Laura Guckian says the festive season can be "very challenging" for both her and her three kids. A "happy Christmas" for them means abandoning most customs - but for her autistic family, that is what works. When Laura's second son, Alex, 4, wasn't speaking by 18 months, she became "suspicious". Despite encountering some resistance from doctors, Alex was eventually diagnosed with autism.
Suspecting it might be genetic, Laura had her eldest son, Leo, 8, assessed - even though he didn't exhibit the same symptoms as Alex. Surprisingly, Leo was diagnosed with both autism and ADHD, often referred to as AuDHD, leading Laura to receive her own AuDHD diagnosis shortly afterwards. When her daughter Anna, 3, displayed similar traits to Alex, she was also diagnosed with autism at the age of two.
For this neurodivergent family, Christmas poses "extremely challenging" obstacles. The holiday season disrupts their routines, and without school, Laura's children feel even more displaced than usual. To make it a little more bearable, they maintain their regular daily activities during the festive period, gladly forgoing most traditions.
Now the host of the Momfessions podcast has revealed her unique approach to the festive season. She said: "At Christmas time as their mum, my role is very much to keep as much of the routine as we possibly can. "Fewer surprises, less travelling around. In order for us to have a happy Christmas, we’re kind of doing the opposite of most people and just keeping it really boring.
