In this episode, Joanne Hatchard takes us through the preparation process for taking her autistic son Gilbert for a blood test. As an unwanted and painful activity, this seemingly quick 10-minute appointment takes 2-3 months to prepare for in Joanne's family as she addresses a whole myriad of questions around the procedure so that Gilbert, a sensory profile autism, can feel safe expressing his emotions and actions during the appointment. The preparation process involves in-depth conversations on how the body works, what blood does, the needle used in the procedure and how much blood is in the human body. This understanding through important discussion is an essential element paired with Gilbert experiencing the procedure by watching videos... these things ensure there are no surprises on the day, a crucial part of the lead-up to the test. Joanne uses her infectious laugh to recount her Mum’s parenting style of ‘bribery & corruption’ (read: positive reward) in her childhood and how that has transferred and worked effortlessly well to break through the barriers of brave with Gilbert, so he has a constant and combining reminder of what he receives once the unwanted activity has been completed. Jo also takes us through her hack for helping Gilbert shift to new tasks, and helpfully likens autism to understanding cross-cultural boundaries. Jo candidly reveals the fullness of her self-care cup is starkly mirrored back to her based on her responses to Gilbert’s behaviour... imparting on us that living life with an ASD child may be challenging but is incredibly inspiring!