Surviving the festive season

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Christmas is a fun time of the year but it can come with its challenges for neurodivergent people. Here are some of our top tips to make the festive celebrations easier on you and your family!

  1. Plan ahead

The Christmas holidays can be filled with so many opportunities to socialise, go places and experience new things. Planning ahead is the key to success as it gives your neurodivergent individual chance to prepare for events, you can explain what you are doing and familiarise them with what to expect.

It also enables you to prioritise the things that are most to important to the whole family so you can keep everyone happy.

Once you’ve planned the schedule use visuals or photos to show your ND person where they are going, what they will be doing and who they will see so they feel prepared.

Although, the planning phase can start nice and early, you might not want to share the plans with your ND loved-one until closer to the time if they are likely to get anxious or over-excited about the events.

2. Maintain some routine

During the holidays, the days often merge into one another and its easy to lose all sense of routine with the different events, meals and timings. Plus, the changes to surroundings with all the decorations can be unsettling for some. Many neurodivergent people thrive on routine and it can be important to try keep some of their normal schedule going if you can.

3. Incorporate sensory activities

If your loved one has activities or games they like to do that keep them regulated then you can incorporate those into the festive events.

At SensationALL we use crafts and sensory tools to help individuals stay balanced so we recommend having a sensory bag or toolkit on hand wherever you go to use as needed. It could include fidget toys, favourite games, cosy blankets or clothes – whatever your loved one likes!

Also, remember sensory regulation could come from things like tight hugs, relaxation exercises or active calming from a physical game involving running, jumping or dancing. Some children might feel calmer when given a specific task so getting them to participate in jobs or activities that have a tangible end goal can be useful.

4. Have fun!

The most important thing is to enjoy yourselves and the best way to do that is by avoiding setting unachievable goals!!

Don’t over commit to attend events or see people if it is going to be too much. Agree as a family what is most important this festive period and just do those things. If seeing people in large groups is too overwhelming, spread out family visits over a few occasions or maybe only stay for a short period of time. Set your boundaries and don’t feel bad for sticking to them.

It doesn’t matter if your version of Christmas looks different to other people’s – do what is right for your family and don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go exactly according to your plans.

Whatever your Christmas looks like have a wonderful time and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

Merry Christmas from SensationALL!

SensationALL means the world to me.

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SensationALL’s services and activities for Neurodiverse individuals and those with complex conditions are a lifeline for many. However, our support is not only for attendees themselves, but also for the wider family. In 2022, we created a timetable of informal support groups for parent/carers. The benefit of having this peer support can be huge!

Many parents tell us how alone and lost they feel so being part of this network helps them cope with the emotional burden of caring for someone with complex needs. The sharing of experiences and empathy they get from the group is invaluable and can result in improved resilience and reduced anxiety.

We thought Mental Health Awareness month was the perfect time to share one of our family’s stories…

Kelly’s daughter Georgia-Rose has a diagnosis of Autism and is currently undergoing assessment for ADHD. Kelly suspected from a very young age that Georgia-Rose might be Autistic:

“She really struggled with her meltdowns which, I originally thought were just bad tantrums but the older she got it became apparent they were so much more! Georgia-Rose is a huge masker – she keeps everything bottled in at school and plays a character to fit into society but, when she gets home the mask comes off and she often explodes. From a young age she has experienced sensory difficulties, certain sounds, textures and smells would trigger her and we didn’t know how to deal with it”.

The family’s first experience of SensationALL was coming to our Santa’s Grotto after a disastrous visit to a public grotto when Georgia-Rose left feeling terrified and sad. Her parents were flooded with guilt for taking her somewhere that caused such upset and were devastated she couldn’t enjoy something magical that most children love.

After seeing our details on Facebook, Kelly brought her girls to our relaxed grotto at The Old Schoolhouse in Westhill which, was designed to offer an simpler, unintimidating situation for Neurodiverse children to cope with. This time, her reaction to Santa was completely different to Kelly’s delight; “the look on Georgia-Roses face was something I will cherish forever! She went straight into the grotto and actually spoke to Santa! It was the most special thing for us as her parents to see her enjoy something that had previously terrified her!”

This positive experience led to Georgia-Rose attending numerous soft play sessions and she completing our self-regulation programme, Chill-OOT. As a result, her confidence and self-esteem has grown massively and she now knows ways to calm herself down when she’s overwhelmed and her parents and the wider family have also learnt techniques to help her when she in these situations. Amazingly, Georgia-Rose is able to tell them how things make her feel in different situations which is a huge positive step and has benefited the whole family.

Kelly says, “before I came to SensationALL I had absolutely no idea how to cope with Georgie’s meltdowns. I had been given advice from professionals and had done endless amounts of reading online but for some reason nothing seemed to work with my daughter and her difficulties. I constantly felt judged as a parent, and didn’t want my daughter to be thought of as a badly behaved kid who wouldn’t listen to her parents or just screams and shouts to get her own way. I felt very alone as a parent and didn’t know where to I could find help from people who just ‘got it’.

I started attending the parent support group every week and it has been the best thing I’ve done for myself in this journey – I had no idea how much I needed it! Being around other parents who face the same day to day difficulties as I do is just priceless! 

I believe its helped me become a better parent to not only Georgia-Rose, but her youngest sister Ellie-Jane too.

SensationALL means the world to me. It’s a place I can go and cry and know that somebody will be there for me with a tissue and a hot cup of tea. The support I receive is irreplaceable, SensationALL is somewhere I can go and won’t be judged.”

Not feeling alone on this crazy journey of parenting a child with additional support needs is the BEST thing ever!

Kelly

Our Family Support Practitioner, Jo, is also a parent of a young Neurodiverse son so she has experienced many of the situations that our families face:

“I know first-hand that being a parent of a child with additional needs can be isolating and lonely. Parents of neurotypical children can try their best to be supportive but, through no fault of their own, they cannot identify with the unique struggles a parent of a child with Additional Support Needs face daily.  

The sharing of experiences allows parents and cares to be heard, and often, for the first time feel accepted and less alone, it is a privilege for me to watch the magic happen in our sessions. 

Usually, our sessions are simply an open forum when, struggling parents can chat, cry and laugh which, releases tension and you see the weight starting to lift as their share their problems. We journey together as a group, grieving the difficult times, proactively looking for practical solutions to ease the struggles. I’m honoured to be part of the SensationALL community for parents.”

WATCH – this video features Kelly as well as some other parents talking about SensationALL…

If you’re a parent, guardian, or carer, more information on support sessions is here or email us to ask for more information.

How to have a ‘SensationALL’ lockdown!

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The Coronavirus outbreak has affected everyone and SensationALL is no exception!

With our face to face services at the Old Schoolhouse suspended, our dedicated team immediately began investigating alternative options to support our families remotely.

Social distancing and restricted movement have meant extensive changes in routine which is hard for everyone but, it is extra challenging for families living with a support need (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Attention Deficit Disorder, learning disabilities, sensory processing conditions and mental health issues).

That is why, at SensationALL, we are committed to continuing to offer our tailored, practical support to those who need it via digital platforms for as long as lockdown lasts.

SensationALL virtual services

For many of our service users, socialising and processing the world around them can be a constant, daily struggle. For our staff, the prospect of not having direct contact with service users was unthinkable and the team were all motivated to come up with new ways of continuing our much-needed support remotely.

So, with some creative, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking we devised a range of virtual services which will have a significant positive impact on our families’ lives, resulting in happier, calmer children and adults!

Despite a steep learning curve with video call platforms and IT (we’re clinicians so tech is not our strong point!) we are now in our second month of delivering a range of virtual services, including:

@home sessions

1:1 video calls with a SensationALL team member who provides tailored interaction.

The call can include sensory activities, relaxation, games or just a chat – whatever the individual needs!

virtual SociALLise

Weekly group video calls for our teenagers & young adults so they don’t miss out on keeping in touch with friends and all-important social interaction. The calls are a great way for the youngsters to share experiences and feelings with peers whilst being supported by our team.

So far, sessions have included… show & tell, quizzes on a variety of topics, drawing, zentangle (mindful) doodling, games (Pictionary, Charades etc.) group sing & sign, TikTok routines, origami, photo competitions and there’s more to come… phew!

mood meter
Chill-oot!

We’ve adapted our popular self-regulation programme to an online format!

This invaluable programme is for school-aged children with support needs who struggle with emotional regulation or behavioural management. We teach them how to identify, understand and deal with over-whelming emotions and situations. The 4-week online programme starts in May.

Tea and Tips

Our advisory consultations are needed now more than ever!

Parents/carers can have a confidential talk (phone or video call) with one of our senior practitioners about specific challenges they are facing. We will provide practical strategies and techniques to use at home to make lockdown easier.

We are great listeners!

So far, the response has been amazing with 90% of parents rating the virtual support sessions as ‘highly beneficial’ to the individual. Plus, 100% of them reported a benefit or high benefit to their own wellbeing. One parent commented:

 “My son has been unsettled and had a very difficult day the day before. Chatting with a member of the team helped him to remember he is part of a community, that those people are still there, and it reminded him to use his emotions assessment tool. He enjoyed the activities and the breathing exercise helped him settle his mind. Amazing all in a 30 min session!”

In addition to the structured services, we’ve increased the amount of FREE online content available to our followers on social media and those on our mailing list. We are sharing regular video tutorials on Facebook and You Tube so people can follow along at home (Makaton, yoga, make-your-own sensory tools, relaxation exercises and even baking).

Our newly created Resource web page is your reference point for all the best links, resources and guides out there – we’ll save you the time and effort of filtering all the masses of available information!

Plus, our series of @home e-newsletters are packed full of information of how to cope with lockdown when you’re caring for an individual with a support need or disability.

Lastly, (if all that wasn’t enough!) as part of the 2.6 Challenge fundraising campaign we compiled an electronic activity book – Make, Bake, Feel Great! – with 26 activities to do at home.

Copies of this fantastic resource are available in return for a small donation to support us while fundraising events are on hold.

But, we’re not done yet – we have more plans in development… online training courses (to replace of our previously scheduled workshops) and more possible virtual services for the summer.

Obviously, no one is sure how long lockdown or social distancing will last but, for as long as it does we’ll keep adapting our services to meet demand and support you however required.

Get in touch to tell us what you need and look out for future surveys asking for your feedback!

Stay safe, stay SensationALL!

Easter Cheese Scones

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We’ve decided to be different this Easter weekend and balance out all the sweet treats with our SensationALL savoury cheese scones!

Our esteemed leader, Suz tested out the recipe earlier this week and recorded a video for our social media channels so you can bake along with her.

Below is the full recipe or you can download the PDF to print below…

The end result!

Cheese scone recipeDownload

Want to do more baking then check out our cupcake recipe here

Explaining CoronaVirus

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At SensationALL, we want to support parents/carers by sharing useful information and resources during this unsettling time of social distancing and self-isolation.

The outbreak of CoronaVirus is confusing and worrying for everyone, but the change in routine will be particularly upsetting for children and individuals with learning disabilities or support needs. So it’s important that we talk to them openly without terrifying them!

As you probably already know, Covid-19, is a respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. Symptoms are a fever and/or a dry, persistent (ongoing) cough.

In some people it can lead to shortness of breath and extreme cases may need hospital treatment.

If you show any of these symptoms, government advice is to stay at home for 7 days and for your entire household to self-isolate for 14 days.

Top tips:

Here are our suggestions of how to discuss the virus:

  • keep it simple (avoid too much detail or speculation)
  • stay positive – keep your voice light and upbeat – children will mirror your behaviour
  • give practical solutions – hand washing and tissue use are things they can control – you can even turn it into a game
  • end on a positive note – move onto a topic that is normal or fun for them so they don’t dwell on the virus information

Downloadable resources:

Check out the below guides and social stories that explain CoronaVirus and it’s implications in a simple, calming way:

What is CoronaVirusDownload
School is closed – social storyDownload
SensationALL is closed – social storyDownload
My Mum/Dad is a doctor or nurse – social storyDownload

Share your ideas with us

Whilst our normal SensationALL groups are suspended, we can still support you remotely, so feel free to contact us by phone or email for any advice or support. We also want you to tell us what resources/activities you’d like us to share – comment below or email us.

Plus, you can follow our social media channels and check the website for useful videos and posts about activities to do with your children at home during the school closures.

contact us

Community Asset Transfer Success!

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We are delighted to announce that Aberdeenshire Council have granted a Community Asset Transfer of the historic Old Schoolhouse to SensationALL, in a deal which marks the culmination of many years of effort.

The terms of the transfer – Aberdeenshire Council’s biggest to date – will provides us with a stable and secure base where we can continue to deliver services which are invaluable to families living with complex conditions such as autism, learning disabilities and neurological conditions.

Our Chair of the Board of Trustees, Bob McCracken said:

“This is a magnificent step forward for the charity, which provides it with a stable foundation on which to build and flourish. I would like to thank Aberdeenshire Council, the local Councillors, the local Community and the Trustees – past and present – for their support and hard work which has resulted in the charity being given this wonderful opportunity.”

Aberdeenshire Council’s transfer means we can now begin work on expanding the services we offer. Suz Strachan, Service Manager and co-founder of SensationALL said:

“This is an exciting and bold move for SensationALL. Taking over the long-term lease of the building presents a fantastic opportunity for us to develop our services and facilities as never before. Our future really is now in our own hands.”

As Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Garioch Area Committee, Cllr Fergus Hood added:

“We are so pleased to see this coming together for the benefit of the local community and to support the incredibly important work SensationALL do with some of our most vulnerable residents. We are committed to empowering communities to create their own success stories through community asset transfer projects and this is absolutely one of them.”

There are exciting plans in store for both SensationALL and the Old Schoolhouse as we work towards realising our charitable vision of creating a flagship service for individuals with support needs & disabilities in a state-of-the-art facility.

Follow our progress on social media