I need this if: I am going to be in an airport and have a person on the Autistic spectrum with my party This can help if: All ages Why is this useful: Cards: They provide a way to communicate to airport personelle and other flyers that there is someone in my party who...

I need this if: My child becomes overwhelmed by loud noises or in any social situations, like parties, summer camps, etc. This can help if: My child or student is Neurodiverse (Autistic) or if they have a sensory processing difficulty & they are aged 4 years or...

The use of pornographic images is not a new thing, however access to it used to be highly restrictive and accessing it was considered taboo. As practically every home in Ireland has access to the internet, today’s access to pornography is quick and easy. What age are...

How many is too many? In situations where a child’s parents have separated, and both their parents are still living, the majority of the time these children are heartbroken and still love both of their parents dearly. They dream and wish that their parents would get...

Time and space are key ingredients. When in the throes of new love, people often want to move quickly and often move in together too quickly. However the complexity involved in blending people’s lives who are connected by 1° of separation (such as being my partner’s...

Know your role. Due to traditional gender roles (which are still very much hard-wired into society), it is often assumed that a female entering into a blended family situation, or taking on a partner’s children will automatically wish to take on a mothering role. This...

Don’t push your agenda on others. The two adults involved as the parents in the blended family, will generally be motivated to blend their lives and their families, by their love for each other. This is an adult agenda and the adults may wish that the children...

Different types of blends mean different types of factors need to be considered. In some situations, one adult in the relationship has children and the other doesn’t, until they have a child together. Other situations see both adults having children and two already...

Co-parenting within a blended family can be full of highs and lows, like any family. Those who are entering, or who are already in a co-parenting relationship often seek information and advice regarding how to manage different aspects of this complex dynamic, however...

I need this if: My child or student wants to understand more about themselves, and how to be their own advocate. This can help if: My child or student is Neurodiverse (Autistic). They are aged between 9 and 15 and I want to understand more about what life is like for...

Sharenting refers to the frequent use of social media for sharing information about ones child or their images in photos. Parents in the UK post nearly 200 photos of their under 5s online every year, meaning a child will feature in around 1,000 online photos before...

I need this if: I want to talk to my child about private parts or introduce this topic as part of a larger conversation about consent.This can help if: They have autism and they are 4 to 7 years oldWhy is this useful: It gives parents a way to bring up this...

When referring to intimate body parts, the best idea is to use the accurate names of the body parts when talking with children so they know there are formal words for these body parts and so they don’t always use slang and/or derogatory words for their and other’s...

Teach consent earlyConsent is a buzz word we hear all the time. I’m going to explain what it is and why it’s important for you, the parent to know what it is.What does Consent mean?Consent is a when we give permission for something to happen or we are in agreement to...

I need this if: My child or student speaks very loudly or can't control their volume in places such as the bus, in the shop, in the library or in the classroom. This can help if: My child or student has autism and they are aged 5 years or over. Why is this useful:...

Firstly, Children’s own needs have to be met before they can meet other’s needs Children must have positive, nurturing relationships with the important people in their lives. Challenging relationships can cause stress for children and toxic stress can cause great...

Emotional literacy (often referred to as emotional intelligence) refers to the ability to read emotions in ourselves and in others. We put huge emphasis on teaching our children to be able to read words on a page, however teaching them to be able to read their own and...

Your children adore you!Even though they prance around acting like the master, you the parent are in fact the god. When they are small they just want to play with you endlessly. As they grow older their interests change and how they play changes, but they still want...

This is a common question I hear. This can be answered a number of ways however from my perspective there are certain things that we are aware of that increase levels of anxiety. First of all it is important to point out that anxiety in small quantities is good for us...

Parenting children and getting them to comply with your requests is playing a long game. It can be thought of as running a marathon, not a sprint. If you could imagine a friend daring you to “Do/say the same thing over and over, sometimes 10 times a day (or more) for...

This is a story to support children in identifying and navigating the emotions that coincide with hearing their parents arguing. It aims to inform children that they have a voice and can communicate it. It was inspired by typical arguments that arise in my own and...

  Therapeutic stories are stories for children which address a topic that can be considered as challenging for an adult to communicate to a child. Topics such as bereavement, moving house, a new baby, growing up in diverse family units, dealing with emotions, how...

Focusing on helping parents to be more specific in the praise of their children. When they do this, it is a form of coaching. It helps children to see what skills and behaviours their parents value and want to see more of. From a child’s perspective, they may have...

Parents often wonder where they children pick up the behaviours they do. Things like being messy, using bad language, being slow at doing something are the disgruntled complains of parents the world over. More worrying for parents can be when children are overly...

We often finish our children’s sentences for them. Sometimes we ask them a question and give them no time to answer before jumping in ourselves, presuming we know what their answer is. They may be doing their homework, or practising their times tables and ask for...

A mundane task such as brushing your teeth is something that children don't want to engage with for a long period of time and sometimes it is so short they may as well not be brushing them at all. Sound dental advice indicates that we should brush your teeth for two...

Poem by Dorothy Law Nolte If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with...