Partner Blogs

Miriam’s son is very much a younger version of my son, James. When I read what Miriam has written here, she speaks for my son too. I stand with her in defending the rights of our children, and many more like them. People are often very quick to stand up ... read more

Around 20% of children and young people have long-term additional needs or disabilities of some kind. That’s about 2.5 million in the UK alone. Many of them, and their families, feel excluded from a wide range of social activities, so how can we reach out to, and meet, the needs ... read more

I’m not giving up anything for lent….Well – not anything edible anyway!I’ll happily do the whole pancake thing because I love them (lemon and sugar please), but I’d rather pick up a new good habit than arbitrarily give something up.I tend to choose something to do or learn. Not because ... read more

To the mother of our special needs child, my wife… It’s not your fault…  It’s not your fault that our child is Autistic.  It’s not your fault that he has Learning Difficulties and struggles to communicate effectively.  It’s not your fault that James has Epilepsy.  None of these things are ... read more

I am writing a post about including autistic adults in church but had to put it aside as I prepare for a talk I am doing with one of ... read more

1. Get to know them. Every autistic child is different.  It’s really important that you spend time with the family and the child ... read more

Hidden:  (adjective) kept out of sight; concealed.  (verb) past of ‘hide’ We frequently encounter the term ‘hidden disabilities’; it is in widespread use across the media, throughout society, within many of the various disability communities.  In general, most people have a view on what they think it means; they will refer to ... read more

Parents of children with special needs experience many highs and lows along their parenting journey, but what are the secrets?  What never gets mentioned, what never gets talked about, what always gets hidden; what are the confessions of a special needs parent?  Well, it’s time for that to change, time ... read more

What do you see when you first meet a child with additional needs or a disability?  That may, of course, depend on whether their additional needs or disabilities are visible; they may be ‘hidden’ as so many conditions are.  But even then, we would be missing the point; what we should ... read more

I meet a lot of parents of children with special/additional needs in my work and connect with many more through websites and online forums.  One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that the parents I meet are almost always Mum’s, not Dad’s.  There are exceptions, of course, but it’s ... read more

It’s been four months since I left the Good News Group and I’ve lamented on how hard I have found it and reflected on what God might me leading me to next. However, one gift God has given me is the opportunity to go back to GNG once a term ... read more

We have two children; James, 16, Autistic, with Learning Difficulties and Epilepsy, and Phoebe, 19, neurotypical and a young carer.  This post is all about Phoebe’s unfortunate start on James’ arrival, but then all that we have learned from her since. The arrival of a second child into a family ... read more

As we start getting back to ‘normal’ (whatever that is), after the holidays, it’s a time for pondering and contemplation…  Over the 12 days of Christmas I offered 12 thoughts for families with children with special or additional needs, and they each serve as a useful reminder of some of ... read more

Some wonderful thoughts and lived life experience from my friend and fellow blogger, Miriam Gwynne. I thoroughly agree with all she writes and encourage you to read her blog https://faithmummy.wordpress.com faithmummy Before I had children of my own I genuinely thought parents pretty much stuck together. I mean after all ... read more

Happy New Year!  Now there is a phrase filled with all sorts of questions, opportunities and possibilities!  Will it be happy?  How can we tell?  Do we say “Happy New Year!” with confidence that it will contain happiness, or out of hope that it might, or in defiance from a ... read more