About me
Hello!
My name is Ainy, and I’m a mum of a beautiful 8-year-old girl, who thinks that because carrots have vitamin C, pineapples should have vitamin P.
My daughter was diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) when she was barely five.
Life on the Spectrum
It has always been a challenge trying to simplify things for my daughter. With her, it becomes stressful to deal with situations that most kids would find easy but can be a real tough for her.
Picture this
Traveling in an underground train full of people, walking past a playground without stopping, passing right next to the ice cream truck without getting a cone, or watching other kids blow out candles on their birthday cake while she can't.
Then there are the dreaded hand dryers in public restrooms.
All these situations can result in huge meltdowns that seem to go on forever.
Sound familiar? I bet you can relate to at least a couple of these struggles.
As she got old, some of these challenges became less daunting. But just when we think we have it all figured out, new situations crop up to keep us on our toes.
My daughter finds it hard to understand what is expected of her in certain situations. It's especially tough when it comes to making friends with kids her age.
Seeing her approach other children, trying to join in on their conversations, and getting ignored or brushed off hurts me deeply.
The power of social stories
After attending some workshops on Autism and speaking with professionals and teachers in the Special Educational Needs (SEN) field, I was introduced to the concept of social stories.
As I did some more research on my own, I quickly learned just how valuable these stories can be for children with Autism who rely on visual cues and routine to understand the world around them.
My very first social story
As someone who's never been great at drawing by hand, I figured I'd put my digital design skills to use and make some personalised social stories for my daughter. It's amazing how all those hours I spent tinkering around on Figma finally paid off!
After making some stories. I thought, why not share them with other parents and caregivers? And that's how I got the idea for this newsletter.
Here’s how the magic happens!
Every week, I will share a new social story with you.
You can download and print the story. You and your child can then have a blast personalising it.
Here’s how.
Voila! Your child now has their very own custom social story.
I'm really hoping these stories will make life a bit easier for them and help them understand challenging situations better.
And hey, if there's a tough situation that your child is struggling with, just give me a shout in the comments and I'll create a story just for them.
Know someone with a child on the spectrum?
Perhaps you can make a difference in their life by passing this along to them. Share with others and spread the goodness.
