Neurodiversity

A day trip to London sounds simple. Book the train. Pack a bag. Head into the city. But when you live with Autism, ADHD, Functional Neurological Disorder, chronic fatigue, and a mobility scooter with a limited battery life, a “simple” day out becomes a carefully balanced energy equation. This is what a day in London looks like when you plan it around access, sensory needs, rest breaks, and the reality that your body might change the plan at any moment. Booking Passenger Assis

Late autism diagnosis in women is more common than many people realise. This is my story of discovering I was autistic in my 40s. Understanding my brain changed everything - but the reactions I received were not what I expected. Introduction Many years of my life were spent believing something was wrong with me. I tried harder than everyone else just to keep up - socially, emotionally, mentally - and still felt like I was failing. It wasn’t until my 40s that I discovered the

What’s the Difference - and Why It Matters There was a time I thought I just needed to try harder. Be less sensitive. Be more organised. Stop overthinking. Stop burning out. If you’re here, maybe you’ve had those thoughts too. For many of us, the words autism and ADHD don’t arrive in childhood. They arrive in exhaustion. In parenting. In therapy rooms. In those late-night research spirals when something starts to click. Autism. ADHD. AuDHD. They’re often compared. Confused.

(The document I wish I’d known about sooner) There are some things you don’t realise you need… Until you really, really need them. A Health (or Hospital) Passport is one of those things. I didn’t know they existed for a long time. And now? I wouldn’t attend a hospital appointment without one. What Is a Health / Hospital Passport? It’s a document that explains your needs during medical appointments or hospital stays. That’s it. It isn’t dramatic. It isn’t complicated. It’s jus

Have you ever felt like you are walking through treacle or that your limbs are so heavy they are too hard to lift? Fatigue looks different to different people and it can be brought on for many different reasons. Here is how it affects me… Looking back I’ve always been “tired”. I’m definitely NOT a morning person and could lie in at the weekend until noon without a problem. I love to snooze in the afternoon, I am not great company on a car journey - the motion sends me sleepy

When one child is in crisis, their sibling feels it too. What I mean by that is my hubby and I were trying to change the school our youngest child was attending. She was a shell of a person. As though someone had taken the batteries out of her. Every day was a battle to get her into school as we went through the process of getting her an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). Then strategy after strategy in place to try and help her cope with our mainstream high school. A year-

As I touched on my stories, we had hit rock bottom at home and I took my youngest to a crisis centre. She was 8. She was in year 3 at school and wanted every day to look the same. Her hair had to look the same, she had to wear the same type of uniform (always trousers, t-shirt and sweatshirt), she had the same things to eat. Her anxiety was through the roof and her mood was so low. She was empty. She didn’t want to carry on living. Like I said, at crisis point. As a parent I

It has its advantages and disadvantages just like being a neurotypical parent to neurotypical kids. It is natural to worry about what the future looks like for your child, of course it is. Will they get a job they love? Will they find a life partner? Will they be happy? But what if you added to this - Will they be able to live on their own? Will they be able to cope with being employed? Will they have friends? What will their mental health be like long term? These added worri

Breast cancer will always be part of me, it changed me, my body and my outlook on life. I survived it and not everyone can say that. I'm one of the lucky ones. During my treatment I said I wanted to get a tattoo. My first tattoo to celebrate my survival. My first tattoo full stop. It took a while to decide what and where and who to do it. 2 years after I became cancer free, I celebrated it by getting my very own pink ribbon. My permanent reminder that I came through a tough b

I've not flown a lot in the last 20 years but when I have I've had special assistance because of other family members needing it or because I was using a wheelchair or mobility scooter. I'm typing this mid flight home from a week in Lanzarote as I am trying to calm my heart from beating so hard that it flies out of my mouth (literally this is how it feels).  This holiday was a week just my hubby and me. No wheelchair. No scooter. No children with additional needs. No thoughts