About Kerri Stocks

I  think when we have a baby we have expectations of how they will grow up and what we will instill in them as parents etc, so far to the point that we can look at this little bundle and see what they are going to become as an adult.

Unfortunately it just does not work out that way – within our little bundle lies a unique individual with differences that are not spoken about when we are parents.  This is unfortunate because it can bring shame and guilt and so as parents we isolate ourselves, exclude ourselves and our families from socializing and resentment can slowly build along with our self esteem as parents can diminish.

Well this is how it was for me.  Our son presented with overt negative behaviours that we just did not understand, nor did we like nor did others!

Some of the behaviours were;

• Running away – unexpectedly straight across busy roads!!

• Self-harming

• Suicide

• Hitting of the head

• Pinching others

• Hitting others

• Throwing shoes around classroom

• Rolling on floor throughout class lessons

And heaps more!

As a new mum I was absolutely isolated and confused.  None of the ‘professionals’ knew why – oh they had their ‘stock standard’ theories – yet we still walked out of their offices with no solutions and what they did suggest made no impact on our son nor our family unit.  The ‘professionals’ available also shut down over holidays, stopped when they assumed no one could help our son, and basically we were alone.

That’s when I decided to go to University and specialize in specific areas in order to help my family unit become a healthy unit, not a depressing unit.  I learnt so much and I also delved into areas of research that ‘systems’ do not, and that is why I can offer what others either don’t or can’t.

Gaining these qualifications in specialised industries allows me to work with families in restructuring their behaviours while specialising in Disabilities with the main focus being on ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder in the areas mentioned below:

• Behaviour Management

• Development of strategies – both holistic and research-backed.

• Communication

• Analysis of problems and appropriate problem solving strategies to suit all needs, diversity and environments.

• High-level policy and planning

• Advocacy - encompassing private settings, public agencies and/or community services.

For the first time ever I was able to connect with my child, talk to him without any negative hurtful reactions, and basically I could begin to enjoy my child.

I started WotsNormal because there are so many boxed ideas out in society of how humans are meant to look, appear, act, etc and this can cause great distress to parents who genuinely just want to enjoy their families.  These boxed theorized expectations led me, as a mum, to follow so many different strategies that were not based on realistic human capabilities and also led me down the path of guilt, resentment and pain/sadness.

WotsNormal was my way of showing my son that ‘Normal’ is a fallacy – it does not exist,
and it was something that we as a family were not going to successfully mould to.

Of course we need specific behaviours to socialize, interact and to better our future success, but it doesn’t mean our personality has to be altered and manipulated into becoming what theorists say humans should or shouldn’t be like.

WotsNormal was developed during my academic years to assist parents in enjoying their families and to assist them in shutting out the fallacies that lay deep within our current developed ‘systems’, whether that be education institutions, shopping environments, social environments – even the family home.

Sometimes as parents we don’t feel like we have the knowledge or intelligence to help our children evolve successfully, and so we turn to people who are made available to us through these ‘systems’, but unfortunately these people are system-based and have not necessarily experienced life with a child who has significant ‘differences’.

WotsNormal was developed by a real mum to help other parents realise that they hold the power, knowledge and the most important key for assisting their children evolve.  And I am here to help you not only identify and build the talents you hold, but I will also help you implement them and to put situations into a fresh but correct perspective.

Click Here to learn more about my new book for parents
“A Parent’s Guide to Living with ASD”