Field of Dreams-Early Intervention and Support

07/05/2026

As a mum I still hate when people say “she doesn’t look autistic “!

04/05/2026

Again- ASD traits can be advantageous!

Society tends to tell a very one-sided story about autistic and OCD minds.

It usually sounds something like “too intense, too rigid, too obsessive, too sensitive.”

It’s repeated so often that it starts to feel like that’s the full picture, rather than just one interpretation of it.

But when you actually live it, you start to notice that those same traits don’t neatly stay in the “deficit” box people try to put them in.

The deficit-based mindset completely overlooks things like deep focus, strong principles, noticing patterns others miss, and powerful persistence.

Greta Thunberg's impact is tied to an ability to stay locked into something that matters and not drift away from it just because it would be socially easier to.

The same qualities people might label as “obsessive” or “inflexible” in another context can actually look a lot like clarity and integrity.

Many autistic and OCD people will understand the feeling of not being able to just half-arse something.

When something feels important, we can't just let it go.

It stays on our mind and won't go away, even when that’s uncomfortable or inconvenient or makes other people wish you’d just let it go.

Which can make life harder - there's no getting away from that. It can be exhausting being the person who can't pretend something doesn’t matter when it clearly does.

But at the same time, those are often the people who keep things from being ignored completely.

This post isn't about pretending being autistic or OCD is easy, or turning them into 'inspiration p**n.'

It's pointing out how incomplete the neuronormative narrative is.

04/05/2026

Love this!

How to Be the Perfect Special Needs Mum (A Simple Guide according to social media)

First, secure a part-time job that somehow pays more than the average full-time salary. You’ll need this, because while you should expertly navigate the NDIS like a senior policy advisor, you should also ideally not rely on it. It’s more of a character-building exercise.

Make sure you identify your child’s needs within hours of birth—earlier if possible. This will allow you to confidently decide not to have any more children so as not to burden the state. Forward planning is key.

Your child should attend the best special school, located exactly 45 minutes away (minimum). This commute is important—it gives you time to reflect on your life choices while sitting in traffic.

While your child is at school, you should be:
• Working your part-time, high-powered job
• Volunteering and fundraising at the school (approx. 50 hours per week)
• Attending all assemblies, meetings, and “quick chats” that somehow last 90 minutes

After pickup, you’ll seamlessly transition into therapy logistics:
• Speech therapy every Monday at 12:30
• Occupational therapy every Wednesday at 11
• Bonus appointments added randomly to keep things exciting

Cooking and laundry should be immediately abandoned in favour of implementing therapy strategies. Dinner is now a carefully calibrated, nutrient-dense masterpiece that your child will absolutely refuse to eat.

At school, your child should:
• Behave perfectly
• Eat everything in their lunchbox
• Generalise all skills instantly

This will be achieved via the powerful telepathic connection you maintain while being physically elsewhere.

At work, you must remain highly competent—but also be ready to drop everything instantly when the school calls (approximately three times a week) to let you know something has, once again, gone terribly wrong.

Evenings are for laminating visuals. Not occasionally. Every evening. If you are not laminating, are you even trying?

You must also:
• Maintain an extremely positive mindset at all times
• Refer to your child’s disability exclusively as a “superpower”
• Never acknowledge severity (that’s just negative thinking)

For your own wellbeing, make sure you:
• Complete four weight sessions per week
• Run daily
• Sleep eight hours a night (lol)
• Live forever, because contingency planning is selfish

You should feel deep gratitude at all times, particularly when:
• Changing multiple layers of bedding in the middle of the night
• Repacking untouched lunches
• Re-explaining the same strategy for the 47th time

You must also:
• Maintain infinite patience at all times
• Never raise your voice, even slightly
• Respond calmly when the lights are turned on and off 50 times in a row
• Treat repeated, deliberate water-spilling as a valuable sensory learning opportunity
• Gently narrate your feelings like a mindfulness app, while internally dissociating

And finally, remember to thank your husband daily for not divorcing you. This is crucial for morale.

If you’re doing all of the above and still feel slightly overwhelmed, just remember—you probably need to work on your mindset. 💫

03/05/2026

I know some people don’t like talking about ASD as a superpower but there are some traits that make us special and have potential in many areas.

**She Wasn’t “Too Much”… She Was Misunderstood**

From the outside, she looked like a problem that needed fixing.

“She’s too emotional.”
“She never listens.”
“She’s always distracted.”
“She’s messy.”
“She asks too many questions.”

And slowly, those labels didn’t just stay around her… they became part of how she saw herself.

Because when a girl grows up constantly being corrected instead of understood, she doesn’t think, *“Maybe my brain works differently.”*
She starts thinking, *“Something is wrong with me.”*

But here’s what often gets missed…

The same girl who “can’t pay attention” can hyperfocus for hours on something she loves. The same girl who is called “messy” is often juggling a mind that never slows down. The one labeled “too emotional” is usually someone who feels things deeply, notices subtle shifts, and cares in ways others don’t always understand.

And that girl who “asks too many questions”?
She’s not difficult… she’s curious, analytical, and trying to make sense of a world that doesn’t naturally make sense to her.

This is what autism in girls often looks like. Not loud. Not obvious. Not what people expect.

It’s quieter. Masked. Misread.

Many girls learn early how to blend in… how to copy behavior, how to stay quiet, how to hide what feels different. They become “easy” on the outside while carrying confusion, exhaustion, and self-doubt on the inside.

And because of that, they are often overlooked.

Not diagnosed. Not supported. Not understood.

But when you shift the lens, everything changes.

“She’s too sensitive” becomes **emotionally aware**.
“She’s distracted” becomes **selectively focused**.
“She’s awkward” becomes **processing differently**.
“She’s intense” becomes **deeply passionate**.

This isn’t about ignoring struggles. Those are real.
It’s about seeing the full picture — not just the parts that are inconvenient.

Because the goal isn’t to make her fit into the world perfectly…
It’s to understand her well enough so she doesn’t feel like she has to disappear to belong.

And maybe the question was never, *“What’s wrong with her?”*
Maybe it should have always been, *“What hasn’t been understood yet?”*

diagnosis

26/04/2026

There’s no more hiding! Tomorrow I’m heading out to visit Yeppoon, Queensland. Local businesses. Can’t wait to make new connections and get ready to support families!

23/04/2026

So much unknown with these changes but the rules still support early intervention and we know it is best practice!

Minister Butler,

Let’s be honest about what you’re doing.

You’re pushing children out of the NDIS and calling it reform.

But here’s the problem, the law hasn’t changed.

Section 25 is still there.
Early intervention is still part of the Scheme.
Children who need support still qualify.

So if the Act hasn’t changed, why are children being pushed out?

Because this isn’t about the law.
It’s about numbers.

Children in the NDIS are not the cost problem.

Their plans are generally small.
Their supports are basic.
They are the lowest cost participants in the entire Scheme.

And the whole point of supporting them early is simple:

So they don’t become high cost later.

But instead of fixing the real issues, you’ve gone for the easiest target.

Children. Does this make you feel big Minister Butler? Because you’re a disgrace and should be ashamed of yourself.

While there are plans in the hundreds of thousands of dollars being handed out to s*x offenders when released from prison as they are deemed high risk to the community and ongoing, well known problems with provider exploitation inflated billing, excessive travel charges, and serious concerns about organised criminal activity your solution is to push kids out not fix the real issues of where money is being blown out.

Make that make sense.

Because it doesn’t.

This isn’t reform.
It’s shifting responsibility.

And there is nowhere for these children to go.

Not the health system, it’s already overwhelmed.
Not Medicare, barely covers allied health.
Not schools they are already underfunded, understaffed, and struggling right now.

So what happens?

Children go without.

They fall behind.
Their needs get bigger.
Families carry the load.

And then they come back needing more support, at a higher cost.

You haven’t fixed anything.
You’ve delayed it and made it worse.

If Section 25 is still in the law, then say it plainly:

On what basis are children being pushed out?

Because right now, it looks like the rules haven’t changed, just who gets access to them.

And it’s children paying the price.

19/04/2026

At Field of Dreams I understand the life of a parent caring for an autistic child- I’ve been doing it for nearly 21 years!
I still keep things in my handbag just incase! It’s a real thing!

31/03/2026

Love your words Em!

🌈 Please like, comment, and share this post. Posts like this tend to get buried real quick.

If all/most of the stuff you know about Autism has come from one particular advocate or demographic- your understanding will be limited.

If all/most of the stuff you know about Autism has come from white autistics, you are going to have big gaps in your knowledge about how racial marginalisation intersects with Autism.

If all/most of the stuff you know about Autism has come from low support needs autistics, you are going to have big gaps in your knowledge about how moderate and high support needs autistics experience the world.

If all/most of the stuff you know about Autism has come from autistics who use mouth words, you are going to have gaps in your knowledge about how non-speakers and AAC users experience the world.

This April we're going to look at the nuance.
We are going to look at perspectives outside of our own.
We are going to look at what we have been missing when it comes to conversations about Autism.

I'm preparing to get *very* uncomfortable as we do this work. Because as a low support needs, white, speaking autistic- I have a lot of gaps in how I understand Autism.

That means I mess up.
Regularly.

I have always been well-intentioned AND I have also caused harm to marginalised Autistics.
Both those things are true.

It's going to be messy.
It's going to be uncomfortable.

But if my advocacy and resources only extend as far as white, low support needs, speaking autistics- I've done a s**t job here.

I want my advocacy to be for all.
So I need to do the work.

Who's prepared to join me?

Em

31/03/2026

So incredibly excited to have had my first client interviews in Yeppoon and taking bookings for Empower Me Angela Nicole.
I’m so happy to be able to support rural families from April 2026 onwards.

28/03/2026

Coming soon Yeppoon!

Horses have a unique ability to connect with people in ways that can support emotional, social, and physical wellbeing.

In animal-assisted services, horses alongside animal-assisted practitioners help individuals develop confidence, regulate emotions, improve communication, and build trust. Their sensitivity to human behaviour provides immediate, honest feedback—creating powerful opportunities for growth, healing, and self-awareness.

Whether supporting mental health, trauma recovery, skills or personal development, equine-assisted approaches offer a meaningful, evidence-informed pathway to positive outcomes.

Interested in learning more about the science behind this work? Join our virtual forum session in May to hear from Dr Janet Jones, who will explore how horses think, learn, and interact with humans. You can register to attend here:
https://animaltherapies.vfairs.com/