Due to the fact that my 14-year-old daughter is extremely dyslexic she has not studied a modern language at secondary school. I’m convinced this is the right choice for my daughter and was extremely grateful to the school for not forcing her to continue with French. It does raise the question however as to what language could a child study if they struggle to write. I’m sure there are conversational classes but they tend to be geared towards adult learners.

This got me thinking and on one of my many dog walks I bumped into a friend I had not seen for a long time. When I asked her what she had been doing she said she was doing her level III British sign language course. She told me that she had done level I years ago but had not taken it any further. Wow I thought here is a language that has no written form and would be perfect for my daughter. I mentioned it to her school who looked as if I’d gone completely mad. So I started to do a little research myself. To my amazement I discovered that British sign language (BSL) was only recognised as an official modern language in March 2003, even though it is the first language of many British people. Around 70,000 hearing and deaf people use BSL in the UK, this means that it is used more than Welsh or Gaelic. Currently there is not a GCSE in British sign language which seems a shame – though you can do an NVQ in British sign language and there are tutors local to where I live.

Many years ago when my now 11-year-old daughter was two and a half and still not talking I was given the opportunity by her speech therapists to do a couple of courses in Mataton. I am a huge fan of Makaton, I am absolutely positive that without learning this sign language my daughter would not have made such rapid progress. Makaton is a language that uses signs (and sometimes symbols) to help people communicate. It is designed to support spoken language and the signs and symbols are used with speech, in spoken word order. When Makaton was originally developed in 1972 it only used speech and manual signs, but by 1985 graphic symbols were introduced for those who found signing difficult.

Today over 100,000 children and adults, use Makaton. Most start using Makaton as children then naturally stop using the signs and symbols as they no longer need them. However, some people will need to use Makaton for their whole lives. It is also a useful temporary language for example with someone who has had a stroke or want to tell their children off in public spaces or congratulate them from a distance, it is also very useful in swimming lessons!

When I was a child the TV show Vision On had a lady who signed BLS and today Mr. tumble on the TV show Something Special signs in Makaton. They are living modern languages,  with job opportunities, in fact there is a shortage of BSL translators currently.  In school  there should be opportunities to learn BSL or Makaton.  How do I persuade my daughter’s fantastic secondary school to include a sign language on the curriculum?

Why is it that beautiful spring weather drives me to tidy areas that I can ignore all winter?

Possibly the fact that I could not get to the lawnmower due to cardboard boxes which on closer inspection were filled with TFH products which had been  sent to me for use in a photo shoot last autumn. The box was filled with brightly coloured and attractive toys. The sort of toy that will appeal to most children immediately and of course photogenic too

The toy the top of the box was the small Squish. This has to  be one of my all-time favourite toys I bought one for my daughter when she was three months old (in fact I think it was the first toy I got her). We still have it, she is now 14, I have kept it for visiting babies.  It is a delightful “ball” of wooden sticks and elastic.  it is so incredibly light less than 100g  and because of its structure it is very easy to grab hold of or catch  anyone with very poor muscle tone can enjoy playing with the squish. There are also some moving wooden beads so there is a very quiet noise as you shake it. Of course because of the elastic you can squish it and it will spring back to its original shape. Because of its attractiveness it appeals to children and adults alike.

The next toy to be pulled out of the box was the Shake Rattle and Roll.  This is a clear tube with brightly coloured caps at the end and a contrasting coloured ball inside. As you tip the tube the ball rolls down to the end and makes a very pleasing sound as it bounces off the end caps. The simplicity of the toy is its attractiveness again another light toy only 160g, it is also extremely robust and can survive being dropped or thrown from wheelchair height. A good resource for upper body muscle tone and eye tracking.

Next a set of eight Handbells in a robust cardboard box. These bells are rainbow coloured each one has a white handle with a sticker on the top labelling its note. The red bell is labelled C1, the orange bell D2, the yellow bell E3, the green bell F4, the light blue Bell G5, the dark blue Bell A6, the purple bell B7 and the second red bell C8. I am not musical enough to know if the pitch of each bell is absolutely accurate but I am musical enough to know that each pitch is different and they certainly appear to be going up the scale! They are beautifully attractive and  each bell only  weighs about 100g. They are much more robust than they look ours has survived many drops from wheelchair trays to the floor. My only criticism of this product is that if the white handle is sucked the sticker will come off.

Then a great toy: the Wacky Ball which was almost impossible to photograph as it moves so quickly however a brilliant icebreaker and it got everybody laughing including the photographer. The ball needs one AA battery you then press the button on the side and the ball rolls around in a bizarre and random manner. Great for getting children to move around and to interact with one another.

There are plenty more toys in the box are but  I must move the boxes and mow the lawn before the weather breaks

The special school that I have volunteered at for the last five years had a full OFSTED inspection last month. It was nearly 10 years ago when the school had its last full school inspection. When I asked how it had gone the school said fine and they were very pleased that the inspector was extremely knowledgeable on special schools.

Last week I was given the inspection report, the school secretary had printed off a few too many and I’m not surprised because they got an outstanding. The opening line of the report said this is an outstanding school.  The report is very fair. One of the comments should be true of any school special or not, that the children feel happy and safe, love coming to school every day they attend whenever they can, work hard and behave outstandingly well.

As a parent and governor I have read many letters from inspectors and I have to say they’re all pretty much the same.  I imagine it is a standard letter however this one was very different.

The inspector asked the teachers to explain to the students by any means they can, using symbols, pictures or by telling the parents that…

This is an outstanding school

You are well taught and make good progress in your learning

You grow up as delightful young people who try to help each other

You are well looked after and enjoy school

Your headteacher and her staff are very good at their jobs

I do appreciate that inspections do need to take place. Teachers and governors always get in a bit of a state when one is announced, but now the school can celebrate its success and keep working towards maintaining its high standards.

I know it is the fashion now to try and include as many children as possible in mainstream school, this school might well buck the trend and I can imagine parents clamouring to send their children here.

At the moment it is very difficult to send your child to a special school it seems to me that a child must fail in mainstream before they are allowed into a special school.

Some children might need a couple of years is a special school/nursery and then they may be ready to make the transition to mainstream.

I think a more flexible approach is needed to provide an education for these very special children.

Yesterday I went for a walk with the autistic boy I work with.

He is now five and has just discovered that he enjoys walking, we walked into town through the snow all wrapped up in hats and gloves. He took with him a plastic toy tiger. While we walked he bounced the tiger along the walls. This is an enormous achievement he was playing with a toy in an appropriate way. No longer stimming the tiger.

Like any five-year-old the buttons at the traffic lights are a highlight of the town walk. Each light we passed he would press the button and say “red man, wait” the excitement of the red man changing to green was a joy to see. When we got our green man I would say “Green man, cross with care” and we would cross the road.

Once in town we did all the things that I remember my girls enjoying at that age. Running up and down the ramp at the library, causing the automatic doors to open and close and pressing the buttons on the lift. He remained cool when we saw a sign saying lift out of order. He needed to check all the lift doors to make sure and luckily the out of order sign was on every lift.

We then went on to the shopping centre where we rode up and down the escalators we must’ve done this seven or eight times and then he put the tiger on a separate step I have to say at this point my nerves got the better of me and I decided that this was going to be the last ride.

Then he chose to go into Marks & Spencer’s probably because there is an escalator there. At the top of the escalator he announced he needed a wee so he went to the toilet I’m not sure if he really needed the toilet but he managed a wee and then the highlight, the automatic flush button!

From here we went to the cafe where he chose a gingerbread man. He sat beautifully to eat his gingerbread man and then I asked him where his gingerbread man was and he replied,” gingerbread man all gone”. This is a direct quote from the gingerbread man book I must’ve read him 100 times over the last year.

From Marks & Spencer’s we caught the bus home he was so excited on the bus that he got all the other passengers on the bus smiling at him. He was able to reply when asked “where are you?” he replied,” on the bus”.

I know that this trip to town is not really a typical trip that an adult and child would make, normally when you go into town there are jobs to be done and this trip was purely for fun. For nearly 2 years his parents and his ABA tutors had been working to stop him stimming, to play with toys in an appropriate manner to answer questions when asked, to ask when he needs help and to behave in a manner that is appropriate. Yesterday he behaved beautifully and was a pleasure and fun to be.

Last week I had coffee with a friend, I noticed that her milk came in plastic bottles.

She told me that it was milk from Guernsey cows which are “cows of one colour”. Her son is autistic and she has read some research that shows it can help if you drink milk from such cows. I asked if it had made a difference and she said she’d been doing it for a year and he has had a better year.

The more I work with autistic children and adults the more I realise that we are just at the beginning of understanding autism. I believe that the concept of the Autistic Spectrum will develop and be subdivided into many recognisable types of autism and each type is likely to respond to different treatments.

Parents of autistic children are desperate to find something that will help. This means that even the most benign treatments quickly become emotionally disputed and there are numerous doubtful claims which have the potential to do harm.

When I look at my friend’s little boy who is now writing stories, joining in PE and making friends at school, could it be due to the milk? it’s very difficult to tell. My friend feels she is doing something to help him. And Guernsey milk tastes good in coffee.

Why do teachers  ask children to get into pairs?

My daughter came back from school this week in tears, she cannot understand why it is always her that the teacher has to put into a pair. Getting into pairs is great fun if you are in a group with your best friend – however is it always a good idea to always be working with the same friend? My daughter is not socially mature enough to be able to anticipate when the teacher might ask her to get into a pair. Other more socially mature children make sure they are standing next to a friend or have even pre-arranged it before the lesson.

In my Brownie group if the girls need to work in pairs I will ask them to pick a partner that does not go to their school, or is of a different age, or is of a very different height. I appreciate that teachers do not have those differences. When I mentioned to a friend who is a secondary school teacher that my daughter was struggling with this, she was surprised that teachers still asked children to find a pair. She said that in her lessons she deliberately picks the pairs for the children or uses her pair sticks.

When I asked what ore those? She said  they are lolly sticks with numbers on them, each student takes a stick and partners the other student with the same number. Oh I wish all teachers were as kind as my friend. I have immediately made my own pair sticks for Brownies, dare I make a set of other teachers at my daughters school?

I have decided that I can’t but I will mention it at the next parents evening. However I can try to give my daughter some coping strategies. I have explained to her that other children will have pre-arranged their partner. When I told her this she looked utterly surprised, but I do think that she has taken it on board and let’s hope there are no tears tonight.

This week I have been sent the proof of the calendar I have been working on since July. It is always very exciting when you see the end product something you had a small part in. And my part was very small.

The calendar is for the charity Kids. Kids is 40 years old and has produced the calendar as a celebration. Kids is a wonderful charity offering an incredible support to families and children from birth to 25. If you would like more information you can visit them at their website www.kids.org.uk

There were 3 photoshoots in different locations around Wakefield. Each shoot followed a similar format: we arrived, set up the room and the families came to their pre-booked photography slot. The photographer was absolutely amazing, he was able to put the families and their children at ease in what was a rather unusual space. It was my job to make the toys more interesting than the specialist lights and the camera. Some of the children posed like professional models, others needed a little encouragement.  We took photos of whole families as well as individuals many were truly beautiful, the families will be delighted with them and it was very difficult picking those that made it into the calendar.

The families were also interviewed as to why Kids was important to them. The responses show what an amazing charity it is.

“You just need to ring them and if they don’t know they find out and ring you back. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

“They have helped us like a friend, any time I can call and ask for help.”

“They cover everything and we couldn’t have done much without them.”

“Kids is important because it provides helpful advice and support and there is always someone to speak to who understands.”

“Kids is very helpful sorting out appointments, helping with benefits and they do great coffee mornings.”

I came away from the photo shoots humbled at how little these families with their very special children are asking for. Kids is providing them with a key worker who can help them through the myriad of appointments, benefits, and facilities available. One of the key workers explained to me that Hull had been a pilot area for key workers. Some Parents had actually moved to the area so that they could benefit from the key worker system. I know that in the green paper there is talk of each child having a key worker I do hope this is something that the government does put into place nationwide.

The calendar will be available from Kids and TFH in November for £5.00.

The most popular toys that I took were the Bouncing Rocks, UV Cubes, Rainbow Streamers, Rainbow Blocks, and the Lollipop Jungle which the photographer said helped so much that I let him keep!

My eldest daughter has been using a rose pink colour overlay for nearly 6 months now and she says it really does help. I have to say that she does take it everywhere with her, so much so that the colour has rubbed off in areas and the overlay is now rather patchy. Also when she is doing  worksheets, copying off the board or sharing music with another child she cannot use her overlay.  I felt maybe the time had come to invest in some coloured glasses. So last week I took my daughter to Bradford eye hospital for her final appointment for her coloured glasses. In the previous appointments they had tested her eyes and checked that using a colour overlay does actually increases her speed of reading. It does, in a minute without the overlay she can read 100 words and with the overlay nearly 140.

The test involved her looking down what can only be described as a funnel and they change the colour of the light in the funnel. This time my daughter found a sort of wine purple the best colour. Then was the expensive part of the day when she chose her frames. This took longer than all the assessments and in the end she has chosen a bright blue. When she was told that the frames were making a statement she replied, “I think the purple lenses are doing that.” I wrote a cheque for over £300 and now we wait for four weeks. There will be one more appointment for a final fitting, I do hope she wears them!

That day became even more expensive when I opened the letter from West Yorkshire police today.  They informed me that I had been caught speeding while driving in Bradford. So not only have I bought some expensive glasses I now have a speeding fine, three points on my licence and a husband who is constantly reminding me to drive slower! I had been given the opportunity to do a speed awareness course which according to my father-in-law is well worth doing.

Wow what a fabulous day I have just had.

It was beautifully sunny, one of those perfect was days when you don’t need a coat and you’re not worried about sunburn.  I taking out the four-year-old autistic boy I work with.

We went to a park which has a large lake which we set out to walk round. He ran ahead of me and when he was about 50m ahead I would shout “stop” and hold up my hand.  As long as I kept repeating “stop” and holding my hand up he remained still. When I got nearer we would say “ready steady go” and then we would run on around the lake, laughing. He is a faster runner than me.

About three quarters of the way round he got tired and climbed into the buggy and let me push him at a more sedate pace for the remainder of our circuit looking at the ducks, fishermen, dogs and their walkers.

As we neared the end we could hear a lot of happy shrieking noises and we could see teenage children trying to stay upright on a raft they had built. Of course they all fell in with more screams and happy laughter. There was even a dog in a buoyancy aid running up and down the bank. It really was one of those perfect days.

Then the icing on the cake: We went into the clubhouse because I wanted to ask if my teenage children could join in the fun, I picked up a leaflet and we are about to leave when the little boy jumped out of the buggy and started to open a door. I said “no! We going to the car” and he said “I need a wee” I looked at the door and sure enough it had the symbol of the ladies toilet. Wow. In we went and after checking all the toilets he chose one, undressed and he did need a wee. I don’t know why he likes to remove all his clothes when he does a wee, but he happily puts them back on again with a little help when he’s finished.

Here he demonstrated appropriate use of language, unprompted. I am so proud of him. It really was a perfect day.

When I think how hard his parents and ABA teacher’s have worked with him not only potty training (which he only really mastered six weeks ago), but speech and appropriate behaviour it is incredible. There is still a long way to go, but days like this make you realise that all the hard work, tears and frustration are worth it.

Last Friday I went along to a Pokémon club that was being run in a local community Hall. Elaine who I met many years ago through the NCT has recently started this Pokémon club. Her elder son who is on the autistic spectrum enjoys playing Pokémon and she had found a Pokémon club on the outskirts of Leeds. She regularly took her son to this club which he enjoyed both playing Pokémon and meeting other like-minded children who shared his hobby. However because it was such a distance it was difficult for these friendships to last outside the meeting so she decided to set up her own club more locally. Her club has been running since July on Friday evenings.

The evening I went along there were eight boys ranging from about 7 to 15 playing a Pokémon game on their DSes. There was lots of chat both from the children playing and the parents sitting at one end drinking cups of tea and coffee.  It was a lovely atmosphere and the children moved happily around the room interacting with each other.  The club is running through the school holidays as she feels it is important to have some continuity. Some sessions have had over 20 children attending and she is confident that come September when people are back from their holidays the numbers will rise again. She said it was lovely to see children returning week after week.  The first time they came they may not have been confident enough to join in and spent most of the time sitting with their parent but by the second or third time they would walk in confidently and sit down at a table to play with other Pokémon fans. This club is not exclusively for children on the autistic spectrum but for anybody who enjoys Pokémon.

It was not a game that my daughters ever got into. I think it appeals more to boys, but what I felt was so positive was that all the children whether they are on the autistic spectrum or not were enjoying each other’s company and talking and playing Pokémon.

I was amazed to find that one of the boys there had travelled nearly an hour to get to this club, but I’m not surprised that once you have been to the club that you return. The atmosphere was lovely, it was so welcoming, friendly, calm yet fun. Perhaps I can persuade my girls to take up Pokémon.

Here’s the link to the club       www.harrogatepokemon.co.uk