Sarah and I are going to spend a day - March 31 - being non-verbal.

No speaking. No messages. No emails. No formal communications whatsoever.

You see, our wonderful son Junior is nearly 6, and is non verbal. He can't speak, he can't write, and he certainly can't send an email. He has to find ways of communicating his needs, and probably goes without a lot of his wishes being met. 

We are going to spend a day in his shoes, trying to eat out, go shopping, and doing the stuff we'd normally do, but in his shoes*, to help raise awareness of Autism during Autism Acceptance Week. We're not going to make it easy for ourselves, instead, we are going to try and put ourselves in the 'real world' but without communication.

Some of you will know that I'm a keynote speaker and spend a lot of time crafting the written word, through writing books, articles and social media posts. And Sarah is almost as talkative as me! This is going to be a challenge for us both to express our feelings, emotions, wants etc to each other and to the outside world. 

Please dig deep and support the wonderful charity we have chosen, Swings & Smiles, who do amazing things to help children with additional needs.

Please note, a small exception will be made for Sarah during the late afternoon once Junior is collected from school, where she will only communicate with him, as he won't understand why she is silent and it would be unduly upsetting.

*we will be nowhere near in his shoes - as we can cross roads safely, are aware of dangers, can pick up non-verbal cues, are not overwhelmed by sensory issues, etc. But, this will be a step towards understanding his world.