Autism and special needs · Grandparent or carer
Topics that may interest you
Tap a title to read it. The ones closest to your role come first.
Closest to you
- When Someone in the Family Has a Long Illness: Keeping the Home TogetherA child with a chronic illness, or a parent who is sick for a long time. How long illness changes the whole family, what to tell the children, the brothers and sisters nobody notices, and how the carer avoids burning out.
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Practical GuideYou thought your parenting years were behind you. Now there are school runs and bedtimes again. A practical guide for grandparents raising grandchildren: the child's feelings, your own, and where to find support.
- Grandparents Breaking Your Rules? The Few That Cannot BendWhen grandparents spoil, undermine or simply do things differently, the fight is rarely about the sweets. How to agree on a few rules that matter, and let the rest be grandma's house.
- The Role of Aunts and Uncles in a Child's LifeThe aunt who listens, the uncle who teaches, the cousins who feel like siblings. How the wider family can support a child and a tired parent, and what to say, and avoid, when relatives help or interfere.
- When Grandparents Have a Favorite GrandchildOne grandchild gets the gifts, the praise and the attention, and another notices. How to raise favouritism with grandparents without a family war, and what to say to the child who feels left out.
- When the Nanny's Rules Are Not Your RulesA nanny, a nursery or a family carer who does things differently. A practical checklist for agreeing the rules that matter, and a calm way to talk about it.
- When a Relative Lives With You: Two Sets of Rules Under One RoofWhen a grandparent, aunt or uncle moves in, the house can suddenly have two sets of rules. Why the tension grows, and how to share a home without losing your place as the parent.
Brothers and sisters
Children with extra needs
- Before They Read the Report: Introduce Your Child as a PersonTeachers, therapists and carers often meet an autistic child through a report first. A one-page profile written with your child, so the people around them meet the person before the diagnosis.
- Preparing for a School Meeting About Your Child's SupportHow to get ready for a meeting with school about your child's needs: gather a few clear examples from home and school, ask three questions, and leave with names and dates. You don't need a pile of evidence to speak up.
- The Parent Who Carries It: For Parents of Children With Extra NeedsEveryone on your child's team has a job description and a day off. You have neither. Two questions to ask yourself each week, a list worth writing once, and what to hand to someone else.
- Speech Delay in Toddlers: When to Worry, and How to Help Your Child Talk at HomeYour toddler isn't talking yet, or says very few words. The official signs by age that mean see a professional, why hearing is checked first, and how a home full of talk helps a child learn to speak.
- Signs of Autism in an Older Child: What to Do When It Shows Up at 8, 10 or 12Your older child struggles to make friends, stays alone behind a closed door, or seems afraid of people. The official signs of autism in older children, why it is often noticed late, what to do first, and how to help him into the world.