WOW…WE DID IT!!!!

Finally our summer holidays has officially started. To be fair, we have started a day early because two of our four are full of cold, but I’m still celebrating!

This academic year has taken us on such an adventure and we are so thankful for all of your support. One of the reasons we decided to launch Awesome Archie non profit 3 years ago, was because for so many years I felt isolated, lonely and the pressures of being a life long parent carer were to massive for me to comprehend. My own ADHD means that I self doubt and analyse everything I say and do and live in a permanent state of ” I must do better!” ( just to reassure you , this is common in girls with ADHD so I’m used to it!) . I knew that I couldn’t be the only one feeling like this, so we as a family decided to create a safe and welcoming community for people just like me and Arch and support families just like our own 🙂 Through meeting amazing parents, working with lovely schools and the support of the DCF and Autism Unlimited I can honestly say that I no longer feel alone or frightened for the future. I feel part of the coolest club in the world…. the neurodiverse community👍 For this I must say a HUGE THANKYOU!

We want to reassure you that although our ” boots on the ground” support has ended for the summer , YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I will be online on ALL of our socials throughout the holiday and our website and email will not be shutting down at any point. The kids and I will continue to share our “Autism adventures” and you are ALL welcome to join us virtually so you can feel part of the fabulously bonkers world of Neurodiversity living…. the good and the not so good 🙂

Lastly, I want to take a moment to publicly thank my family. My Husband ( the kids Dad) goes above and beyond to support us all. He is relentlessly hard working, endlessly supportive and picks up the pieces that I drop when I’m not doing so well. He is always stood behind us, pushing us all forward without fuss or expectation! I don’t often do romantic gestures but here we go…buckets at the ready… I LOVE YOU DUDE! Thanks for being our hero and my bestest mate in the whole wide world.😍 You make what we do and all we have, possible. And to all of our amazing children, we still cant believe you are ours. Thankyou for the chaos, noise, fun, laughter and even the tears. YOU ARE OUR EVERYTHING.

Have a wonderful summer all

Beckie and team Awesome 🙂

What a brilliant week it has been.

We started off with a big interview with Radio Solent’s content creator . Archie and I have been lucky enough to make it into the finals of Radio Solent’s ” Make a difference awards 2023.” This has meant that we will be fortunate enough to feature on the radio and online so we were interviewed. Archie was SOOOO nervous but George ( the lovely guy who came to interview us) was just so kind and patient, it didn’t take Archie long to get into the swing of things. I was immensely proud of him and how he shared what living with his condition is like, good and bad.

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The interview will be released in August and the Awards ceremony is in September. THANKYOU to all who nominated us, just life changing and a HUGE thanks to the legend Harry Redknapp for his message of support. It made me cry 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cub2DZNtuWU/

ARTS WEEK AT WG.

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This week I have been in school pretty much full time. You may or may not know that aside from my love of Neurodiversity I am also a passionate artist. Last year I achieved a distinction in an Art history Diploma and so decided to use this to help local kids. With my own children’s help, we created a fun Arts week where we travelled through time learning and creating. The kids at WG were so wonderful and the Art that they have produced is simply stunning.

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Needless to say, I am totally exhausted now but full of joy and gratitude.

And finally, WE ARE ON TICTOC!!!

That is something that I never thought I’d say but it has been amazing. WE WENT VIRAL and one of our clips had now got 16.7k views. So may people are now using these apps to get hints and tips on how to support families with ASD, ADHD etc so I am privileged to be able to join this trendy bunch. Links to all of our socials can be found here.

www.awesomearchie.co.uk then head to socials page 🙂

Hello and welcome to this weeks blog, lots to get through so let’s get going! Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to the parents/carers of the pupils of the Priory school in Christchurch. On Friday, we were able to host our first ever “pop-up charity shop”. We were warmly welcomed by the Friends of Priory school (registered charity) to not only sell children’s items that were generously donated by Priory parents, but to spread our message of autism inclusion and celebration of neurological differences.

We need to say a massive thanks to David and Martyn from Reformed Plastics, for loaning us their enormous trailer that enabled us to move the hundreds of donated items, marquees, marketing tools, signs and tables. We could not have done this without your support, and so we are immensely grateful.

We managed to raise £220, and when you consider that most items were selling for £1 or 50p, we were really delighted with that number. Minus expenses, this means that Awesome Archie non-profit are proud to donate £81.80 to the FPS. All remaining unsold items are going straight down to the Dorset Children’s Foundation treehouse for them to support the many children under their care. Although Awesome Archie has been a little under the weather, he was with us in spirit, and was cheering us on from the sofa.

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Dan and Gavin’s “healthy body, healthy mind” inclusive sporting event.

Saturday morning was a fantastic start to our weekend. You may or may not realise that Archie and I have been lucky enough to work with Dan Moody (Dorset School Games) for a little while now. I have mentioned before that the reason I admire Dan is that his passion for sport isn’t based on winning, he’s a true champion for the tryer. He and Gavin have worked tirelessly to create an inclusive sports day targeting those children who, for whatever reason may find standard sporting events overwhelming. We at Awesome Archie were asked to come along and host a tent in the mental health support section of this brilliant day, based at the Grange School in Christchurch. We were supported by MyTime Carers and Place2Be and we brought along a “chill out tent” for when kids felt overwhelmed. We spoke to lots of wonderful families and made some brilliant connections 🙂

The event was absolutely buzzing with excitement and there were opportunities for children to try… soft archery, dancing, tennis, netball, botcha, indoor curling, taekwondo and lots more).

It was phenomenal to be with so many charities, NHS support workers, and community interest companies that all have the same goal in mind… the health and happiness of children.

The event appeared to be a fantastic success, and we are all hoping that it will become a termly date in the diary and spread county-wide. Thank you for the privilege of allowing us to take part, and we can’t wait for the next one.

https://www.reformedplastics.co.uk

https://www.activedorset.org/school-games

As always, for daily updated content, hints and tips, follow this link to our socials…

Come join us on our socials…

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Archie has been fortunate enough to be at the most remarkable specialist provision for the last 3 years. “The Link” has given Archie so much and every day he grows in confidence and lets his wonderful, quirky personality shine.

On Monday I was lucky enough to be invited to attend one of their “enterprise” mornings. This is where the students have to come up with small business/money making ideas and use all of their available social skills to promote what they are doing. Archie and a friend were quietly resting in the green room when I arrived but , with some support from Hannah and Tom, two of Archie’s AMAZING educators, he soon got into the swing.

Chris, Hannah, Tom and all the other staff members, THANKYOU! What you continue to do for our son is nothing short of a miracle and we are so grateful for all of your care and attention.

“Autism Unlimited” – campaign focus group. 🙂

Archie and I have been fortunate to work with Autism Unlimited since the beginning of this year. So far, we have been lucky enough to take part in their first ever animation, help to spread the message of inclusion, understanding and autism advocacy and meet some truly AMAZING people.

This week , we had another brilliant focus group meeting discussing the campaign moving forward for the rest of this year 🙂 I cant share the deets just yet, but I want you to know that we have some exciting and informative things in the pipeline. Thanks to Emily (Autism Unlimited’s marketing manger) and the rest of the focus group for making our week a really positive one 🙂

And finally, I DID IT!!! I got my neurodiversity inspired tattoo 🙂

My Husband very kindly bought me a tattoo for my birthday. I have been wanting one for so long now, but hadn’t been able to muster the courage to actually go through with it! Since being a full time non profit, my whole outlook on life has changed. My confidence is growing, my metal health is phenomenal (ssshhhh, I don’t want to jinx it!) and I have, at last, found peace with my own eccentricities.

My beautiful new tattoo has been skilfully completed by Blak Rose tattoo in Parley. It is my own design and it represents many of the things that have had an impact on my own life. Obviously, the last 15 years have been filled with brain research. The neurodiverse brain (and the children that own them) is my absolute passion. This passion has blossomed over time through the birth of our children and, obviously, Archie and Herbie’s own neurological differences 😍. The tea cup is in honour of my beautiful mum who sadly passed away in January. She used to sing an old song called “Army Cup of Tea” and so that felt like a fitting tribute. The tiny Mickey heads represent our four incredible kids and my never ending love for all things Disney. Lastly, the autism spectrum infinity symbol… no explanation needed here 😉

Thanks so much for my amazing new arm 🙂 I will now be quietly advocating everywhere I go 🙂

This week began slightly differently, with my daughter being at home for the first couple of days. This meant that I took a couple of days to care for my munchkin and |I have to say, it was lovely.

Awesome Archie non-profit has been going for 3 years now and I don’t mind admitting that I can count the number of days off I have had on one hand. Everyone understands that creating a start up from scratch (whether a charity or a business) has to be a real, full time commitment. It’s only now that I am starting to feel confident enough to let our historic work speak for itself and take the odd break 🙂

Daisy and I spent some time just watching movies and being creative, it was blissful.

Archie has also had some revelations of his own this week. He is suddenly willing to be a tad more independent! For his Dad and I this is AMAZING news. Like lots of kids with autism, Archie needs to be in control of his own decisions. He needs to achieve things in is own time and in his own space and although we always encourage, we never push. This week Archie did his very first click and collect order and last week he did some weeding! When you consider that not too long ago, he couldn’t bear the garden because of bugs and would never have spoken to a shop worker, this is AWESOME!!

Click here to see Awesome Archie in action (weeding and click-and-collecting!) 😍

Oakey bear scuptures. A day of creative joy.

Well as you may know, art is a HUGE part of my life. It guards my mental health and regulates almost all of my anxiety. This week I had the most phenomenal experience at WG, all thanks to their amazing parent teacher association “FROWGS.”

On Thursday we had a visit from Chris Oakey (funded by FROWGS) for the kids of William Gilpin school to create a life size wicker sculpture. I have never worked with wicker before and I absolutely LOVED IT!

Chris explained…

“I divide my time between teaching in schools and making bespoke willow sculptures for homes and businesses. I have regular schools that I teach in weekly and also deliver ‘one off’ Curriculum Enhancement Days.

During the first lockdown I was aware that I wasn’t covered by furlough as I had just started the company. Whilst at home I decided to ‘free my mind’ by making a life sized human sculpture. I had always had a passion for sculpting since my A-levels. I had never used willow before but I placed the finished sculpture in my front garden. I started to get knocks on the door and letters posted through my letterbox asking for commissions. That was the start of Oakey Bear Sculptures!

Now in my third year, I have been fortunate enough to make hundreds of sculptures for homes, businesses, castles and even Royalty! One of the most exciting parts of my newfound career is that I never know where the sculpting may take me. I was always told that art was a ‘hobby’ and not a career. I am happy to say that this isn’t true.”

WG were lucky enough to have Chris for the whole day and the kids (and adults) were all so interested and inspired.

“Curriculum Enhancement Days allow children of all ages and abilities to learn through ‘hands on’ experiential learning. The tailored lessons are designed to promote self-confidence, self-esteem, promote risk management, resilience, problem solving skills, teamwork skills and independence.

These sessions can be tailored to the National Curriculum and specialist STEM days.”

I want to say thankyou so much for such a superb experience. I will definitely be sculpture creating with my kids this summer hols.

For more info please visit the Oakey Bear sculpture website here.

Rebecca Clapcott (Awesome Archie Non-Profit).

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. 🙂

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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.

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For a more in depth explanation please fell free to click on this link where you will be directed to the National Autistic Societies page dedicated to this subject 🙂

Have an AWESOME week 🙂

Rebecca Clapcott

Awesome Archie Non Profit

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.

SENDIASS

IPSEA

National Autistic Society

Citizens Advice Bureau

Busy, busy week so lets dive right in 🙂

Dorset School Games.

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 🙂

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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!!!!

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.

Can’t wait to see what next week brings 🙂

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.

I would encourage you all to check it out 🙂

https://www.autism-unlimited.org/