The A Word – Final Episode

So here is my last blog for The A Word..... It's the launch day of Paul's gastro pub and the family gathers to open it's doors. 'Stop Right There' !........ How on earth do we expect little Joe to a) show any interest is this exciting... Read more

Suicide and epilepsy are leading to premature deaths in people with autism.

The Daily Mail has reported that“People with autism are dying decades earlier than the general public, a charity has warned... The Swedish study, in the British Journal of Psychiatry, suggested autistic people die on average 16 years... Read more

Scientists are calling for a new focus of speech and language therapy for Parkinson’s Disease.

The Daily Mail has reported on a new finding that claims that people with Parkinson's Disease struggle to speak because they cannot keep up with conversation - not because of physical problems as doctors previously thought. The main... Read more

The A Word – Episode 5

So we have already reached the penultimate episode and I feel there are so many loose ends to tie-up…. The Hughes family suffer a blow when police reveal that their ‘Polish’ helper Maya is Ukrainian, and is living and working... Read more

Vulnerability to sensory overload

Many autistic children are very vulnerable to sensory overload. They may become overloaded in situations that would not bother other people. They may become overloaded in situations that would have been taken in more than they can keep up... Read more

The A Word – Episode 4

If so far you have struggled to warm to Alison, the fierce mother of Joe, I defy you not to feel some empathy for her this week as she becomes a self confessed spy at Joe’s school and  “a pain in the arse parent” ... Read more

The A Word – Episode 3

As I mentioned last week, as soon as my son got his diagnosis - the help seemed to pour in.  For the following year it felt like he was prodded, poked and assessed by every specialist in Leicester. Frustratingly, the one area of expertise... Read more

The A Word – Episode 2

So Joe has had a diagnosis as being on the autistic spectrum . There simply isn't room in this blog to explain how Alison his mum is feeling right now but I will try and tackle a few immediate thoughts. Whilst appearing to resist all... Read more

Agnosia – difficulty interpreting a sense

If information overload is not diffused in time, it can result in temporal sensory agnosia – an inability to process touch, sound or visual information. The consequence of being unable to filter sensory information and being flooded... Read more

The A Word – Episode 1

So having just watched the eagerly awaited first episode of The A Word on BBC one tonight ! What did I, a mother of a boy with autism who is now 22 really think..... My mind is racing as I could write a book but I will try to... Read more