This is Liam

This is Liam A Journey with Autism. A rocky rollercoaster ride of ups and downs...and JOY!

We are waiting for our amazing therapist 💙Liam hasn't worked with his therapists for so long, due to his anxiety, his st...
09/10/2025

We are waiting for our amazing therapist 💙Liam hasn't worked with his therapists for so long, due to his anxiety, his struggles with self regulation and his extreme self injurious behaviour.

This is unbelievable.
This is HUGE.
This is Wow.
Liam can learn again 😳🙏🏻🎉

A Sensory cushion, elastic bands for Liam's feet, a weighted stuffed animal for his lap, soft squishy balls, a visual schedule and a visual timer. So many tools and strategies for Liam to help him with focus and regulation while he is doing work at the table. Things that prepare him and keep him safe. Things that give him structure.

I wish I knew about all these things when I was a teacher in South Africa years ago...

So many children could have benefited from this! (Even with small tweaks, even just one fidget, not extensive ones like Liam's)

If the environment doesn't work for the child, let's adapt and adjust it until it does.

Let's look at children as individuals and take care of their specific needs.

It can make such a difference!

Learning and progress can happen so much easier if we have HAPPY and REGULATED kids 🙏🏻🎉

09/10/2025

Never ever ever ever take the gift of Speech for granted!

This brought tears to my eyes. Liam copying what a wonderful Respite worker said and sending it to me 🥺🙏🏻❤️🎉

We were doing English Creative Writing in Mrs Endeman's class. I was 12 years old. English was not well spoken where I g...
09/09/2025

We were doing English Creative Writing in Mrs Endeman's class. I was 12 years old. English was not well spoken where I grew up. (It was a foreign language according to my dad! 🤪🤣) I wanted to sound very intelligent in my paragraph which I was writing. I decided to open the dictionary at any page and choose a new word to give life and colour to my dull paragraph.
The random word which jumped out of the page that I've never encountered before in my life?! Hammock! 🤪😄

And now, 38 years later, the hammock plays a major part in our everyday life.

In Liam's world it is the best thing ever! 💙

This is where my Intense Sensory Seeking Boy unwinds, this is where he regulates, this is his safe place.

Thank goodness for...the hammock! 😉

The red leaf Among a sea of greenAnnouncing the start,(Ever so slightly),Of a new season:Proud. Different. Beautiful.Cha...
09/08/2025

The red leaf
Among a sea of green
Announcing the start,
(Ever so slightly),
Of a new season:
Proud. Different. Beautiful.
Change ❤️

I struggle to swallow down the huge uncomfortable lump in my throat.
This hits home. Big time.
Bull's eye 😉🎯

In our world, the world of Autism and other challenging needs, you are too scared to announce it to the world:
Change.
Especially if it is unexpected, mind blowing, miraculous CHANGE.
You are too scared of regression.
You are too scared of the two steps forward and the five steps back that you are so used to.
You are too scared that you might wake up and realize that it was only your imagination. You are so used to the ups and the downs and the ups and then the downs again.

You are so damn scared of CHANGE

You are forever, sceptical optimistic...

But this, is my safe place,
My feelings, my journal of emotions
This is my beautiful boy's journey
This is Liam
Here, I can admit to myself:
Yes, 🙌🏻 there IS change. 😭
You betcha!! 🎉🎉🥂

I don't know if it is because of Liam's dental surgery that he had, or the weaning of his medication or the amazing angel who appeared on our doorstep a few weeks ago, helping us with behavioural coaching and intervention. I don't know if the timing was exactly right or if Liam's stars were aligned. I don't know if it is answered prayers or a miracle.
I don't know if this will last. Or not.
I don't know.

I DO know that I have a happier boy
I DO know that his eyes are brighter
I DO know what I heard last night,
Just before you closed your eyes and went to sleep. You said:

"Good night Mama, I love you" 😭

I celebrate change. I celebrate hope. I celebrate perseverance. I celebrate YOU, dearest Liam

Mama loves you too. So much 🥺❤️

(We celebrate change with one of the strongest woman I know. A beautiful Mama with a handsome and amazing 15 year old young man. This young man was toilet trained last week. After 15 long, long years of never giving up. I was in tears when she shared her good news with me. Keep on going, persevere, don't stop. Ever!
Change might be just around the corner. Change, for the better! 🙏🏻💫👏🏻)

Sometimes, you wonder how much longer you should try and research and persevere and investand hope and giveand praySomet...
08/30/2025

Sometimes,
you wonder how much longer you should try and research
and persevere and invest
and hope and give
and pray

Sometimes,
you wonder how long
your energy, your strength,
your positivity and the calming effect of your Prozacs will last 🤪

Sometimes,
you wonder if things can get any worse. You wonder when you will reach the point of thinking: "Enough. Is. Enough."

Sometimes,
you wonder if you can ever escape the wall around you.
The wall that you've built yourself. With bricks.
Heavy freaking bricks called
Worry
and Fear
and Exhaustion.

Isolating

yourself from the world but keeping you safe at the same time too

It is then,
when you least expect it,
when you feel drained and tired and stressed and alone,
that miracles DO happen

When new people and new experiences and new resources leave you breathless and in wonder, amazed at what you witness and see. Amazed and grateful and overwhelmed with joy. When some pieces start to fall into place and some dots start to be connected. When people, angels in my eyes, arrive at your doorstep and change your life forever.

It is then when you realize that giving up is not an option

Ever!

Looking into your bright beautiful eyes, give me a reason to just keep going dearest Liam. Through the ups and the downs -
like a heartbeat,
like the Nike logo that your Papa always remind me of
we have to go down before we experience an up

The beauty of Life

I'm so proud of you 🥺❤️

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2213 Arbot Road
Nanaimo, BC
V9R6J1

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