CARE

The tag. The zip. The seam. Three reasons your child is late every morning.
Winter mornings with a sensory kid are a contact sport.
They are not being difficult. Their skin is giving them information yours is not.
Cut every tag. Buy seamless socks. Warm the jersey on the heater before they put it on.
And if they need to wear the summer shirt underneath let them. Pick your battles.

Send this to the teacher who thinks your child is being dramatic.
Comment your morning hack below.

The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

Rozanna Riback Hofmann

“I am not going." 4 words every autism parent has heard at 7am.
School refusal is not laziness. It is not manipulation.
It is a child whose nervous system is screaming that something feels unsafe.
The fix is not force. The fix is understanding what is hard.
Is it the noise? The people? The change in routine? The fear of getting it wrong?
Name it. Plan for it. Solve it together.
And if the first day back is half a day that is still a win.

Save this for the last week of the holidays.
Share with a parent who fights this fight every term.

The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

Rozanna Riback Hofmann

In 1976 children marched for the right to learn. In 2026 autistic kids are still waiting for a desk.
Youth Day reminds us that education is not a privilege. It is a right.
But for thousands of autistic children in South Africa there is no school.

No place. No plan. No seat.

At CARE we believe every child deserves a classroom that was built for them.
Today we honour the young people who fought for that right.
And we keep building until every child has a desk.

Share this if you believe every child deserves access to education.
Tag a young person who inspires you.

The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

Rozanna Riback Hofmann

He cannot focus for 5 minutes. Maybe the room is the problem. Not the child.
Concentration is not something you force. It is something you design for.
Clear the desk. Dim the lights. Remove the noise. Then try again.
Movement first. Learning second.
And stop chasing stillness. An engaged child who is rocking is still learning.

Tag a parent who needs to hear "the room is the problem".
Comment your best focus trick.
Written section
The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

Rozanna Riback Hofmann

Never Give Up On Your Child

Some stories stay with you.

A little boy came to C.A.R.E. non verbal at the age of three. Today he is seventeen, articulate and thriving. When his family moved cities, we helped them find the right next step, because the journey does not end at our gate.
Never give up on your child. We never did.

Different. Not less.

Stuck at home. Sensory kid. No plan. Here are 7 ideas that cost almost nothing.
1. Blanket fort with fairy lights and a book.
2. Baking. Measuring is maths. Mixing is sensory. Eating is the reward.
3. Water play in the bath with cups and funnels. Control the temperature.
4. A treasure hunt with visual clues around the house.
5. Sorting. Buttons. Beads. Pasta. Anything. Sorting calms the brain.
6. Drawing to music. Different songs make different marks.
7. A "new" toy. Hide one for a week. Bring it back. Brand new excitement.
You do not need a holiday programme. You need a plan and a kettle.

Comment your favourite rainy day activity.
Tag a parent who needs ideas for next week.

The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

Rozanna Riback Hofmann

School closes today. Your child just lost their whole routine. Here is how to survive.
Autistic kids do not do "go with the flow".

The holidays can be harder than the school term because the structure disappears overnight.
Build a visual schedule for the break. Even a simple one.

𝐖𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩. 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡. 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐞𝐝.
𝐼𝘵 𝘥𝑜𝘦𝑠 𝑛𝘰𝑡 𝑛𝘦𝑒𝘥 𝘵𝑜 𝑏𝘦 𝘳𝑖𝘨𝑖𝘥. 𝐼𝘵 𝘫𝑢𝘴𝑡 𝑛𝘦𝑒𝘥𝑠 𝑡𝘰 𝘦𝑥𝘪𝑠𝘵.

Your child is not being difficult when they melt down on day 3. They are lost without the map.
Give them the map.

Save this post. Print the schedule. Stick it on the fridge.
Tag a parent who is dreading the holidays.
Comment your best holiday survival tip.

The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

Rozanna Riback Hofmann

It is not a tantrum. It is anxiety in a body that cannot explain it.
Anxiety is the most common co-occurring condition in autism.
But it does not always look like anxiety.
It looks like a child who will not leave the car.
A child who needs to line things up before they can eat.
A child who asks the same question 47 times.
That is not OCD. That is not defiance. That is a nervous system trying to feel safe.
You cannot reason a child out of anxiety. But you can build safety around them.

Save this carousel. Read it twice.
Share with a teacher who calls it "attention seeking".

The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

He Is Known Here

Every child deserves to be known.
For five years, Thomas has been part of the C.A.R.E. family. His parents say the greatest gift is the simplest one: everyone here knows him and everyone here cares. Belonging changes everything.

Different. Not less.

He eats 5 foods. You have tried everything. Here is what you have not tried.
Fussy eating in autistic kids is not about being stubborn.
It is sensory. The texture. The colour. The temperature. The smell.
Do not force new foods. Introduce them slowly.
Put the new food on the plate next to the safe food. Do not replace anything.
Let them touch it. Smell it. Lick it. That is progress.
Five foods is a starting point. Not a dead end.

Save this for the next mealtime meltdown.
Tag a parent who needs to hear "5 foods is not failure".

The C.A.R.E Centre
Junior Campus: 30 Raglan Street, cnr 9th Avenue, Orange Grove
Senior Campus: 31 Raglan Street, Orange Grove
Junior School: +27 11 485 0335
Senior School: +27 66 208 1113
Emergency: +27 82 614 3080
[email protected] | [email protected]
www.thecarecentre.co.za

Rozanna Riback Hofmann