An Atypical Life
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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from An Atypical Life, Educational consultant, Perth.
The rare moment he stops running š āļø
Does anyone else feel like they lose their 360-degree awareness the moment they put headphones on? šš§
My brain and body absolutely love the reduction in noise and sensory overload. But at the same time, I can feel physically overwhelmed - as though Iām no longer fully oriented to everything happening around me.
I can see whatās in front of me, but without all those background sounds, I lose part of the sensory map that tells me where people are, what is moving and what might be happening beyond my direct line of sight.
For a long time, I assumed this was entirely a nervous system and trauma response - the need to remain hyperaware of my surroundings and know what was happening at all times.
And, of course, thereās the parenting layer: needing to hear where everyone is in the house, what theyāre doing and whether that mysterious silence means someone is happily playingā¦ or climbing a piece of furniture. š
But more recently, Iāve realised it isnāt only hypervigilance. Itās also part of my sensory profile.
Hearing isnāt just about processing sound. Our brains use auditory information to help map the space around us - locating movement, noticing what is outside our visual field and predicting what might happen next. When earbuds reduce those cues, the brain may compensate by increasing visual scanning, muscle tension and alertness.
So while the environment is technically quieter, my nervous system may not experience it as calmer. It can feel less predictable and require even more effort to monitor.
Both things can be true: reducing sound can support one sensory need while making another part of me feel less oriented and secure.
And honestly, I love that even now - despite constantly supporting other people to understand their sensory profiles - I am still learning about my own. š
Sensory needs are rarely as simple as ālikes noiseā or ādoesnāt like noise.ā Sometimes the same support can be regulating in one way and dysregulating in another.
Our sensory profiles are layered, contextual and always worth remaining curious about. š
Does anyone else experience this when wearing headphones? š
17/09/2026
š± SUPPORT WHILE YOU WAIT š±
We know how exhausting it can feel when your family needs support, but services are unavailable, unaffordable or still months away.
Families deserve practical, respectful guidanceāeven while they wait.
Weāre giving one family a GROW at Home Family Resource Pack, including:
āØ 5 x Neuroaffirming picture books, card deck and resources
āØ Printable worksheets and visual supports
āØ Access to our Raising Neurodivergent Children parenting-program recordings
Valued at ~$500
To enter:
Simply visit the below link and add your first name and email. Thatās it.
https://tinyurl.com/kfhyn64j
š Not entering, but know someone who might benefit and want to help?
Sharing this post may help it reach a family who is waiting for support and unsure where to begin.
Entries are free and close at 11.59pm 30th September 2026. Open to Australian parents and carers aged 18+.
The winner will only be contacted by [email protected]. We will never request payment or banking information.
This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram or Facebook.
āI canāt do this todayā does not mean āI canāt do this.ā
Resharing as this has been popping up in conversations in our own household again this week.
For our kids especially - we need to support the capacity they have today, without placing limits on the capability they may have tomorrow.
This includes even their ability to self advocate, when they lose their voice š¤
(Edit to add: we had a beautiful teacher this year who really listened and took onboard for what mr L had said and he had a great year š«¶)
This year, Iāve quietly stepped away from roles I held for years and spaces I once gave so much of myself to.
Yes, my capacity is limited and our familyās support needs have increased. Some days, my priority is simply living and surviving- making life sustainable enough that my children continue to have their mum.
But capacity is only part of the story.
Some spaces remain inaccessible, even to me, despite years of contribution and clear guidance about removing barriers. It isnāt that I canāt do these things or no longer want to. I miss them more than people probably realise.
What became unsustainable was navigating our familyās barriers while also carrying responsibility for making the space inclusive. Too often, the person experiencing exclusion must identify the barrier, explain it, offer the solution and keep following it upā¦ while too few others take ownership.
Inclusion cannot keep sitting with the people it affects most. It must be a shared, whole-community responsibility.
When someone stops turning up, itās easy to create a story: they lost interest, became unreliable or stopped caring. It takes more curiosity to ask what made it difficult for them to stay, which barriers remained and what support was missing.
Absence isnāt always disengagement. Sometimes it is the clearest feedback a space will receive.
Iām still a giver, helper and supporter. I still care and want to contribute. For now, Iām giving in smaller amounts and protecting our peace and investing my energy in my family and spaces where we consistently feel welcomed and safe.
Family first. Always. š¤
04/09/2026
Warning: Carol is not a casual-contact person. š
She will ask one innocent question and somehow, 45 minutes later, youāll be discussing disability rights, neuroaffirming practice, systemic reform, a new community initiative, three grant opportunities and a program she has already mentally built, branded and written the implementation plan for.
She has an extremely low tolerance for bu****it, performative inclusion, āweāve always done it this way,ā and anyone describing themselves as neuroaffirming immediately before telling an autistic child to stop moving and comply.
Do not casually say, āSomeone should really do something about that.ā Carol will do something about it. There will be a framework. Possibly a training program. Definitely a Canva resource. And by Tuesday there may be a website.
She notices systems, inconsistencies and gaps that other people somehow walk straight past. If a policy says one thing while actual practice does another, unfortunately for everyone involved, she has already noticed.
She is fiercely protective of kids, families and people whose voices are routinely minimised. If you mistreat a vulnerable person, particularly a child, you are about to discover just how thoroughly one woman can research legislation, policy, human rights obligations and organisational governance.
Also, donāt mistake warmth, humour or informality for a lack of expertise. Thatās an expensive error.
She is simultaneously running approximately 46 projects, raising a family, answering emails she absolutely should have delegated, designing resources at midnight, advocating for systemic change and announcing, āI just had another ideaā¦ā
Those words should frighten you.
Because the idea will be good.
And somehow you now have an action item. š
03/09/2026
Content note: su***de and mental health.
What many people see: someone presenting, advocating, parenting, supporting and showing up.
What they donāt see: sometimes, just getting out of bed took every ounce of energy I have.
They donāt see a nervous system carrying trauma, an atypical brain navigating environments not built for it, or the internal battles beneath articulate words.
More often than people realise, life becomes a one-day-at-a-time choice:
Today, I choose to live.
And I know I am not alone in this experience. But many fear talking about it and the repercussions this may have because of the stigma associated with it.
Neurodivergence is not mental illness. But neurodivergent people often also experience depression, anxiety, trauma and suicidality. And that interconnectedness can be disabling.
Across 36 studies of autistic and possibly autistic people without intellectual disability, pooled estimates were 34% for suicidal thoughts and 24% for attempts or behaviours. These numbers are scary. And they are creeping into our experiences of young people. Research also links distress with cumulative stress, masking, exclusion and unmet support needs - often first experienced in as young as our primary school years.
The battle is exhausting. And too often, the help offered does not fit.
Generic mental health strategies can miss sensory and communication needs, executive functioning, identity, trauma and the family system. When they donāt fit, we may feel we are brokenā¦rather than recognising that the support failed to understand us and our whole experience.
One that recognises burnout, shutdown and withdrawal as information - not personal failure.
My journey is ongoing and it is why I am so passionate about my work.
And why our GROWā¢ framework is more than training.
It is personal. And itās professional.
We need better, support systems and environments to keep our children safe. And that starts with listening to our neurodivergent adults.
If this feels close to home, please donāt carry it alone.
Tell one person. Rest. Connect in ways that feel safe for you
When every time you leave the house feels like youāve run a marathonā¦ š
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