Kylie Cares. Connection and Coaching.

31/12/2025

ASD v ADHD - New Year’s Eve edition

I’ve been soaking up a solo camping escape … my first one with power and in a caravan park with actual perks.
Normally I’m off-grid by a river, perfectly content with a bush wee and zero humans, not a code-locked bathroom 🤣

And honestly… I’ve really embraced this change.

Until tonight.

It’s New Year’s Eve.
Everyone around me is surrounded by family and friends.
The smell of BBQs starts drifting through the air.
Different music overlaps.
Cheers and giggles ripple across the park.
The waves crash.
The drinks flow.

And inside my body… things shift.

My Ritalin has worn off.
My face is beetroot red.
My nervous system is loud.
And the anxiety… the kind I didn’t even realise I carried for most of my life… starts bubbling to the surface. Deep.
Persistent.
Real.

This is where the ADHD part of me wants stimulation, connection, novelty.
And the autistic part of me wants quiet, predictability, safety.

So my brain starts negotiating:

Do I cocoon myself beside my swag?
Do I disappear into my second book (after already finishing The Body Keeps the Score)?
Do I retreat to the beach and let the ocean regulate me?
Do I try to be social… awkward chats, overheating, hyper-aware that I might be intruding on someone else’s holiday space?

Or…
Do I pause.
Name what’s happening.
Let my body settle.
And share this … so someone else scrolling tonight realises they’re not broken, dramatic, rude, or “too much”.

Sometimes processing out loud isn’t attention-seeking.
It’s connection.
It’s regulation.
It’s reminding ourselves, and each other, that we’re not alone in these moments.

If tonight feels hard, confusing, lonely, loud, or overwhelming… I see you.
Your nervous system makes sense.
Your needs are valid.
And you’re allowed to meet yourself exactly where you are. ✨💛 and I’m going to read my own words over and over and over again.

30/12/2025

28/12/2025

The tug-of-war keeps coming.

27/12/2025

AuDHD and the daily tug-of-war continued

24/12/2025

I want you to hear this gently…
You’re allowed to honour your needs this Christmas too.
Being Neurodivergent in the busiest, loudest, most demanding time of year is a lot.
So please, go softly with yourself.

If celebrating means staying home, eating your safe foods, and watching a movie instead of socialising… that is a valid Christmas.
If you do go out and start to feel overwhelmed, take a walk outside.
Go watch the kids play to avoid adult small talk.
Wear the clothes that feel comfortable … not the ones that look “festive but itchy.”
Bring your favourite snacks, your fidget, your sensory aids.
Your comfort is not negotiable.

Create your own regulation toolbox: breathwork, grounding, scripts, stims, music, whatever helps.
Use it freely.
You don’t need permission to take care of yourself.

And please remember…
It’s okay if you come home afterwards and cry in the shower.
That doesn’t mean you failed.
It means you held it together in a world that wasn’t built for your nervous system.

You’re doing your best.
You’re allowed to put you, and your family first.
And your version of Christmas is more than enough. 💫🥰

24/12/2025

Hey beautiful parents please take a deep breath in and out.

This season can feel like a lot … for us and for our NeuroSparkly little ones. So this is your reminder: you’re allowed to honour your child’s needs, even if it means doing Christmas differently.

If Christmas this year looks like a picnic on the lounge room floor and a movie instead of a big family gathering … then that is perfect.
If your child only wants their usual safe foods instead of the fancy festive ones … let them. Food is nourishment, not a performance.

And when you do go out, set yourselves up for success.
Pack the weighted blanket. Bring the magnetic tiles, colouring books, the iPad, whatever helps them regulate.
Let them hum.
Let them flap.
Let them twirl.
And please, don’t force kisses, hugs, or eye contact.
Connection is not measured by compliance … it’s measured by feeling safe.

Have a little regulation toolbox ready, simple strategies you’ve practiced together before you go. And if you’re comfortable, teach one or two to someone at the gathering so they can help support your little spark too.

You are not ruining Christmas by protecting your child’s nervous system.
You are creating a Christmas they feel safe in.
And that matters more than anything.

You’re doing an incredible job.

23/12/2025

The daily AuDHD Tug-of-War Part 3 💫✨

22/12/2025

✨ The Daily Tug-of-War of Being NeuroSparkly (AuDHD Edition) ✨
A little peek into the beautifully chaotic, wonderfully wired opposite-pulling patterns so many of us live with every single day…

🧠 Autism: “Routine brings peace. Let’s do things the same way.”
⚡️ ADHD: “But what if we did EVERYTHING DIFFERENT just to feel something?”

🌈 Autism: “I love my safe foods. Same texture, same flavour, same brand.”
🔥 ADHD: “Also me: suddenly has an ick and never wants that food again. Ever.”

🧩 Autism: “Let’s hyperfocus on one project at a time.”
🎇 ADHD: “Great idea… but also here are twelve new passions I just discovered in the last 47 seconds.”

🌙 Autism: “Socialising is exhausting. Can we stay home?”
🌞 ADHD: “Let’s impulsively sign up to five events this weekend!”
💥 Both: “Why are we like this?”

🌬️ Autism: “I need stillness, sensory calm, predictable vibes.”
🌪️ ADHD: “Chaos brain says LET’S GO, MOVE, DO, NOW.”

📦 Autism: “Structure helps me feel safe.”
🎉 ADHD: “Spontaneity makes me feel alive.”
✨ You: “Okay… I guess we’re doing both… at once… forever.”

And yet … this NeuroSparkly blend is magic.
It’s creativity meets depth.
Energy meets intuition.
Chaos meets clarity.
It’s learning to honour both sides, not choose between them.

If you recognise this daily tug-of-war, you’re not alone, you’re beautifully wired, wonderfully complex, and absolutely allowed to create a life that supports all your sparkles. ✨💛

22/12/2025

Sending hugs, sparkles and thanks to everyone I had the pleasure of coaching this year, shared resources to, spent time with and gave support too.
Have an amazing Christmas and give yourself permission to take a deep breath, drop your shoulders, release and acknowledge all of the amazing things you have achieved this year.

19/12/2025

💫 Oops… I did it again.
Completely exhausted after moving classrooms in disgusting heat.
Last day of term emotions farewelling my kindergarten kids as they head into Year 7, with a few of my 1/2s mixed in too. My cup was empty.

And yet… meet them where they’re at.

10:30pm.
Christmas movie done. Ready for sleep.
Marshall pulls out the chess board. ♟️Instant dread , I was sure this would end in MY tears.

Lesson two happened.

I remembered how the pieces move.
He gently quizzed me.
Helped me see the whole board, not just my moves but his.
Questioned my choices with patience and offered quiet hints.

He could’ve won more than once… but he didn’t.
(Even when I begged so I could go to sleep 😅)

1:30am.
My finger flicking around the board.
Eyes darting.
Talking through the why and why not.

The game ended with an impressed nod and a handshake.
I technically won.

Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Connection always wins … and I’m so blessed to be his mumma ✨💛

13/12/2025

Storms feel like a reset button for my nervous system.
A deep exhale.
A clean slate.
In one of the videos I took you can literally hear me.

I don’t know why they make me smile like an absolute idiot, but every storm feels like a quiet nod from the universe just for me 🌸💫

So here I am… as always.
Standing in the rain.
Listening to the sky drum its rhythm.
Watching the spectacular light show unfold.

Grateful heart wide open,
feet doing a tiny happy dance,
and my whole nervous system whispering thank you. ✨