Why the little things really matter.

Do any of these things bug you…I mean, REALLY bug you?

• Someone didn’t wipe up their crumbs off the kitchen counter (again).
• Someone forget to flush the toilet (again).
• Someone didn’t take the glass down to the kitchen and now it languishes on their bedroom floor with a furry coating.
• Someone left the top off the toothpaste.
• Someone didn’t switch the computer off when they had finished.
• Someone left a towel on the bathroom floor………….

Its these and a million other things that drive us mad. We nag, argue, feel frustrated and powerless.

In writing this blog I want to give tips ideas for dealing with what might seem small things. There are lots of places that might give help and support for the bigger things. You can access training, professionals, books and specialist websites that I can’t compete with.

However, sometimes I have helped friends who are parents of children with autism and Asperger’s with little things that have made a BIG difference.

In our group with adults with learning disabilities,  some of the little things make a BIG difference to them being able to access and be included in church.

Here’s a couple of examples:

1. A parent of a child with ASD was being driven to distraction over her child not being able to put his shoes on properly in the morning. It was causing them a lot of stress as she had to deal with that and get her other kids ready. Remembering that people with ASD are mostly visual learners – We took a photo of his shoes on his feet and the right way round. In the morning she gave him the photo, he copied what was on it and within a couple of weeks, could put his shoes on independently. Not life changing but a little less stress in the morning.

1. Mikey, my friends son  (@alicecrumbs / www.playontheword.com)  with DS and ASD wouldn’t put his new winter coat on.  Again, thinking visually, I  made him a book telling him HOW to put his new coat on and that he was BRILLIANT at doing it!  Imagine my delight when the next Sunday Mikey  came to church wearing his new coat!

It is amazing how just dealing with some of the little things can ease stress.

So as you revisit my blog you might find tips that can help you. If you post a comment with ideas of little things you struggle with then I can try to see if there’s any tips for that too.