Written by Cheryl Bedding, Aperion SEND Training and Consultancy. When we think of a child with additional needs, challenging behaviours, special needs or delayed development what do we think? Do we think what can we learn from them, how fascinating, how amazing to see the world differently from everyone else, how can they enhance my life? Probably not. It’s more likely that we think or see barriers, we see problems, we see how this will affect the way we work, the time we need to give for support, the possible referrals process and the challenges the child will be facing.

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Resilience is the skill of ‘bouncing back’ when you come up against tricky times, challenges, or stress. It is not something that you do or don’t have, it is something which is learnt, practiced, and strengthened over time. Our children have to learn resilience starting from a very young age and this is often developed (and experienced) through their play.

Written by Alina Lynden, ERIC, The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity. Stool withholding and delaying emptying the bladder are both issues which can cause a huge amount of stress and confusion to families, but help is out there. In this blog I explain why withholding can happen, the effect it can have on your child's body and behaviour and what you can do to help them to relax and feel more positive about going to the loo.

Written by Muddy Puddles. Do you love the outdoors but want some inspiration about fun things to do as a family this Spring? Check out these top 10 ideas from Muddy Puddles!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Has your child suddenly started to say, “I’m scared!”, “I don’t like the dark”, or “I’m scared of the dark”? If so, please be reassured that this is a very normal phase of development and can be experienced by lots of children, their parents and carers. Most often the biggest impact of this can be around bedtimes where little ones are typically on their own and it is dark. This sense of fear can have an impact on sleep, bedtimes or even cause waking in the night.

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Trying to get your little one into a car seat can often require a great deal of patience and negotiation at times! This can leave us feeling hugely frustrated, especially when we are in a hurry!

In this blog I look at why this might be happening and what things you can do to help the situation.

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. When it comes to mealtimes can you be sure that your little one is sitting comfortably? We can often find that babies, toddlers and older children can fidget at mealtimes, want to climb out of a highchair or refuse to use the chair that you are suggesting.

For our children to eat well they also need to be sitting comfortably, but what do I mean by this?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. This is something that most parents have to deal with at some time or another with their child/ren and family members. Hugs and kisses are a way in which we show our affection to each other and often, as adults, we will greet people or say goodbye with a hug or a kiss, but we often know when not to as this isn’t something everyone feels comfortable with.

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant.Bedtime and the lead up to it can feel like quite a juggling act especially when you have more than one child to do your bedtime routine with.

This time of the day is often when we want things to be calm and to be able to give our children opportunities for one-to-one time, but it doesn’t always happen that way! At the end of the day everyone (including you!) is tired, and bedtime might not always go as you would hope…but that’s ok! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself - it can take time to find what works and it will evolve over time as your little ones get older.

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. They say that moving house can be one of the most stressful things you can do…if you then add in supporting children when moving house, it really can be a challenging time! In this blog I am going to give you some ideas as to how you can make the whole process easier for your child/ren and you!