Sensory Kidz Universe

 Transitions… AKA the silent boss level of parenting a neurodivergent child. If you’ve ever said, “Right, shoes on!” and watched your child descend into chaos like you’ve just asked them to climb Everest barefoot… you’re not alone. Autistic kids often struggle with transitions — big ones (starting school, going on holiday) and tiny ones (turn off the iPad, dinner time, put your socks on). And honestly? It’s not bad behaviour. It’s not “naughtiness.” It’s a brain difference . And once you understand why , everything becomes easier. Let’s break it down like two tired parents whispering in the school car park. 🧠 Why Transitions Are So Hard for Autistic Children 1. Their brain LOVES predictability The autistic brain thrives on routine and sameness — it’s safe, it’s calm, it’s soothing. A sudden change? Even a tiny one? Feels like a glitch in their internal matrix. Think: “Move from thing I understand → to thing I don’t understand yet.” That’s a big ask. 2. They’re ...

If you’re a parent of an autistic or sensory-seeking child, you’ve probably seen stimming a million times… even if you didn’t know that’s what it was. The flapping. The spinning. The humming. The pacing. The “I MUST TOUCH THIS ONE SPECIFIC THING NOW OR I WILL COMBUST.” Yep — stims. And guess what? They’re completely normal. Helpful, even. Let’s break it down in the simplest, most mum-to-mum way possible. 💛 What Is Stimming? “Stimming” is short for self-stimulating behaviour . Kids (and adults!) do it to: regulate their emotions manage overwhelm feel calmer get sensory input stay focused or just because it feels nice EVERYONE stims — biting nails, tapping feet, twirling hair… But autistic and sensory-seeking kids stim more intensely and more visibly . 💜 Why Do Autistic Children Stim? (The Real Reason) If you Google it, you’ll get ten paragraphs of boring science. Here’s the REAL answer: 👉 Their brain is trying to keep them comfortable, safe a...

 You can spot us a mile off — the caffeine, the chaos, the calm tone that hides a thousand battles. We’re the mums who can survive meltdown mode with one hand and make a snack with the other. Here are the signs you might be part of the club. You measure time in meltdowns, not minutes. “We left the house at 8:30 and had two meltdowns — that’s basically on time.” Your bag is 90% snacks, 10% receipts, and one random spoon. If you ever reach in and find only air, that’s your 13th reason. You’ve said, ‘If you lick that, I swear—’ more times than you’ve said ‘I love you.’ You’ve learned to translate echolalia better than Google Translate. You can spot sensory overload from three aisles away. (Bonus points if you can also predict the exact moment you’ll cry later.) Your morning playlist is a mix of deep breathing, Bluey theme songs, and chaos. You’ve had a teacher start an email with, ‘Don’t panic, but…’ and panicked anyway. You have a PhD in snack dip...

 We all know the playground stereotypes — the yoga mums, the PTA warriors, the ones whose coffee cups have inspirational quotes and suspiciously hot steam. But tucked between them, blending into the chaos, is a rarer creature: the Autism Mum. And trust me, she clocked you the second you walked through the gate. ☕ 1. The coffee isn’t a drink — it’s a life support system. She clutches it like a sacred relic. It’s not caffeine; it’s emotional armour. Each sip is one more second of composure before someone yells “Mum, he’s licking the fence again!” 📞 2. The phone never leaves her hand. She isn’t scrolling TikTok. She’s waiting for that call. You know, the one that starts with, “Hi, it’s the school… we just need to have a quick word about today.” Her stomach drops faster than your Wi-Fi when she hears it. 🎒 3. Her bag is 60% snacks, 30% sensory tools, 10% pure hope. There’s a fidget spinner, chewy tube, and three crisp flavours to prevent diplomatic incidents. If world pea...

Is School Still Right for Our Autism Kids — Or Is It Stuck in the Past? My son hates school. There, I said it. And before anyone says “but all kids hate school,” let’s stop right there — because this isn’t the same. He doesn’t hate learning . He hates schooling . The noise, the lights, the chaos, the pressure, the constant demand to fit in when every fibre of his being screams that he doesn’t. Every morning feels like trying to push a square peg into a Victorian desk. Because honestly? That’s what school still is — a system built for a completely different kind of child. 🎒 Old Rules, New Kids Schools love buzzwords like “inclusive” and “neurodiversity,” but the reality on the ground? Still very 1950s. Sit still. Make eye contact. Work in groups. Don’t question authority. Follow the routine, no exceptions. That might’ve worked when the goal was producing obedient factory workers — but our world has changed. And our kids have too. Autistic children think differently . They...

 If your mornings feel like a full-blown emotional bootcamp before 8:30 a.m… you’re not alone. That heart-racing panic, the meltdowns before you’ve even had your first sip of coffee, the “I’m not going” on repeat — it’s not bad parenting. It’s not laziness. And it’s definitely not your child being “defiant.” For many autistic and sensory children, school isn’t just hard — it’s a battlefield of bright lights, noise, scratchy uniforms, and unpredictable chaos that would push even the calmest adult to tears. But for some kids — like my son, — it’s not just about the lights or the noise. It’s about change . 💜 What School Refusal Really Is Let’s get one thing straight: school refusal isn’t refusal — it’s distress. It’s your child’s nervous system waving a white flag and saying, “I can’t cope today.” And it’s not always caused by the classic “autism triggers” people expect. For Isaac, it all started this term — new classroom, new teacher, new faces. He’s gone from play-based l...

You know that moment when you ask, “Want juice?” and your child chirps straight back, “Want juice!” … then doesn’t actually answer the question? Or when they wander round the house reciting entire chunks of Peppa Pig? That, my friend, is echolalia . It can be cute, confusing, or downright exhausting — and if you’ve googled it at 2 a.m. wondering “is this normal?” , you’re in the right place. Echolalia is incredibly common in autistic kids (and some non-autistic kids too). It’s not rudeness or “parroting for fun” — it’s actually an early way of communicating. Once I understood that, a lot of my frustration disappeared. What Exactly Is Echolalia? Echolalia is the repetition of words or phrases that a child hears. It can show up in two main ways: Immediate echolalia – they repeat what they just heard, usually right after you say it. You say, “Time for bed” → they say, “Time for bed!” Delayed echolalia – they echo words, phrases, or even whole songs hours or days (so...