Sakeenah on the Spectrum

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." - John Muir All of our kids have been camping since they were two or younger. It's important for us to regularly disconnect from all the pressures and obligations of our busy lives. I feel like all the artificial stress we place upon ourselves cause us to forget ourselves -- to forget why we're here, who put us here, what's truly important. Camping is strenuous, too, but in a very different way than regular life. Camping brings us back to our origins; we feel the stress of survival that all humans have felt since the creation of Adam (as), while at the same time, reconnecting with the earth and sky. We remember Who created it all. We've getting ready to leave for our fall camping trip this week. A lot of people think of camping as just a fun family trip, but it means a lot more to me. It's much more than just a getaway -- it's a chance to reset, reconnect, and reflect. We...

  When everyone else is headed back to school, our family is usually looking for something fun to do to celebrate the new school year, while doing whatever we can to not sit inside reading textbooks. Last year we did a family escape room for the first day of school. This year, we're going camping. We love September camping. The trees are starting to change colours. It's usually not too hot, not too cold, with a crisp breeze. And most of all, the bugs are a lot less annoying. This year we're going up north, far away from the city, so we can have some much-needed silence and dark skies. I don't know if it's a neurodiverse thing or just an us-thing, but my kids and I really need that silence and darkness. I feel like there's a constant buzz in the air in the city. It's so refreshing to have a break from that and I think it's the best way to start the school year. We have gone camping with our kids since they were very young. They were all two or younger the...

Books have a way of bringing people together. This past Saturday, we held our first book club meeting at our home. It was so nice to watch the girls interact and have deep discussions, without the inevitable crash that always followed other activities. As an autistic homeschooler with neurodiverse kids, it's been hard to find social activities that don't drain them. This book club was just that, though -- a purely social activity that wasn't overwhelming or overstimulating, and didn't really in any meltdowns, shutdowns, or social migraines. I started the book club because my kids really needed some social activities that weren't draining, and needed a chance to make some deeper friendships. I posted in our homeschool group, asking if there was any interest in a book club where there's no lesson attached and no games/crafts/etc associated with the meeting. Literally just a bunch of girls ages 10-14 getting together and talking about a book. I was so h...