About me
• I am Mother/Mom/Madre to seven children ( four boys, three girls), aged between 12 and 28.
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• I have two children who are diagnosed as autistic and have dyspraxia and anxiety and two that self diagnose, as autistic.
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• I am a Nanny to three crazy grandsons and one gorgeous baby granddaughter.
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• I was diagnosed as having ADHD, in December 2022 and being autistic in February 2023.
• Since leaving school I have completed several childcare qualifications, a BSc degree in Social work and a SEND law level 3 qualification.
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• I have also worked in a nursery, children’s home, domestic violence refuge, at a local SEND advisory service and undertook work, as a trainee social worker on placement, offering intensive family support. Alongside this I have ran parent and toddler groups and volunteered at a support group, for parents of additional needs children. However, the hardest but most important job, I have had by far, is being a parent, which I have been for 28 years.
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•Apart from my Grandchildren (and my children, of course), my favourite things are chocolate, rubber ducks and silly socks.
My Story
Since leaving school, I have always worked or volunteered within the children and families sector and whilst this has entailed several different areas, family support has always been my passion. I have always found the complexities of families, fascinating and the lengths that many parents go to for their children, has often amazed me.
After having my own children, I very quickly realised how challenging raising a family was. I had not anticipated how this would affect my mental health or how overwhelming it would become and how my perceptions of "a perfect family" would change.
After two of my children were diagnosed as autistic, I began to research and gather information, to support them and in turn learnt that I was autistic/ADHD too. This challenged me in a way I had never been challenged before and my mental health took a real turn for the worse.
Everything I believed about parenting was turned upside down and my idea of family life, was completely blown out of the water. I also began to realise that a lot of my own needs had been/were impacted by my neurodivergence and this in turn, had been having a massive impact on my parenting.
Eight years on from my sons diagnosis, I have done a lot of soul searching and spent a lot of time around neurodivergent families. This has given me the insight to be able to understand my neurodivergence and implement strategies, to support my family. I am now confident in my neurodivergent skin.
During this time, I have witnessed that support offered is often by individuals/organisations that do not have an understanding of neurodivergence or the dynamics of a neurodivergent family and I have seen first hand the upset and frustration this has caused.
My passion now is to empower neurodivergent parents to gain an understanding of themselves and help them realise their strengths and regain their self esteem.
Contact
My preferred mode of initial contact is either WhatsApp, e-mail or message. I am happy to arrange a 30 min phone call or videocall once this contact has been initiated.