PDA in the Family... news!

Life After the Lightbulb Moment

Nov 21, 2023

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Welcome to another influx of new readers, and hello again to the old-timers who haven’t heard from me for a few weeks! One reason for the quiet was that I’ve been a bit busy, but also because the result of a poll in my previous newsletter showed an almost equal split between people who would like a weekly newsletter and those who think fortnightly is often enough. So I’m erring on the side of not overloading you all!

The most exciting news since I last wrote is that I have spent the first two days of this week recording for the audiobook version of PDA in the Family (oh did I mention, out on 18th January, available to pre-order now?!). Speaking into a microphone for a few hours was more enjoyable than I thought it would be - maybe there’s a new career for me in that?! It’s great to know that people will hear me telling our story in my own voice - and news hot off the press is that Mr C will be recording the audio for the chapter he wrote too.

Book Reviews

I’ve managed to publish three new book reviews since I last wrote a newsletter, and you can read more about each of these by clicking (or tapping) the image or the title below:

Luka and the Food Cloud (ARFID Book Review)

I can see things in my own colour {Book review}

What I Mean When I Say I'm Autistic {Book review}

More great books coming soon!

Christmas Gift Ideas

Sorry, it might feel too early to mention this for some people, but ‘it’ is definitely coming. I can’t deny I love the festive season, although I know this isn’t the case for everyone. However I thought it might be worth sharing this post ‘25 Christmas Gift Ideas for Children’ - not just any children, but children who might be more tricky to buy for. Many of these products have found their way into our home over the years, at times when I thought I’d never be able to think of something to buy for our girl who only liked very specific items or characters.

For a few years, the rarer the better has been the motto in our house. Present buying has generally only happened with help from Ebay or Amazon, or some random small online Japanese store. Christmas decisions sometimes need to be actioned in September to allow for the long shipping times! But I’ve tried to include some easier options in my blog post list. Hope it helps someone!

Highly recommended

Lil Penguin Studios on Facebook and autism_happy_place on Instagram - an autistic artist with lots of neurodivergent-affirming images. Printable communication cards, planners, affirmation cards, worksheets and bundles are available in their shop for personal and private practice use. This image has lots of great ideas for autistic self-care during the festive season.
PDA Society website. There is SO much great information on this website that I might just have to include this recommendation every week! I thought I would signpost to the section headed ‘about autism & PDA’ first of all - lots of great information that can be shared with others.

Christmas challenges with autism and anxiety

There seems to be an unspoken pressure from society that Christmas should be a happy time. The month of December is full of so many challenges; extra pressures and unspoken demands mean that this can be a particularly difficult time for families living with autistic children or adults, and especially for those with Pathological Demand Avoidance.

This post of mine looks in a bit more detail about the kinds of things that happen at this time of year, and there are some suggestions from a variety of people of how to help our children (and us!) have a happy Christmas.

Question Time

This week’s quick question is about how you like to enjoy books. Do you like to listen to audiobooks while you walk the dog or cook the tea, or are you a fan of the good old fashioned print editions? Or maybe you’ve switched to Kindle because it’s easier to take with you everywhere? I’m interested to see what the split is and whether that will be replicated in sales of our book in January!

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, please get in touch via stephstwogirls@gmail.com or reply to this email.