What we did this summer 1, 2 & 3

Last Saturday Andrew had a trial ride with our local Riding for the Disabled Association at Wythenshawe Park Stables.

I first came across the RDA when they were the recipients of a Blue Peter appeal back in 1987. At the time I was a young girl myself whose horse riding experience was one pony-trekking break, so I was intrigued by a charity that helped others to ride.

I put our son on the local waiting list nearby two years ago - given his diminutive size, we figure he'll either be a jockey or a Formula 1 driver (Daddy's preference!)

Andrew rode Stitch, their smallest pony, led by instructor Shaun and assisted by two volunteers who I suspect are girls from the Pony Club. And other than getting bored when stood still to receive group instruction, he really enjoyed the experience! He's now on the list as a casual rider (when regulars cancel) and will hopefully get a permanent ride soon.

Whilst we were playing horsey, Daddy was busy constructing the new garden swing. Bought over a year ago from grant money, we have an adult-sized frame to suit Andrew for many years to come, and a cradle swing on a spinner so he can choose whether to rock, spin, or both. This means that Andre can now play outside in 10 minute bursts of activity to suit his behaviour, and he gets fresh air every day even if Daddy is tired.

Yesterday we took Andrew to Play Factore, a huge soft-play near the Trafford Centre. It's expensive and probably value for money for older children, less so for Andrew who had had enough within the first hour - somewhere we will bookmark for the future.

Laser quest and a zipwire (addnl. charge) supplement two separate play frames for under and over fives. The older generation seemed a little too boisterous for our son's comfort so we came off the large frame quickly, unfortunately without experiencing the mega slide. However given his learning delay, Andrew can pass as a 3/4 year old so he climbed happily around the younger area without any other parents questioning his presence.

If I could make two suggestions to Play Factore they would be to invest in a separate baby area, as mixing wobbly one-year-olds with bouncy four-year-olds will always end in tears; and to darken the sensory den, white is not really a sensory experience.

Things my son loves ...

Bit of a random blog this one, but I'm writing it to give some ideas on how to entertain your SEN child without necessarily spending a fortune - which I'm sure would help all of us!

Rubbish!

Our son loves texture and noise. He may not yet be able to construct model rockets out of old Fairy Liquid bottles, but this doesn't mean that everything simply gets thrown away. He adores empty milk bottles - rinsed so that they don't smell - with the lid screwed back on, they make a delightful  hollow noise when hit and when hit against things. Wooden coffee stirrers and ice-lolly sticks get tapped against his teeth. Egg boxes have a strange texture that he likes to stroke. Bubble wrap ... well, who doesn't like bubble wrap!

Musical Instruments

He's progressed from ELC style drums and tambourines, these don't make enough noise. So his drum is now a proper set of bongos purchased from Lidl; and he has a sleigh bell stick and maracas, all found in our local Charity Shop. These all seem rather more robust that the children's toy versions, the bongos are in their third year with no damage yet.

Sensory input

We haven't bought vibrating toys from any of the Special Needs suppliers - have you seen their prices?! So he has a vibrating cushtie cushion, a bluetooth pillow to play music while he sleeps, and two hand-held massage devices. We have recently retired his large bubble lamp, which came from a water features company (I think it was intended for office receptions!); but he still has the small bubble lamp that we sourced from Argos. A colourful spinning light-bulb came from Maplin, and ball lights from Ikea.

Holiday!

Apologies for not blogging for a couple of weeks, but we've been too busy - on holiday at Butlins Minehead!

We self-cater, which involves taking the entire contents of our house (or that's how it feels), transporting it a few hundred miles, and then trying to cram it into a tiny bungalow. But it's worth it to be able to feed Andrew when he is hungry, with food that is familiar. He doesn't appear to mind the change in location or bed, making him even more non-typically autistic. I'm still not convinced that his diagnosis is correct.

The highlights of this holiday for Andrew were the live shows. Not the Butlins Skyline gang, or those re-created childrens' television characters. This year he saw two production shows - Aladdin Rocks! and Scooby-Doo. And he thoroughly enjoyed both - laughing along, kicking his legs to the music, paying attention to the stage much longer than many of his toddler compatriots in the audience. He knew he was there to watch something, and watch he did. How much he understood, how much he heard (rather than felt), I'd love to know.

If only Butlins double beds were more comfortable ...