Autism and the Law

29/10/2025

🌻 To Every Parent Starting
This Journey 🌻

I’m a mom of a 15-year-old autistic boy. For 13 years we’ve been on this journey — and yes, there were more challenges than I ever thought possible to survive. There were times when just getting through the day felt like the only goal.

But we embraced every phase. Like any parent, I didn’t want to wish the stages away — I wanted to experience them. Our milestones just looked different. Many came through hours of therapy — sometimes three different kinds at once — and we celebrated every single one.

These kids learn resilience. They learn commitment. They learn to work harder than most, because for them, life will always take a little more effort.

Parents often ask me: How did you know? When did you realize? What did you do? Where did you even start?
The truth? It’s HARD. It’s soul-crushingly hard at first.

My answer is always the same:
Take a moment. Breathe. Cry if you need to — then start educating yourself.
Because from now on, you’ll be educating everyone else too — teachers, therapists, family, friends.
Learn your child’s neurodiversity. He or she is still an individual, with a personality and traits from you. Get to know your child.

From this point forward, you are their voice, their buffer, until they can start facing the world one tiny step at a time.
It’s not a race, and there’s no “fixing.” There’s only ongoing growth — for you, your child, your household, your family, even your friends.

After 15 years, I can look back and say: Thank you, God, for this treasure you entrusted to us.
Because no amount of personal growth would’ve happened without him.
Yes, the teenage years bring new challenges — but they also bring laughter, personality, and joy beyond words.

💛 After years of learning everything I could about autism, I recently joined a 10-week course through the HEART Program by Malaika House.
After the first session, I cried so hard — Where was this knowledge 13 years ago?!

Each week brought more understanding, support, and connection than I expected. I saw how the course empowers parents, family members, and professionals alike to truly understand autism — and to support both the child and the parent.

Now, because of the wonderful feedback and interest, another course will be hosted over two Saturdays, 15 & 22 November.
If you’re a parent, therapist, tutor, classroom assistant, or simply someone who wants to understand and support — this is for you.

📞 Please contact the number on the flyer to book your place.
It’s not just so educational but also an investment that truly changes how you see and support your child — and yourself.

Paulette Slabber
Mother extraordinaire, a message of hope.



https://www.facebook.com/share/19tWvZ64Wp/

31/08/2025

Welcome to Neurodivergence 2030 — a bold new global initiative led by Dr. Emile Gouws.In this powerful video, Dr. Gouws, an internationally recognized disabi...

23/08/2025

https://jellybeanz.podia.com/view/courses/trauma-informed-care-for-children-who-have-experienced-abuse-a-practical-guide-for-helping-professionals/3230654-chapter-2-the-neurobiology-of-trauma-in-children-with-adverse-childhood-experiences/10523345-chapter-2-mp4

I would highly recommend parents of autistic children doing this free online course, you have until the end of August to do it for free.

15/05/2025

Neurodiversity and Children's Rights
View my presentation here.

Check out this Presentation designed by Thersia Smit.

01/05/2025

29/03/2025

In the quest to learn more, keep up with what our children are exposed to on the internet, chat groups, apps and gaming platforms I came across this periodic table which was recently sent to parents by the Liverpool Police.



During adolescence, children grapple with identity development, a crucial period of self-discovery and exploration, where they form a sense of who they are, what they value, and their place in the world, often experiencing a "Who am I?" crisis.

Key Aspects of Adolescent Identity Development:

Erikson's Stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion:

Psychologist Erik Erikson identified adolescence as a stage where individuals face a major psychosocial conflict: identity versus role confusion.

https://lnkd.in/dBHpJGHp

Successful Resolution: Leads to a strong sense of self and a clear understanding of their values, beliefs, and goals.

Unsuccessful Resolution: Can lead to role confusion, a weak sense of self, and difficulties in making decisions and forming relationships.

Factors Influencing Identity Development:

Social and Cultural Influences: Family, peers, media, and societal expectations play a significant role in shaping an adolescent's identity.

Personal Experiences: Adolescents explore different roles, activities, and beliefs to discover what resonates with them.

Cognitive Development: As adolescents mature cognitively, they are better able to think abstractly and reflect on their own values and beliefs.

https://lnkd.in/dYuxsYye.

Examples of Identity Exploration:

Trying new activities: Adolescents may experiment with different sports, hobbies, or clubs to find what interests them.

Exploring different values and beliefs: They may question their family's values and beliefs and develop their own perspectives.

Experimenting with different identities: Adolescents may try out different looks, behaviors, or affiliations to see which ones fit them best.

Importance of Identity Development:

Positive Self-Esteem: A strong sense of identity is linked to higher self-esteem and a positive self-image.

Psychosocial Well-being: Successful identity development is crucial for overall mental and emotional well-being.

Future Relationships: A clear sense of self can help adolescents form healthy and fulfilling relationships.

Future Goals: Identity development helps adolescents set realistic goals and make informed decisions about their future.

https://lnkd.in/dRBZP6ku

In summary, adolescence is a critical period for identity development, where individuals explore their sense of self, experiment with different roles and beliefs, and ultimately form a coherent and meaningful sense of who they are.

Hope the periodic table of emoji's can help you too.

23/01/2025

Concessions for learners with different needs, all people learn differently, some of 'us' just need to be intricately motivated to be more focussed.

Equality in education, should not only be seen as inclusiveness, it should address the development of the child in all aspects, to grant a child accommodations or concessions should not be seen as 'grants' to assist a 'slow learner' or a child who has failed but should be pro-actively implemented when the need is first seen or known.

The SAIS policy in main stream schools are often only implemented when a child has failed, or has struggled, only then can the evaluation start, by that time the child's spirit is broken, his or her self image is that of someone that believes he or she is not able.

He or She has been the victim of peer ridicule, the boy or girl that works slowly (but actually just want everything to be perfect), the boy or girl that struggles to speak (but actually have a wealth of words and knowledge inside their very intelligent brain)... I can continue, as I have seen this with my two younger boys.

Oh boy oh boy, when they talk, they share their very informative, academically supported, knowledge with me and that blows my mind.

23/01/2025

"A child with special education needs, need that one special teacher and a village to see his or her potential, like our lady justice is blindfolded in the search for the truth and for justice, this village should too be blindfolded to the disability but see the potential, the abilities and search for methods to enhance learning in different ways, all children can learn, some just learn differently, so abandon the concept of special needs, start seeing different abilities and embrace that and nurture this in that child"

The above beautifully encapsulates the essence of inclusion and equity in education. Every child deserves to be seen not through the lens of their challenges but through the infinite possibilities of their abilities.

Just as Lady Justice is blindfolded to ensure fairness and impartiality, educators, families, and communities must also blind themselves to biases or limitations and instead focus on the unique strengths each child brings.

Abandoning the label of "special needs" shifts the narrative from focusing on deficits to embracing diversity in learning styles and approaches. This mindset fosters innovation, creativity, and a nurturing environment where all children can thrive. By working as a united "village," we create a world where no child is left behind, where differences are celebrated, and where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

23/01/2025

I am on leave, not to have a holiday, or study, but to sit with my 10 year old Autistic son, who is selectively non verbal (Selective Mutism) but is also PDA (demand avoidance).

I am his teacher and facilitator, while we do the work to get him admitted and accepted in a school for grade 4.

See he talks to me, but not to anyone else, so schools just say, but how is he going to communicate, how are we going to teach him .... simple, no ....

He is extremely clever, he has more general knowledge than what is expected from a Grade 4 student, he just does not talk...

Today we did Life skills, Science and Technology, Social Sciences (History and Geography).

In all the lessons he gave me more information than what was written in the text book (lesson plan).

You might wonder why all this info...

In the Life skills lesson we discussed role models, strengths and weaknesses. I asked him who is your role model. He took me to a Wikipedia page ...'Paul Alexander the man in the iron lungs'. We then watched a you tube video of Paul Alexander's life his tenacity and resilience.

I asked him why is Paul Alexander your roll model, he gave me the following answer:

'because no matter his obstacles, he decided that he will achieve what he wanted to do, he became a lawyer, he is my role model because he shows me that I can do it too, I can become a famous scientist, even when I struggle to talk'

We as parents worry and stress, and fight systems, to get our children the education they have a right too, but inherently they, the little ones we fight for, are so resilient and have so much tenacity...

Karla Pretorius your chat meant the world to me, the resources too, just when I was feeling like I have no answers, he gave me the answers.