Hives, joint problems, headaches and attention/information processing issues were part of my childhood. I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis around age 9-11 and put on painkillers until I was 17 and had few white cells. I had had immune problems all my life and was used to infections running in succession, lasting months and not responding well to antibiotics. By 17 I had regular migraines and was on asthma sprays and thrush became my constant companion. By age 26 I had multiple simultaneous infections (respiratory tract, bladder, eye infections), chronic thrush, severe fatigue, and episodes of numbness, vein problems and swelling in my hands, very dark circles under my eyes and what would later be diagnosed as ‘severe reactive hypoglycemia’. It was 1989 and when I was asked if I’d ever been tested for allergies, I was surprised such a thing could cause such ill health. I was referred to an allergy clinic. Read the rest of this entry »

Economies are going down the spout, there is enough OPEN instruction out there to start training yourselves so you can spend your income on a trampoline, a pool, some horse riding, drums or anything else that you’d have had no money for if you were PAYROLLING the professionals who are living off the one size fits all PATENTED products they are selling you. 2012 is the year to stop bleating like a sheep. Take back the power. I have empowered parents to do this since 1996. Step up to the plate. Test your own potential and be part of your own solutions. Read the rest of this entry »

What do you think of the term ‘Naturally Autistic’? I think it depends on what made you so autistic in the first place Read the rest of this entry »

Hi Folks,

we wish you all an abundance of music and merriment
that the sun shines enough to dance naked in the living room (at least)
that you get a good joke in a Christmas cracker
that you can see the funny side of a Nativity for sale in an undecorated Christmas window
that you have the courage to say ‘no thanks’ as well as the humility to remember all the things you are so grateful for
that you remember the third world without guilt but throw them at least a few crumbs from the abundance we enjoy
that you cry if you want to but never so long as to fall down rabbit holes and stay there
that you laugh at yourself more than worry about being fat, ugly, boring, stupid
and kiss your reflection just because its yours 😉
and in reminder that we’re so lucky we get at least 10 years, 48 years or 98 years of good, bad and ugly on this earth
we wish you bubble baths and rubber duckies
we wish you Monty Python DVDs and daggy musicals
we wish you a fabulous goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012

warmly,

Donna and Chris Samwellygog Read the rest of this entry »

DINNER CLUB, MELBOURNE (Belgrave), AUSTRALIA

WHEN: 7pm, 4th Tuesday of the month
WHERE: Honey Thai Restaurant, 1678 Main Rd, Belgrave (just up from Belgrave railway station footbridge)
WHAT: Dinner (meals start from around $17 and special diets can be catered for) with others on the spectrum
WHO: teens and adults on the autism spectrum and their direct support people.
This group has been successfully running since 2006.
Note: we have established 2 important ground rules for attendees
1) this is NOT an opportunity to study people with autism or explore ways to enter the autism field
2) those attending are expected to be self management skills (ie: able to respect other people’s space, have reasonable hygiene, respect the venue etc).
Any doubts whether this group is for you, please contact Donna: bookings@donnawilliams.net
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Imagine a Christmas in Melbourne where there were virtually no street decorations, where shopkeepers didn’t make Christmas windows, where the houses largely had no Christmas lights, no wreaths or garlands, often not even an indoor Christmas tree. Well, in 2011, it happened. Person after person began spreading news not of Christmas cheer, but of Christmas sneer. Read the rest of this entry »

Say Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and it may conjure up images of quackery, hysteria, Sybil, stories of satanic ritual abuse and controversies of false memory syndrome. There are those who are attracted to the circus of cancer and equally those who are excited by any new role or condition to the degree they are attracted to anything so intriguing as DID. But in fact, there is a spectrum of dissociative disorders which includes things quite common and mundane and with which most people have some familiarity. Read the rest of this entry »

However appalling the topic, when it comes to hearing from women sexually abused by fathers, uncles, brothers, grandfathers, society is at least aware of the issue. As a society we have become so used to the potential of men to abuse that men working with children or interested to do so are sometimes instantly under suspicion. Yet up to 40% of those who sexually abuse children are women and around 10% of reported child sexual abuse of girls is perpetrated by the child’s mother. Read the rest of this entry »

Whilst we all hear the rate of breast cancer is increasing and is one in 8 women, I was surprised to read this:

The risk ratio that we all hear about — that one in eight women get breast cancer — is for women over 90 years of age. The rate for women in their 50’s is more like one in 50.

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Sick of attracting needy, greedy, me me me types? Then….
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