Pregnant Lauren Pope gets expert advice on signs and symptoms of autism in children
Pregnant Lauren Pope gets expert advice on signs and symptoms of autism in children

We had another live chat this week, each Tuesday we go live within the Facebook group with different experts talking about a different topic and this week was all about autism, chatting through real life experiences, knowledge and the resources and support available.

We were joined by Claire Prosser and Nikki Saunders.

Nikki is an author and works in Special Education, as well as being a mum of two.

After her son was diagnosed with autism, she found a lack of inclusion on the bookshelves about children like her son and so she wrote and published "My Awesome Autism".

She has since gone on to write more books for children about autism and resources for transitional situations and works closely with Claire, an Educational Psychologist.

Claire is also a parent to an autistic child and works with families to identify their child’s needs and support their development.

They will be talking about what autism is, how to adapt to having a child with autism and discussing the ways in which you can deal with the challenges that this may bring with it.

I must admit I was a little nervous beforehand as I was worried I would ask something they may think was silly or unintentionally insulting but both Claire and Nikki were so open and honest and put me at such ease that I felt comfortable to ask questions to try and get a better understanding of what it can be like having a child with autism.

I loved just how positive both the ladies are and have shown me and will hopefully show you that although you may have hard moments you can still provide such an amazing life for your child, it’s just a case of adjusting to your new normal.

We covered so many areas such as what signs to look out for in your child early on to be able to go and get professional advice and where is best to look locally for support.

Also how to cope if your child is having a meltdown, how to help develop your child’s communication skills, how to improve your child’s diet and also tips on helping with a better night’s sleep, I really hope so many of you find this useful.