Parenting Lily

If I was feeling sharper I would elaborate on some physics metaphor for the motion, or lack of, that I see in Lily each day. She started this week of Easter holidays well and was happy with the 3 hours of work at 'revision school'.  I'm not hanging around trying to get her out of the door in the mornings so I know she is late but nevertheless, she makes it.  She did the same yesterday and then, you see, she was invited to the cinema with a friend.  It was a long film (Dune2).  She had the forethought to ask to go to an early evening showing and she was home by 9pm - all good.  Sadly, though, that meant the time to adjust to being home before she hands her phone in was too short.  Tears, accusations and I just knew she wouldn't make it out this morning.  It's like the primary school disco, buzzed up on flashing lights, sweets and unable to self-regulate.   She focuses on the phone and the fact we don't 'trust' her ( she also likes to remind us...

Lily is 15 and a half. She is clever and creative, articulate and reflective.   Sometimes. She is also obstinate, obstructive, rude and closed off, sometimes. It is 5 days since she was diagnosed with autism and we are now waiting to hear whether she also has ADHD.  The diagnosis was not exactly a surprise but I had prepared myself for not getting one as I thought she would struggle more if that were the outcome.  We had also both been more focused on the ADHD having gone to a talk about it together, at the beginning if January.  I didn't realise she saw ADHD as a bit more common and a bit more "socially acceptable" (her words) but I did know that an ASD diagnosis would be complicated by the fact that her older, aggressive and disruptive brother was also diagnosed 2 and a half years ago. I'm thinking for a moment - why am I measuring the half years?  well of course, it is because when you are parenting non-neuro typical kids (especially when you don't know ...