Qiboo to you too! – A blog for parents with autistic children

Books for autistic children

My first selection of recommendations aren’t about autism but are books that my 4-year-old autistic daughter loves.

Stimming toys for autistic children

Stimming is one of the most visible symptoms of autism, some children flap their hands, others rock, pace, flick their fingers, tap pencils, use fidget spinners, press switches, bite their nails or tongue, suck their fingers or twirl their hair. Their are some great toys to assist with fidgeting or stimming.

Visual sensory toys for autistic children

Sensory difficulties are central to many autistic people. Some children are known as sensory seekers while others are sensory avoiders.

Touch sensory toys for autistic children

It isn’t just autistic children who enjoy tactile sensations. Touch is a sense that everyone can get pleasure from whether it be fluffy, fuzzy, crinkly, rubbery, slimy or smooth. This is proably the reason behind the recent slime craze.

Logical and intellectual development toys for autistic children

I am a keen fan of toys that are subtly educational. I am always looking out for toys that help to develop children’s problem solving, spatial awareness and manual dexterity.

Construction toys for autistic children

Construction toys are great for lining up, stacking, connecting, building dolls houses, cars fortresses or just about anything a child’s imagination can dream up. The great thing about most construction toys is that their abstract design appeals both to the role-players who want to build a dream home for their dollies and to the future engineers and designers.

Balance and physical development toys for autistic children

Autistic children often struggle with developing balance and co-ordination, as with most things it takes a lot of practice and practice can be boring unless you can disguise it as play.

Toys for autistic children

It can be frustrating finding toys for an autistic child until you figure out what engages them, what may seem amazing to a neurotypical kid will be utterly dull or pointless to a neurodiverse kid and vice versa. One of the signs that added to my suspicion that my daughter was autist was that my daughter didn’t show any interest in toys until quite late.

The cure for autism

As a mum to an autistic child, I have found some great communities online and found some great information; unfortunately, I have also seen the dark side of autism on the web. There are many claimed medical cures for autism; some are dangerous all are bogus. The only purpose these cures serve is to distract parents from what they should be doing; loving, supporting and protecting their family.

Child with autism or autistic child?

Do you have a child with autism or an autistic child? Does it matter? Unfortunately, for those of us embarking on the autism journey as a parent, it can be challenging to understand which is the better nomenclature.

What causes autism

Nobody really knows what cause autism; it may be a mix of genetic and/or environmental factors. Autism often runs or clusters in some families or generations of families, but it can also appear out of nowhere. It’s common for identical twins to both be autistic but not always so. There are variants of genes that when present, lead to a genetic predisposition to autism but having those genes does not guarantee that you would be autistic. This strengthens the case that genes and environment may work together.

Morning routines

I have seen many people ask for advice about getting their neurodiverse children out of the house in the morning or complaining about how they can never get to places on time. I have a young girl on the autism spectrum and have never found mornings to be particularly difficult. I suspect it is because of how I manage the morning routine for my own sanity rather than for my daughter’s. I keep my morning routine as minimalist as possible. I have never been a fast mover in the morning so having a slow and relaxed pace is as good for me as it is for her.

What is the difference between high functioning and low functioning autism?

High versus low functioning autism is probably the most common misconception related to autism spectrum condition. Unfortunately, the word spectrum gives credence to the low versus high concept. The spectrum really means that autistic people are as different to each other as they are to allistic or neurotypical people. We don’t consider red to be more functioning than violet; it is just on a different part of a diverse spectrum.

Autism, autonomy and privacy

Imagine meeting someone, you really like, getting up the courage to ask them out and them saying yes, only to later be rejected for no apparent reason. Imagine applying for jobs and never hearing anything despite having a good CV that you’ve worked really hard on. Or imagine, walking through the playground at school and noticing people looking at you, looking away and then giggling with their friends? All entirely different incidents, but all stemming from a single action.