Hello awesome friends, and welcome to this weeks blog.
When you have lived in the autism world for a long time, it is easy to assume that everyone recognises the terminology we use as parents/carers. I guess that’s because, for most of us, these words are spoken about commonly or researched out of necessity.
We at Awesome Archie thought that it may be a good idea to share some of this terminology. I’d like to thank the National Autistic Society for their online support with this. 🙂
Stimming or self-stimulating behaviour includes arm or hand-flapping, finger-flicking, rocking, jumping, spinning or twirling, head-banging and complex body movements.
It includes the repetitive use of an object, such as flicking a rubber band or twirling a piece of string, or repetitive activities involving the senses (such as repeatedly feeling a particular texture).
Stimming is a term for self-stimulatory behavior. It often manifests as repetitive body movement, such as humming or hand movements. It is common among people on the autism spectrum. Stimming can bring enjoyment and help people cope with uncomfortable or stressful situations.
Every week I am blessed to speak to literally hundreds of parents/carers about their awesome children. Firstly, I want to say thankyou for this privilege. I never take your trust for granted and I will NEVER give you anything than what I believe to be a 100% honest answer. Over the years we have learnt that, as parents, YOU are the BEST person when it comes to recognising your child’s signals.
I’m just going to share a quote with you from one of my all time favourite support books – “Your Child Is Not Broken” by Heidi Mavir. Link to book here.
Taken from page 84…
“Parents are often gaslit during our interactions with professionals and support services. When this happens, the professional in question, manipulates you to the point that you question your own sanity, memory or perceptions. Gaslighting can look like being told that you are ‘molly-coddling your child’, being told that they are “fine” when you are not there and it is often implied, or explicitly stated that the only people letting our child down is us“.
Needless to say, that when I read this, it not only broke my heart but sadly hit a chord with me. I remember the early days when Archie was so small and both my husband and I had overheard people questioning our parenting abilities, shushing him when we took him to the Christmas service, tutting at him when he was stimming in the supermarket and later, when fighting for his provision, being repeatedly told that he wasn’t entitled to things that we new full well that (by law) he was.
This week, I have spent most of my time at my desk researching the different organisations and charities that help advise parents who are feeling that they are simply not being listened to. I will provide links below to a few of the wonderful professionals who have helped us in our journey, whether it be to advise about tribunal preparations or even support when it comes to filling out an EHCP plan for your child.
I’ll close this weeks blog with another quote from Heidi Mavir…
“Being ‘that’ parent means being the parent that your child needs you to be. It means protecting your relationship with them and putting their trust in you above the opinions of others. It means showing them that they matter. It means doing things your own way. It means trusting your gut. It means practising self-compassion and that takes… well… practice“.
So, as we move forward to another week, I will be practising what I preach. I am going to continue to put my children’s needs above all else and trust in my own parental instinct.
We at Awesome Archie wish you a phenomenal week. For updates, tips and tricks, please feel free to follow us on our socials. Click here for the links.
Please find below links to some super helpful organisations.
For those of you that know me fairly well, it would surprise you to find out that these days I have a really keen interest in school sports! Sporting activity is something that I have always found a real challenge. I am overweight, underfit and have NO skill in ANY sporting activity whatsoever… I cant even accurately catch a ball 😂 However, this didn’t stop Mr Dan Moody (School Games Organiser & Partnership Manager for Christchurch and the Isle of Purbeck. Leadership, Coaching & Volunteering programme lead for Dorset Schools) from inviting me to advise and support with the wonderful work he and his team are doing right now. Dan’s philosophy is that his sport events aren’t about being the best or the fastest, it’s about being willing to have a go. To be a team player and to be an encourager for those who are finding things tough. That, I CAN do!
Not so long ago I was asked to observe an event that was specifically targeted towards children with disabilities or SEN and I was THRILLED with what I saw 😍 This week, I was lucky enough to be an extra adult body at their new Disney themed event and my daughter was invited!!!
The event is planned by Dan but is run (with expert monitoring) by students (around year 9). This is in an effort to encourage young people to not only enjoy sports but also to find the confidence to be in a leadership positions and, my word, they were FAB!
We will continue to support Dorset School Games as much as we can and we are looking forward to hosting an Awesome Archie support tent at their upcoming mental health sports event this summer.
Well done Mr Moody…. keep up the wonderful work 🙂
Awesome Archie Pop-up Charity shop!
Summer is always a HUGELY busy time for us. There are lots of outside events and fundraisers that we are honoured to be invited to attend. Our next “biggy” is the launch of the Awesome Archie Pop-up charity shop 🤗
We are proudly supporting the Friends of Priory school at this years summer fair by collecting and selling peoples unwanted goodies. We are politely asking for toys and kids clothes (all in good condition) for us to sell at the event. This will not only help the families in our community (most items are under £5) but will help to stop a lot of the bits ending up in landfill… win, win!!! All profits will be split between the FPS and AANP 🙂
Thanks must go to Caroline, Sarah, Maureen and all the other amazing donors. Your kindness is changing the lives of kids with neurological differences. THANKYOU!!!!
This was last years efforts. This year it will be twice the size 🙂
Long live the King!
Well, what can we say?! What an historic and AMAZING weekend it has been. It was so wonderful to be a part of real history 🙂 We at home had a quiet celebration. We talked about the enormity of the crown and how tradition is so valued in the monarchy . Our kids were fascinated by all the touching of items and use of “fancy words” 😉
I was lucky enough to be able to support some students at the WG Royal Parade 🙂 The children waved their flags and ate scones with cream and jam at the celebration picnic. Lovely, lovely time. I even got to witness the King’s special flag being raised respectfully during the national anthem.
This week’s blog post is one I never imagined I would be able to write. Since I have been volunteering full-time (for just over a year now), I have been lucky enough to meet incredible parents, open-minded teaching staff, inclusive heads and super-supportive charities. However, nothing could have prepared me for the phone call that I received on Wednesday.
Rebecca Parker (Acting Executive Producer at Radio Solent) phoned and ask to speak to the Awesome Archie team. She then informed me that we have been, not only nominated for a ‘Make a Difference’ award (volunteer category), but that we had made it through the preliminary rounds and are in the FINAL FOUR!!!!
After I had finished crying, I phoned all of my family and friends and explained how Archie and I have been invited to attend the award ceremony at St Mary’s stadium this coming September.
To any of you that may have nominated us, I want to say an enormous thank you. It wasn’t so long ago that Archie was desperately unhappy in his main-stream setting and he would question his purpose on earth on a daily basis. He is now thriving in his specialist setting, becoming a little more confident in social situations and feels strong enough to share his autism journey with those in the public who need our support. This nomination (even if we don’t win) is a HUGE accomplishment for our awesome son and our family, who have dedicated so much time to support us on our non-profit journey.
THANK YOU!
Thanks (again) to the DCF!
Since the start of the Summer term, we have already had an influx of requests for SEN equipment, both from schools and families. Being a non-profit organisation is exactly as it sounds. Everything we do, is done for free therefore, until I win the lottery I will never personally have the funding to purchase SEN equipment to donate to others. This is where being affiliated with the Dorset Children’s Foundation has been life changing for both Archie and I.
The team at the DCF have been 100% supportive of the work we have done and have very kindly put up the funds so that we at Awesome Archie can meet the needs of those who ask. We can’t say THANK YOU enough and we will continue to collect and donate children’s toys and clothes, for your Treehouse Store, as our way of saying thanks.
Supporting ‘Cash for Kids’ day at WG…
And finally, one of the first regular support role slots I was asked to fill was to be a volunteer team member of the gorgeous William Gilpin Church of England school in Boldre. It is my privilege to be able to donate 6 hours per week of TA work, SEN support, photocopying duties, coffee making and catching up with readers. To be honest, this is one of the favourite parts of my week, as I get to step out from behind my computer and meet lots of incredible children.
On Friday, the staff all dressed up as pop stars in an effort to raise money for Wave 105’s “Cash for Kids” day 2023. For those of you who know me personally, you will know that it doesn’t take a lot to get me into fancy dress… but this was quite something!
I spent the morning working as 80’s legend Cyndi Lauper while the head teacher (Mr Simon Croutear) was David Bowie. I was also lucky enough to work alongside some members of ABBA, Bjork and a number of other current pop stars who I’m far too old to know who they were!! 😋😋😋
Each class performed a pop song in front of the whole school and we all spent the day remembering those children who are not so fortunate.
I will attach a link to their donation page here…
Every ££ counts!
Don’t forget to follow us on our socials for regular tips, hints and to follow us along on our autism life journey.
These last few months have been exceptionally busy for Archie and I ❤ So much so that Archie is now having a well earned sabbatical from Education workshopping . These events are so vitally important but are also exhausting for him, so we have postponed our ” live” delivering until June. We would like to thank you all for your kindness and understanding with this matter 🙂
I have also been privileged to work a lot more closely with Autism unlimited in recent months. As you may be aware, Archie and I featured in their first ever animation, trying to myth bust and challenge stereotypes about Autism ……… link here.
This lead me to be given the opportunity to receive an Autism course that the team have created to help educate, advocate and encourage those wanting to learn more about this life changing neurological condition. I always grab EVERY opportunity to learn and was so thrilled with this course that I cant wait to recommend it to you.
I have been fully immersed in the Autism world for 15 years now and I like to think that I know my trade, however , I leaned so much in this Autism Unlimited course 👩🎓👩🎓👩🎓 This is because the course has been created, delivered, and designed by people with Autism 💛 Real people, real experiences, real problems, real achievements.
It would be AWESOME if you could join in the Arty-Farty fun, share the joy of celebrating kids with Autism AND create something beautiful for yourself… all for FREE!!!!!
We are releasing one art video per day and would love it if you would consider sharing the video, liking and subscribing. This way, we can continue to spread the MASSIVELY important message that ASD kids and their carers are AWESOME and deserve to be celebrated 🙂
There is also a link to all of our socials here… just click on the rainbow beneath, we would love to see your artwork! Will post our creations below at the end of the week 🙂
This week has been fascinating and exhausting, all at the same time. I was privileged to be able to attend the National Autistic Society Professionals Conference 2023. Although it is a conference that is open to absolutely anyone with a personal link to autism, this was by far the most grown-up and intellectual conference or course that I have ever attended. I’m not exaggerating when I say to you that I filled an entire notepad FULL of useful information when it comes to both caring for and educating the autistic community.
Just a few of the incredible people that shared their insights were, Barrington Campbell (Kagai Games), Carla Mannini-Rowden (Head of Casework Services), Dr Wenn Lawson (Professional Psychologist), Dr Anna Cook (Senior Research Fellow for the Institute of Education), Holly Smale (Best-selling author of ‘Geek Girl’) and Warda Farah (Social Entrepreneur and Speech and Language Therapist).
From 9am until 5pm, I was privileged to listen to all of the leading experts discussing their personal difficulties, occasional struggles but also ENORMOUS successes. The entire day for me was not only educational, but also so inspirational. Everyone involved in the conference is living proof that having autism, either professionally diagnosed or self-diagnosed (like Warda) does not have to stop you from becoming an immensely successful adult. Everyone that spoke was proud of their autism and advocate for this incredible brain difference.
I now have access to lots of really useful material and will share as much of it as I can with you all in the hope that you find it as helpful as I have.
Awesome Archie (non-profit) Promo Pics
Archie and I are so lucky to be fully booked for the forseeable. When I went full-time on our non-profit (around a year ago) I never dreamed that it would take off as it has. This has been down to the relentless support from friends, family and the media and we are eternally grateful. Archie and I intend to continue using our tiny platform to keep encouraging people to embrace their neurological differences, to be proud of who they are and to be kind in every situation. This surge in business has meant that Archie and I were in need of some photographic material to share with the companies, charities and media that are using us. Being a non-profit, every single pound goes towards a child with a neurological difference and so we have no way of paying for photographers or editors. Without naming names (as requested) all of our beautiful promo pics and other promotional material has come free of cost to us. This has been unbelievable and yet again, we are astounded but enormously grateful for people’s kindness in offering their time, to us, for free.
Willy Gilly Donation
And finally, this week I was able to deliver a huge donation to William Gilpin school in Boldre. As you may be aware, this was the first school that invited me to support 1:1 in the classroom when I first started our non-profit. To be confident enough to trust a start-up, knowing that it was for the greater good, was an incredibly brave move.
Mr Simon Croutear (Head Teacher) and I have been friends for years and it is a total privilege to be a small part of the phenomenal team that he leads with passion and fairness. Awesome Archie managed to donate three brand-new Chromebooks, a huge box of second-hand (but pristinely conditioned) children’s books for the library and a couple of individualised SEN support pieces. Thank you to the entire team at WG for welcoming me to your lovely school and keeping my faith in main-stream education.
Archie, myself and Mr Simon Croutear will be live on BBC Radio Solent this coming Wednesday morning (8th March 2023 – subject to any last minute changes). We will be discussing the challenges of main-stream school SEN funding, the lack of financial provision across all education and the power of positive thinking when it comes to special educational needs. It would be great if you could join us!
This week has been one of real excitement. It saw the start of our official collaboration with the incredible Autism Unlimited. A few weeks back, I was invited to a vision meeting hosted by the marketing manager of Autism unlimited Emily Griffiths. Emily is a hugely talented creator who has a real passion for spreading both awareness and acceptance of Autism. She has devised yet another brilliant campaign for 2023 to help people who aren’t necessarily in the autism community to understand some of the challenges that parents like me and children like Archie face on a daily basis.
We were so fortunate to be asked to help create a scenario that will be turned into a beautiful little animation. Obviously I can’t share the details of the storyboard or even give you a glimpse of the beautiful animation itself however, I can say that both Archie and I are immensely proud to have our names attached to something so wonderful.
On Friday afternoon, we were invited to Portfield School, the charity hub of Autism Unlimited, where we recorded our voiceovers for the animation. It was such a wonderful experience for Archie and I was incredibly proud of how he managed to sit in what was essentially a small board-meeting, but also to use his own voice and own opinions on camera for the sake of this important cause.
I would like to say a massive thank you to Emily, Tilly (Archie’s new westy besty!) and everybody involved. The lovely lady that sorted out the camera work and microphone was just so professional and patient and the whole experience was immensely positive. We will keep you posted as to the release of the animation.
This week for me, has been a wobbly one. Unfortunately I succumbed to a rather nasty chest infection (I have Asthma). Our fun half term holiday plans had to be postponed and I have spent most of the week moaning. BUT… don’t feel too sorry for me 🙂 We at Awesome Archie managed to have a productive couple of days, even though the few “lives” I did manage were presented in my PJ’s… sorry about that! 😉
Firstly I need to say a WHOPPING thankyou to The Dorset Children’s Foundation who donated to us at Awesome Archie non profit £1500!!!!! UNBELIVABLE!!!!!!!!!
Patsy and the team have supported Archie and I for a couple for years now. Their expertise and generosity is simply unparalleled. They work so incredibly hard to support families like ours and still find the time and money to support little non profits like us.
Needless to say, even in my pit of germ ridden misery, I went online shopping 🙂 I will share the details in a separate dedicated post as it it super exciting, but I just needed to say how grateful and blessed we feel.
THANKYOU DCF!!!!! We genuinely thank our lucky stars to be affiliated with you and will NEVER take that for granted. 😊
This leads us to one of the reasons we do what we do. The DCF Treehouse is one of the charity’s three shops and is child centred. By buying from, and donating to, The DCF Treehouse, you are helping fund a range of fun, inclusive activities such as football, dance, drama, skating and soft play for our local disabled children. They (and we) believe that every child deserves the right to play and your donation enables our families to get together in a safe and caring environment, where our children can just be children, without judgement or disapproval.
With this in mind, enter my generous mummy mates! You have been donating all of your children’s out grown clothes and no longer played with toys and today we took them to the DCF ❤💛💚💙🧡 They were utterly DELIGHTED . Daisy even managed to buy herself a couple of little tops from the rails too.
We are planning to collect and then donate kids items EVERY term so please, if you want to re-gift or donate anything kid related, please give me a buzz 🙋♀️ It really does change the lives of local families and we are so, so grateful for your continued support.
Well hello Awesome Archie fans, we’ve got a lot to get through, so let’s rock!
This week has been absolutely incredible. A couple of months ago, I contacted the children’s mental health charity – Place2Be – and asked them if they would like us to support them in their latest campaign. I was so thrilled when a lovely lady name Chloe contacted me and said that she would not only love our support but she would help us by providing props/etc., Fast forward to this week and we’ve not only managed to raise a little bit of money for this incredible charity but we have also managed to spread a HUGE amount of awareness and have had many conversations about children’s mental health.
We at Awesome Archie non-profit wanted to try and put our money where our mouth is and show people that sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone can not only be exciting, but beneficial to your self confidence. We did this by Archie dressing me for the entire week and me going about my day-to-day business in whatever he told me to wear. I don’t mind telling you that having to arrange EHCP meetings dressed as Super Mario or delivering a spelling test as a leopard was definitely a new one on me! I will say that it has really helped me and I have had a super positive week.
Special thanks must go to William Gilpin school for allowing me to disrupt their school week in support of children’s mental health, to every child that donated a bit of their pocket money and to my own children who had the embarrassing task of videoing and photographing the silliness as evidence of the work we were doing.
Please feel free to donate to our JustGiving page. The work that Place2Be do is phenomenal and we would love to be able to give them as much money as possible.
