one of L's favourite hiding spaces so we have always had a box set aside somewhere in the house for L. But because L uses the boxes on a daily basis, they quickly become destroyed.

Well, not any more! Easier this year Daddy superhero brought home a HUGE cardboard box from his work for L. The box was used to transport an industrial pump so the box itself was extremely sturdy.

L's face when he saw the box was truly priceless. He immediately climbed into the box and declared that he was going to stay in the box forever!

For the next week, whenever we were at home, L literally lived in the box. He ate in it, watched the tablet in it, got dressed for school in it, used the box as his calm down safe after school, used it to get some proprioception input by hanging upside down in it. It was a multi use space.

Daddy superhero and I started talking about turning the box into a sensory space for L as he'd requested that we turn the box into a chill out space in his bedroom. So a few weeks after the box arrived home, we did a trip to Ikea and purchased a few must needed items and then spent a day creating L's very own sensory space

Suffice to say, L loved his sensory space once we'd completed it, he even wanted to sleep in it that night. Six months on and the box is still going strong!

Sensory spaces do not necessarily have to cost the earth. Excuse the pun, but think outside of the box if you are thinking about creating a sensory space.

One over sized industrial pump cardboard box - free

Two sets of Ikea LED lights - $30

One very happy boy when he saw his hidey hole - priceless ❤❤

And yes he lined up his cars so I left them as I found them!

Fussy Eater or Food Aversion due to Sensory Processing Difficulties? Which one is it?

I have lost count of the number of times that we've been told that we should just make the little superheroes eat what has been put in front of them or that they'll eat when they are hungry. It is statements such as these that utterly infuriate me. It is also statements like these that indicate that people really aren't taking on board what we say about the little superheroes eating habits.

But before I start talking about the little superheroes eating habits, we need to discuss a little background information first.

Both O and L have sensory processing difficulties which impacts on various areas of their lives. Sensory processing difficulties can, and does, make life quite interesting at times, especially when it comes to food.

To have an understanding of food related sensory difficulties, you first need to have an understanding of sensory processing itself.

Sensory processing refers to our ability to interpret smells, tastes, sounds, touch, sight and movement. The way in which we all process the information that we receive on a daily basis is unique to each individual. Every day our bodies are bombarded with an almost constant yet varying sensory input from a number of sources. At times we may be aware of this sensory input but the majority of the time, we are totally oblivious to the constant bombardment of sensory input.

However there are many individuals that struggle with this constant bombardment of sensory input and this can have drastic consequences on how they deal with what is happening around them on a daily basis. This is commonly known as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or Sensory Processing Difficulties.

An individual can be over responsive to some sensory input types, in other words they are gaining too much sensory input. An over responsive response to sensory input has been described to us as feeling as though an individuals skin is literally crawling or that their head feels like it is going to explode as sounds, smell and lights are magnified ten fold.

Or they may be under responsive to other sensory input types - they're not gaining enough sensory input. Having an under responsive response generally means that the individual will actively seek out sensory input.

The tricky thing about SPD is that an individual can be both over responsive and under responsive depending on what environment that they are in. Like Autism, SPD is also a spectrum. Mmmmm I did say that it makes life interesting.

When it comes to food, and this includes the taste, the texture and the smell of the food, the same applies. 

Individuals may prefer one type of food over another. They may prefer crunchy instead of soft foods or visa versa. They may prefer bland to spicy foods. They may eat foods of only a particular colour.

L prefers crunchy food to those that have soft textures. O is very sensitive to the smells of different foods, both raw and cooked foods.

L used to, and still does at times, over stuff his mouth with a food, particularly if it is a food of a soft texture. This tends to indicate that with soft foods, he is under-responsive and needs to put more of the food in his mouth to get the "feel" of the food to get the same sensory input as when he eats crunchy foods.

O on the other hand with some foods will take the smallest bite possible. This indicates that she may be over-responsive to certain foods. The smallest bites have a huge sensory input for her that can be very overwhelming.

And for a child who has a food aversion, never ever change the brand of the food that they will eat. This does NOT end well for anyone. They just know!

Having two children with food aversions makes meal times extremely interesting. We have a list of fall back foods that we know that O and L will eat and at meal times we pick our battles. We don't offer a buffet of food but if for some reason either O or L refuse to eat what is offered because they don't like the smell or it looks funny, tin spaghetti or baked beans it is.

Why? Because at least then they are eating something.

Making a child who has a food aversion eat the food that they have the aversion to always ends in a big mess and lots of tears. O or L may try to eat the food, with a lot of complaining and tears, but I can guarantee that the food will come straight back up. It is a battle that really is not worth fighting.

Over the last 9 and 5 years respectively, we have been able to introduce O and L to new foods with some success. Occasionally O and L will surprise us and decide that they now like a food type that they once had an aversion to. When this happens, it is cause for celebration! Yet another food type that we're able to add to the "will eat" list! And occasionally their sensory processing difficulties will kick in to over drive and foods that they once ate, will become off limits.

Introducing new foods takes a lot of time and perseverance from everyone. The important point that I have learnt is that when O or L turn their nose down at a particular food, I don't take it personally. They are not doing it deliberately, their sensory system is simply in overload and they can not help it.

Now back to the fussy eater or food aversion due to sensory processing difficulties part of this post. There is a HUGE difference between being a fussy eater and having a food aversion due to sensory processing difficulties.

A fussy eater won't eat certain foods simply because they don't like the taste. If that is the only food available, they may eat it simply because they're hungry and that is all that is available.

Having a food aversion due to sensory processing difficulties, well you've got buckley's chances of getting an individual to consume the food. The reason for this is that the taste or the texture or the smell of the food is being processed in their brain as being dis-pleasurable in some way. And when you read dis-pleasurable, read "extremely un-comfortable in a skin crawling type of feeling."

I could be considered a fussy eater because of the fact that I don't like eating brussel sprouts. The reason being that I simply don't like the taste of them but I will eat them if they are on the menu. I won't like them (sorry to all those people who love brussel sprouts) but I will eat them. 

O on the other hand, if she tries to eat an orange, she starts gagging the moment the orange goes anywhere near her mouth. Her gag reflex automatically engages!

If I am hungry and brussel sprouts are the only thing on the menu, I will eat them. Why? Because I am hungry.

If O is hungry and the only food item that is on the menu are oranges, well, she will just go without. No matter what you say or do, O will not eat an orange. She would rather go hungry than eat an orange due to the un-comfortable sensation that she receives when she tastes orange. And if the orange is touching a food that she does like, she won't eat that food either. She is over-responsive to oranges and the slightest hint of orange on another food will also make her gag.

As mentioned above, making an individual with a food aversion eat the food that they have the food aversion to, will end up in a big mess.

So please, please, the next time you come across a child or an adult for that matter who is flat out refusing to eat a particular food, please take a moment to analyse why they are refusing. Could it be that they do genuinely have a food aversion to that particular food? They don't need judgement or criticism, they just need you to be understanding and patient.

What is Vestibular Input Responsible For?

**** Please note that if you feel that you or your child would benefit from increasing vestibular input, please consult a trusted medical professional first. ****

Both O and L have always loved hanging upside down. When we lived in Perth they were constantly wanting to hang upside down on our swing set or sit upside down for short periods in one of our lounge chairs. If they weren't hanging upside down, they would be outside jumping on the trampoline, swinging on the swing set or spinning around in the backyard or on one of our many sensory tools or on our office swivel chair.

Since moving to Queensland, both little superheroes have taken it in turns to sit upside down in my recliner to watch television or just to chill out on a very regular basis. They have also been participating in quite a lot of other movement seeking activities as we haven't yet purchased another trampoline.

All of this movement seeking that they are doing is increasing their vestibular input.

I've talked very briefly about the Vestibular system in previous posts so I thought that it was about time for a post simply devoted to the vestibular system.

So what is the vestibular system?

As I have previously mentioned the vestibular system is our movement and balance sense. Put simply the vestibular sense provides us with information as to where our body and head are in space. It helps us to keep our balance and to stay upright.

The vestibular sense is one of our first senses that develop when a foetus is growing in utero. The vestibular sense is stimulated to develop by the movement of the mother's body. By 5 months in a typically developing foetus, the vestibular system is already providing a great deal of sensory information to the growing foetal brain!

The receptors responsible for providing information about this system are located in our inner ear. Any type of movement will stimulate the vestibular receptors, but the best movement activities for gaining vestibular input are spinning, swinging and hanging upside down!

Why is Vestibular input important?

All children, regardless of if they have sensory processing difficulties or not, require this movement to develop their vestibular system. Vestibular input assists children to make sense of the world around them and assists them to learn to move through their environment. As the vestibular system is responsible for our balance and movement, all children require vestibular input for healthy development.

Vestibular input, a.k.a. movement, is crucial to developing a child's gross motor skills. Movement assists in developing a child's posture and muscle tone. Movement will assist to develop a child's visual- spatial perception - where their body is in relation to their other body parts and to objects or people around them, this also assists in developing fine motor control, and also to assist in recognising left from right and crossing their midline.

What happens if a child's vestibular system is not functioning correctly?

Children with sensory processing difficulties may be under responsive or over responsive to vestibular input.

L is constantly on the move so it would be safe to say that he has an under-responsive vestibular input. He requires the constant movement to calm himself and keep on track. When we first noticed that L loved to spin, we were concerned that he would cause himself to become dizzy. He can literally spin for hours and will never become dizzy. L is always jumping on the furniture, on our trampoline when we lived in Perth. He loves spinning in the swivel office chairs and he loves sitting in upside down positions. And if he is going to move somewhere, there is a very high chance that he is going to run! L is a risk taker and will always want to climb higher than he really should! For L, vestibular input is very much calming. In regards to crossing the mid-line on the other hand, this is something that L has always struggled with. He is becoming much better but still needs assistance at times.

O on the other hand, while she does like to sit upside down in the lounge chairs, she has more of an over-responsive vestibular system. O isn't a risk taker - she is very cautious when climbing on playground equipment. O moves a lot more slower compared to L. She has always said that she is afraid of heights, even when the height is not that great. O will always try to climb up ladders and rope ladders on playgrounds but you can always see from the look on her face that she isn't too comfortable with the activity. And quite often when she reaches the top, she will have to be either coaxed to the slide to come down or she will climb back down in tears. O is my uncoordinated little superhero - she is the one that is constantly bumping into objects without even realising. It all makes sense now!

L was a natural when it came to learning how to ride a bike. O on the other hand was much more cautious.

L's gross motor skills have always been far advanced from those of his peers (once he got the idea of walking.) O on the other hand, her gross motor skills are still developing.

So what activities are useful for developing the vestibular system?

We're hoping to get a trampoline soon as it is great for jumping and for L to do his much loved front flips! Even just a series of somersaults on the ground is great for vestibular input. And a jump around on a jumping castle is a must when we spot them at markets or other festivals!

We encourage O to take risks on play equipment but we always ensure that we are nearby to give the much needed reassurance that she will be okay. And when she does take a risk or climb higher than she has on previous occasions, we will point that out so that she realises that her own abilities are developing.

We encourage L and O to sit upside down in one of the lounge chairs in our house - they are restricted to one in the house so as to minimise damage to the furniture! When we are at a playground, we'll encourage L and O to try hanging upside down from the various equipment to gain much needed vestibular input.

We encourage L and O to spin either using their own motion or using one of our sensory tools. They love the swivel office chair as well as a twist balance board that we have in our sensory kit in the house.

We do lots of swinging on the swings in the local playground and when they are swinging, we encourage them both to swing themselves using their own body motion.

We encourage O and L to get out into the backyard to do a lot of jumping and running. It doesn't matter what time of day it is, they love running around the backyard.

We encourage L and O to climb. L loves climbing trees so we take him down to our local park to climb the amazing array of climbable trees! Whenever we visit a playground, we encourage O and L to explore every part of the play area and to do as much climbing as possible. We encourage them both to climb the various different climbing textures so that they can get the feel of different textures and/or equipment.

We also do a lot of activities in which both O and L have to co-ordinate both sides of their body - bike riding, scooter riding, catching a ball, kicking a ball, drawing, painting, typing on the computer. Activities that assist them in developing their gross motor skills, fine motor skills and crossing their mid-line.

All of these activities and more are a part of O and L's sensory diet and all of these activities are assisting in providing much needed vestibular input for them both.

What's in the bag?

Whenever we head off to school, outside school hours care, a park, basically anywhere with the little superheroes, we always look like we are going on an extended stay!

There are the two school bags, an extra snack bag, because, well neither O or L will rarely eat anything that is offered to them for morning, lunch or afternoon tea unless it is from our fridge or pantry, and then there is the Spider-man bag.

L's Spider-man bag is essentially an over sized sensory kit.

The Spider-man bag contains most of the sensory tools that L needs to make it through a day without ending up in meltdown mode. We don't take the bag because we want to be laden down with belongings, we take it out of necessity.

Now keep in mind that a bag that contains almost all of his sensory tools, well, it needs to be large.

We tried a calico bag. The first bag didn't last long as the contents were too heavy and the bottom fell out of the bag. The second calico bag, the handles broke away.

After the second bag bit the dust L decided that he needed a Spider-man bag and Mummy just had to make it! Seeing as though the bag was going to be taken everywhere, L chose the fabric and it just had to be Spider-man!

Now L doesn't necessarily need to use all of the contents that are in the bag every day but I can guarantee that if we didn't take it, that would be the day that he needs it.

Most people just give us an odd side way glance when they see us coming, some stare and point and most children just come right out and ask "what's in the bag?"

Children are naturally curious and want to know why L takes the bag everywhere.

I take the question as an opportunity to spread a little more Autism awareness and acceptance!

So what is in the Spider-Man bag that goes everywhere?

The bulkiest item in the bag is L's weighted blanket. If there is one sensory item that you want to buy for your little superhero, buy a weighted blanket. They come in all sizes, full size bed blankets or lap size. L's is a lap sized blanket.

As I have mentioned in a previous post about making a weighted blanket - it essentially provides L with both deep tissue pressure and sensory input when he is in sensory overload but also when he requires some sensory input. For L, the weighted blanket has a calming and soothing effect. We will often find L curled up underneath the blanket at home, just chilling out.

Another of L's most used items is his Sensory Body Sock. Again this is another item that I made for L. Weighted blankets and Sensory Body Socks can be quite expensive - add the word "disability" to anything and the price magically increases ten-fold.

The Body sock is another item that provides sensory input for L when he needs to have a sensory break or needs to calm down.

When L gets inside the body sock he disappears and can escape from the happenings around him. He can push and stretch the fabric to his content and he calms immediately.

Block out Ear Protectors - a staple of any ASD household around the world. These are a must and if we are not able to take the entire contents of L's sensory bag with us, the ear protectors go instead, as do O's.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with L's hearing at all - he can hear a pin drop in the next room. The downside to L's hearing is that noise can become incredibly painful, very very quickly. Imagine if you could hear every sound around you simultaneously, imagine how distracting that would be. For L, and O, this means that paying attention to the task at hand becomes almost impossible.

The idea behind the block ear protectors is that they block out the background noise so that L or O can concentrate on the task at hand. The great thing about the block out ear protectors, when they are being used correctly, is that L can carry on a conversation with others around him without being bothered by the background noise.

The block out ear protectors have saved many an outing from ending in a meltdown. And the great thing about the ear protectors that L and O use, is that they cost less than $10 from our local hardware store. Bargain!!

There is also a sensory chair band which is placed around the front two legs of L's school chair. The idea is that instead of moving around and fidgeting on his chair, L can put his feet and legs on the band and stretch the band to his hearts content. Again by stretching the band, L can feel the resistance and receive much needed sensory input, without actually leaving the chair. That's the theory anyway, L just loves to stretch the band and wrap himself up in it! 

O also uses a sensory chair band in class, correctly I might add, and it has assisted in increasing her attention span dramatically.

There is a marble maze - as the name suggests, it is a maze with a marble in it. The maze is sewn onto a fabric bag and a marble is sewn into the bag. This is designed to be used during mat sessions or other times when L should be concentrating on what his teachers are saying. The idea is that if L's hands can be kept busy manipulating the marble through the maze, he can concentrate on his teacher. This is another item that is in O's mini sensory kit that she keeps with her in class.

In both sensory kits there are a variety of other fidget tools - fidget cubes, squishy spiky plastic balls, fidget rings and so on. All of these items are small inconspicuous items that can be held in one hand. O and L can squash, squeeze or manipulate these items to distract them from any anxiety that may be building inside them, to gain sensory input or to assist them to focus on anything other than the sensory overload that may be pulsing through their little bodies.

One of the daily tasks that L really struggles with during the summer months is putting sunscreen on. He has always struggled with the idea of putting sunscreen on for as long as I remember. At times as I am putting sunscreen on L, he resembles an octopus trying to escape from a small space - he's a slippery little sucker and he always manages to escape now matter how tight a grip I THINK I have on him!

It wasn't that he just didn't want sunscreen on, it was the texture of the sunscreen that he detested. For a child with sensory processing difficulties, sunscreen really is a nightmare.

One of the very first visuals that L's key therapist made for L was the steps involved in putting sunscreen on and a sunscreen social story. L loves following rules - the visuals are his rules for sunscreen, the why and the how of sunscreen.

Now all we have to do is show L the sunscreen visuals and he will either sit patiently while we put the sunscreen on, or he will attempt to apply it himself. Rules are rules after all!

There is also a "what I need in the afternoon before I go home" visual. L was constantly leaving his belongings at school which would result in an almighty meltdown when we arrived home. The "what I need" visual is fantastic as it shows L exactly what he needs to collect from around his classroom before he leaves.

Have I told you that we love visuals??? Well, we do.

The final object in his sensory bag is a tiny blue vinyl case that contains 3 little vials of essential oils. These are a life saver and they smell divine. These are our Jeddy's Blend Oils. These are the last line of defence for L if all of his other sensory options are not working. Depending on what mood he is in, depends on which vial is used. And when the oil is rolled onto his neck, he immediately calms and is able to focus on the task at hand.

We have another bulky sensory box that sits in our living room, but that is another post!

I would honestly recommend that all families who are on an autism journey put together a sensory kit for their child.

The kit doesn't need to be as large as what we have for L or contain all the tools that we use. The tools in both O and L's sensory kits are simply what we have found to work for them. There are too many sensory tools to be mentioned, it is simply a case of working out what works best for your child.

And then you too can be asked the question "what's in the bag?"

The Elusive Ball!

At the beginning of this week I wrote a post about The Monsters Inside, during which L helped me out with a book review.

He was more interested in talking about a ball that he uses at Tara's School to assist with his breathing calming strategies.

When L initially told me about the ball a week and a half ago, he described the ball as a something that stretched. I thought he meant a ball that had a spring inside and came apart in two halves.

How wrong I was!

My background is tertiary science so when I finally saw the ball at Tara's School on Tuesday just gone, my first thought was that it reminded me of a bucky ball. Yep, it's a science term! The ball had a structure similar to that of an expanded bucky ball.

L was right, the ball did in fact come apart, it stretched to become larger and could be collapsed back down.

Do you think that I could find said ball anywhere? Of course not!

Everyone who I showed the photo to, knew what it was and where they used to be sold but not one store that I visited had them in stock. Nor were any of the stores planning on restocking them in the future.

I searched online and can I say that some very, very inappropriate images were shown, so I quickly gave up!

Eventually I put a call out on my personal Facebook profile in the hope that one of my friends would be able to find said ball. And as luck would have it, one of my wonderful friends just happened to have one at home. Thanks Bec!

You know that you are onto a winning sensory toy when L stops watching his favourite show on television to play with the said toy.

But, whatever you do, do NOT call it a toy in front of L.

This statement evokes a very prompt response of "IT NOT A TOY!"

L was very quick to show me how to use the expanding ball.

The idea behind it, I think, in terms of it being a calming strategy is that by expanding and collapsing the ball while breathing in and out, that that motion alone gives L something to focus on. He's not realising that he is taking time out to calm down as in his mind he is just "playing" with the ball.

The ball is also a great tool to assist with L's hand/eye co-ordination, his fine motor control, as well as assisting with L's sensory input to assist him to recognise when he has to be gentle (sensory proprioception input.)

See I told you that I can turn any child's toy into a therapy activity.

Now to find another elusive ball as O has now decided that the ball is great to help her focus when she is completing her spelling homework!!

What autism looks like at Superhero headquarters

Since we began on our autism journey I have had too many people say to me "but they don't look autistic!"

I'm always curious to find out what they think autism looks like. People tend to hear the word "autism" and think only in extremes. Quite often the only interaction or knowledge that people have of autism is either through watching the movie Rain Man or they have an idea of an individual sitting in a corner of a room, rocking and banging their head against a wall.

But the truth is that every individual on the spectrum is as unique in his or her functioning level and personality as the rest of the population. No two people on the spectrum are alike! Autism can look like many things.

Recently when I was sorting through photos of my little superheroes, I began to come up with a mental picture of a blog post of our autism life told through a series of photos. And this is what I cam up with!

This is what autism looks like in our house. Two little superheroes who love each other to bits. O is 8. She loves to read - one of her favourite texts to read is the complete works of Shakespeare which she began reading at the ripe old age of 5! O doesn't line objects up, she groups her toys and belongings. She loves all the female superheroes and anything to do with space. L is 5 and is obsessed with superheroes, you name one and he can tell you anything about them. L lines things up, which makes life interesting when he goes into Os room and rearranges everything! L is boisterous and constantly on the go.

O and L are my little superheroes, through and through. Time and time again they come up against obstacles and time and time again they overcome these obstacles with massive leaps and bounds.

Living life with autism has it's full share of challenges. Little things that other families take for granted are quite difficult for O and L. Simple outings like going to a restaurant for a meal poses issues with what my little superheroes will and won't eat. Doing the shopping can end in a meltdown as my little superheroes generally enter into sensory overload due to their surroundings.

Block out ear protectors are a must, they go everywhere with us. Both little superheroes have a set of these and they have saved many an outing from turning pear shape! We do get a fair number of side way glances but we take that as an opportunity to spread a little autism awareness!

Even simple outings like a yearly photo with Santa is a nightmare. However now that more and more shopping centres have come on board with the Sensory Santa concept, we've been able to visit Santa two years in a row without any meltdowns occurring!

Both of my little superheroes need regular sensory breaks at school - I always try to give them both some sensory input before school starts! Sensory breaks are something that they will always need - the trick is getting them both to recognise when they need a break. I know that both O and L will get to that point, it is just going to take time.

Wash day! L has more superhero costumes than you can poke a stick at. Wash day looks like the Avengers have off loaded all their washing into my laundry! On any given wash day, I can guarantee that there will be at least 3 different superhero outfits in the laundry!

This is what the tail end of a meltdown can look like. This is the side of autism that people don't like to share or talk about. This is what happens when a child is in the midst of a meltdown and has no control whatsoever over their actions. This is what happens when you stop a Ninja Turtle figurine with your head. And oh my gosh, this hurt on all sorts of levels.

The bruise and swelling itself was incredibly painful. Seeing the confusion on L's face the next day was emotionally draining. He had no recollection at all as to what he done the previous evening. Thankfully this type of injury only happens once in a blue moon and when it does occur, I cannot hold it against either of my little superheroes. Neither of them would intentionally hurt us or each other, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Trying to get L to bed, at times, can be likened to trying to get a cat to take a bath. It really is a pay per view worthy event. He just isn't tired, not even a little. L has melatonin every night without fail and this will cause him to become sleepy, however if he isn't tired, it will not keep him asleep. Period! This means we have countless nights of very little or no sleep at all.

The wild and the calm - autism at it's finest. I'm not here to tame the wild within my little superheroes, I am here to guide them back onto track when they veer off. There is a place in this world for the wild as there is a place for the calm. We need both to balance out life!

Through my little superheroes, I am able to see life from a different unique perspective on a very regular basis. O's observations about the world around her can absolutely profound! O really is an old soul!

Autism Heroes!

Last year when we were on holidays in Queensland, we walked past a tattoo studio every morning when we went for a wander, and I began to get the idea of a tattoo that I wanted. Now the thought of needles causes me to become very queasy and it took me a good nine months to work up the courage to actually walk into a tattoo studio to book this baby in.

This tattoo, to me, sums up both my little superheroes perfectly.

L and O are my little superheroes, they are my autism heroes.