The start of a new year can feel like the start of a new exercise book or a fresh chalkboard. For me, it has felt like a continuation of sorts. I haven't marked the end of 2011 with any lists of favourite things or drawn up any new year's resolutions for myself. It's all one year, man. Ha ha hah a!

It's that time of the year again and I am taking the plunge; growing a mo for the second time. Last year was a lot of fun when the whole band decided to it for the first time. I also got a kick out of being a part of the whole thing, rather than just being a spectator/donator. There's a real camaraderie between Mo Bro's and the little nods back and forth between fellas of varying moustache quality was cool to watch. It was kind of like being in the film The Sting. Especially at Grill'd Burgers!

Rhona and I recently attended APAC11, the Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2011, which was put on by the Autism Association of WA and held in Perth's own Burswood Entertainment Complex. It was a pretty packed few days, but a valuable experience. We were at the inaugural APAC09, which was in Sydney and it was quite different for a number of reasons. At the point only Alyssa was diagnosed with autism; Lachlan's diagnosis followed in April 2010. We were both very new to the world of autism and we were overwhelmed by the information, findings, recommendations, anecdotes and innovations. One thing that disgusted us back then were the groups who saw autism as a cash cow and sold untested therapy packages to vulnerable parents at an exorbitant price. One of the biggest challenges facing parents caring for a child with autism is that there is no guarantee that any particular form of therapy will help your autistic child; every child with autism is different. What works for child may not work for another, so a lot of parents sort through the mountain of therapies, taking a piece of one. You want to give your children every opportunity to overcome their difficulties with socialisation and communication, but it can get quite stressful. There is funding available in some areas, but learning tools and teaching aids can be expensive.

There's no reason to write this blog. I just felt the need to type some letters and have them form some sort of coherent musing. It's been a little while since my last entry, which was just transferred verbatim from my journal; a cheat's blog, if you will. I had done quite well there for a spell. As much as I enjoyed doing a blog everyday in November last year, it was tough to keep it up. Doing a blog every month or so doesn't seem good enough either; there's got to be a happy medium.