Go, Go, Google

From around the age of 3, Liam has had a 'thing' for technical gadgets spending hours prodding and poking to find out how they work and what they do (Often testing their limits in the robustness department as well!).

He will spends hours on the computer if permitted, and admittedly in the past we have provided him more free rein than we should of. We started off with some reading programs to get him familiar with using the mouse and keypad, and monitored the websites he wanted to visit. However, he picked up so many things just from watching us alone it was quite alarming!

To date, Liam has managed to establish his own email address; changed every setting know to ... well, mum and dad; covered the desktop with a hundred short-cuts of the same site and when seemingly disgusted with his parents monitoring set-up up parental lock-out on the internet! Now that was a new one in the literal stakes for me!

Fortunately, he was learning how to spell his name so the password was easy to break (much to my relief!)

To Liam the computer/ internet quickly became a source of entertainment and we wanted to turn it around so he saw it as something functional as well. Hence, the turn to Google.

I have noticed lately he has taken another step with his love of words and is starting to write (copy) but also attempt spelling. Initially he would copy words that appeared with the auto-search function, and yesterday afternoon as I watched I thought this was what he was doing, but instead he typed out a word not in the search list ......"cat dog"

I profess he must be taking more notice of the 'Nick. Jr' channel than I expected!!

I would like to see if we can somehow get him interested in pencil work - The keypad hardly looks a challenge.

Here are some of Liam's favourite websites:

• Learn To Read (Starfall.com)


• Traffic signs


• BBC - Numberjacks


• WordWorld

and the flavour of the month ..... all things Spongebob Squarepants

(Mickey Mouse and Dora have offically been retired .....)

Keep. It. Simple. Please

Earlier this week, our cheer-leading squad (aka family support gang!) sat down to develop a 4-yr old Kinder Inclusion Support Programme ('KISP' - and probably only one of the endless acronyms we will encounter along the way!).

One thing that I am pleasantly surprised about is the amount of support that is available for special needs children in the regional areas. I am sure there will be hurdles down the line, but it has been quite a positive stress-free experience to date. Now ... 'stress-free' that simply has to be a bonus. Believe me, I'm more than capable of finding other things to stress over !

Like, education .... KISP did not stand for 'Keep. It. Simple. Please' !

I have always worked hard to be well-educated. It never really came easily but I persisted, and if nothing else it opened doors and allowed me a vast choice of opportunities. I wonder whether it is because of this I struggle with the term 'intellectual disability'. I wholeheartedly accept my son's developmental delay and understand that at such a young age the two would be treated as one and the same, so why is this term so hard to swallow? I accept others as they are and I would describe myself as a compassionate person; yet here I am talking about my son's abilities and all of a sudden feeling very hypocritical.

I just don't know where we fit; and to be truthful never before felt we needed to 'fit'. Funny how a pigeon-hole all of a sudden now offers so much security!

High-functioning autism is soo very confusing. The only thing predictable is the unpredictability and that's part of the whole problem.

We all want what is best for our children, and I'm still caught between whether it is better to combine Liam's needs with 4-yr old Kindergarten, child-care and the various supports offered, or perhaps go for a more routinely consistent approach in attending special school. Liam turns 5 early next year, and all I do know is that he would struggle with mainstream school even if the support was available.

As long as we keep our feet firmly planted, talk it out and have the little dude's best interests at heart, I unresolving know we'll be in the right spot. I have to believe that.