This December marks two years in remission from breast cancer and my subsequent retirement… which was not due to the cancer but due to peripheral polyneuropathy making life progressively ‘interesting‘ ever since chemo. Life itself, however, is still well worth celebrating. And to celebrate (and to help me raise money to pay off my own Christmas/birthday present of a $4000 VPAP machine for my Central Apnea I’m having a 2013 Christmas Art Sale. Hoping some of you may seize the opportunity to snap up an art bargain. Read the rest of this entry »

Walking in Autistic Shoes; An autism presentation and question-answer forum with author, lecturer and autism consultant Donna Williams, BA Hons, Dip Ed Read the rest of this entry »

Exposure Anxiety is an ‘Invisible Cage’ that challenges the person to either side with it and identify self with their own compulsive self protection responses. It results in compulsive and involuntary avoidance, diversion and retaliation responses. In its different modes it can be easily confused with Oppositional Defiance Disorder, prompt dependency, Dependent Personality Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder or presenting like ADHD. Read the rest of this entry »

Baloombawop, is an illustrated 51 page off the wall hilarious adventure story by Donna Williams told in Dr Seuss/Roald Dahl/ Lewis Carrol like rhyme from start to finish. It was written and performed as a children’s rock musical by Donna and The Aspinauts throughout 2009 and captivated both special needs and mainstream alike including ‘kids at heart’.

The land of Baloombawop and its crazy characters – The Gadoodleborger, Dame Grumpty Do, The Brookenstein Fox, Boogerlooger, Charlie Warmton, Bluster Mc Fluster, The Whirly Twirl Girl, The Gimmety Gimme – almost spring off the page and each can easily lend themselves to individual drama activities.

Suitable for kids of all ages and kids at heart, Baloombawop can also be used as a springboard from which to discuss difference, individuality, diversity, and society’s fears of these…. and how our different ‘normalities’ make our world so much more colourful. Read the rest of this entry »

I was diagnosed with Mixed (mostly central) apnea in March 2012. I had complained about waking and finding I was not breathing in 2009. I explained that I wasn’t gasping for air (as happens in Obstructive Apnea), had merely woken to find I was laying there like a dead person, not breathing (usual in Central Apnea), commonly with my hands and feet numb or tingling (usual in sensory neuropathy). But because I was thin, young and didn’t snore, it was presumed I couldn’t have (obstructive) ‘apnea’ so therefore couldn’t have apnea at all. Read the rest of this entry »

Try this surprising list… from the Epilepsy Foundation: Read the rest of this entry »

A woman featured on Dr Phil in this video talking about her open hatred for her autistic daughter. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ll put yourself in an early grave bothering with trolls… Read the rest of this entry »

If you tune in to it, you amplify it… that’s the basic principal… so tune in to your own heartbeat, the sound of your own breathing, the annoyance of a particular sensory stimulus, and guess what… you amplify it. Read the rest of this entry »

Connective tissue in the brain is essential to learning and how we store information. What then of those with connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? Whilst EDS is presently thought to effect 1 in 5000 people in the general population (though other rarer forms like EDSIV 1 in 20,000) would we be more likely then to find EDS related connective tissue disorders in those with learning and developmental disabilities? Read the rest of this entry »