Books I read

Some of the books I read and used for my programmes

Porchester Gate, London, where we lived for 7 years

Porchester Gate, London, where we lived for 7 years

Playgrounds we used to visit in London

 Holland Park playground

 Holland Park playground

Princess Diana Memorial Playground

My Son

This is my son when he was one.

Hallfield Primary School where my son attended school

Hallfield Primary School where my son attended school

Town of Gloucester, UK where my son was born.

About Myself

I worked as a lawyer for several years in Singapore, before I moved to Jakarta, Indonesia with my family. Over there, I did some freelance writing for a magazine, and experienced an expatriate lifestyle. After a few years, with my son’s diagnosis, we moved to London, UK. We lived there for 7 years, and my sons attended the local schools there. Upon our return to Singapore, I  dabbled  in property, before deciding that it would be more useful to impact the lives of young children. I started to run a Montessori preschool and have been doing that ever since. I also carried on learning, attaining the Diploma (Conversion) in Kindergarten Education-Teaching in early childhood education as well as the International Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy by Montessori Centre International (MCI) (London). This year, I will be starting a new course on childhood leadership (ADECL)

In my few years running a Montessori preschool, I have come across a few children with borderline to moderate/severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The parents of such children mainly fall within 3 categories; (a) very proactive and keen to help the child, (b) is aware but not proactive to help the child and (c) in complete denial and not interested to do any interventions. As most childhood educators I know have said, it is never easy to relay news of any developmental delay to parents, especially those in category (c). It is a sensitive topic and has to be delicately discussed. Quite often, parents hope that their children will outgrow their developmental issues, and instead point their fingers at educators/therapists to work their “miracle” on their children. As a parent and educator, I straddle both sides and understand the difficulties that face both parties. However, I hope that my personal story can help in emphasising the urgency of getting interventions done earlier rather than later. 

I also want to start a conduit through this blog, by which service providers, like various therapists (Speech and language, occupational therapy, sensory integration and other professionals for special needs) as well as interested persons (with or without the training) can be contacted to offer their services for therapy work or on a freelanced basis. Parents can then engage them privately for their therapies, shadowing or respite assistance.

An Introduction

Hi, my name is Carolyn and I’m new at blogging. It’s not really my thing to reveal too much about my family and private life, but I feel that the experiences that I’ve gone through, as a mother of a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD IV), would hopefully be a source of encouragement and inspiration for other parents, who have kids with special needs. 

My son will be 19 years old this year. He is now studying chemical engineering at a local polytechnic, and has a wide circle of friends and a busy social life. You may ask, “Is that even possible?”  Yes, it is… but not without a lot of sacrifices.

In my blog, I will talk about my long arduous road, the help I got, and also the sacrifices made. I hope that it would connect with you, as parents, and give you some ideas on how to help your children. I have written an article, entitled, “Overcoming Autism Spectrum Disorder- A Mother’s Journey from Diagnosis to Adulthood”, on the steps I have taken, together with research and referencing, for parents who are interested to know what I did to help my son. I hope that you will find it useful in your quest to help your child as well. I do not profess to know a “cure”, nor claim that everything works for everyone. It is just my personal journey and opinions, about what worked for me, and I hope, will also work for you too.