Parenting Children with Autism

A Survey

For April Autism Awareness month in 2010 I invited parents to share their stories on my blog.  13 parents told me about 19 children. As my unfortunately belated contribution to April Autism Awareness (my excuse being a 3 month old bub :)) I thought I would share with you a collation of common responses.

Strengths

When asked what their children loved, the top 5 responses were:

1. Technology such as computer and playstation games

2. TV or cartoon characters such as Superheroes, Thomas the tank Engine and Scooby Doo.

3. Their family

4. Gross motor activities like climbing and swimming.

5. Numbers – counting, arithmatic and reading them.



When asked what their children were good at, the top 5 responses were:

1. Using technology

2. Reading

3. Numbers (counting, arithmetic)

4. Gross motor activities

5. Affection (cuddling, kissing family)



When asked to recount a special moment, the most common response was about hearing their child say “I love you”. Others told of achievements such as a good report from school, a first invitation to a play date, first words and a successful holiday.

 

Difficulties

 
When asked what their child struggled with, the top 5 responses were:


1. Social skills - such as taking turns, joining in games with others, reading body language and understanding others’ perspectives.

2. Speech and/or language.

3. Noisy and busy environments.

4. Change, transitions and new experiences.

5. Running away or showing no fear of danger.

 

The Challenge of Parenting a child with ASD

 
Another question I asked parents was about the things they themselves struggled with whilst parenting their child or children who have ASDs. The most common response was that they struggled with the attitudes of strangers towards their children. They talked about the lack of understanding of their children’s needs, especially with regards to behaviour.


For example, several parents wrote about outings “going pear shaped” as their child had a meltdown whilst trying to cope with a new environment. They received comments from strangers – and sometimes friends and family – suggesting that the child was simply being naughty and stronger discipline was needed.

Another common theme was the difficulty in balancing the needs of multiple children in the family when one or more of those children have an ASD. One parent explained that they felt bad that their “quieter” child often did not receive as much attention as their other child whose overt behaviour needed more immediate and constant attention.

The other top 3 responses to this question included the difficulties in finding funding and services, seeing their child struggle with or be sent home from school, and coping with aggression and/or meltdowns.

 

For more information on what this means, and some strategies, you can purchase an information article for AU$2 using the button below.

For other articles, children's stories and information on bullying, visit:

http://www.learn2bebuddies.com.au/

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As we head into Christmas

The count-down to Christmas has begun.
All the lights are starting to be hung.
Everywhere gatherings are beginning.
So here's some things to get you thinking...

Present-giving is such a huge part of Christmas. I remember vividly the excitement that caused sleeplessness on Christmas Eve - then the joy of finding the present at the end of the bed in the morning... Much torn wrapping later, and the day was full of new toys, food and fun.

But present-giving can also cause tension. Trying to please everyone, trying to display pleasure at inappropriate gifts, arguments over money spent, offence at gifts returned.... we all want to avoid these things.


Gift-giving and children with disabilties

I recently listened to parents of children with disabilities discuss the difficulties of presents at Christmas-time. I thought it would be good to use this blog to help build awareness of the issues that we need to consider when giving gifts to children who have special needs.

Some things you need to consider:

• Narrow interests: One thing it is important to realise is that some children with disabilities have quite narrow interests. For example, a child with autism may only use items that have Thomas the Tank engine on them.
  

• Developmental appropriateness: You need to consider the developmental appropriateness of a toy - not just its age appropriateness. For example, some children who have vision impairments use their sense of taste to continue exploring their environment long after their peers have stopped mouthing toys. This means that toys with small detachable parts that might be age appropriate will not be developmentally appropriate for the child as they could be a choking hazard. Other aspects that need to be considered are the child's intellectual, gross motor and fine motor skills. Children with disabilities such as Down Syndrome or Autism may find it more difficult to hold pencils, pick up small items and play with things that involve threading, constructing and significant muscle control in the fingers. Others may find it difficult to balance and use the gross motor skills involved in riding bikes or climbing. And others may find the cognitive challenge of some games such as puzzles, board games, card games and craft activities, beyond their cognitive ability.
  

• Sensory sensitivities: Some children with disabilities are very sensitive to certain textures, sounds and even colours. Toys that do not align with their sensitivities will not be used, and may even cause them some distress.

So how can you make sure you purchase an appropriate gift?

The easiest way is to ask parents. They will be able to tell you about the child's abilities, interests and favourite toys. And don't be offended if they give you a list of specific things or places to shop for their children.


Here are two sites that were recommended by parents:

http://www.specialneedstoys.com.au/shop/

This Australian site provides a range of toys suitable for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Communiation and Sensory Processing Disorders, ADHD, Physical Disabilities and Cognitive and Learning Delays. They have toys priced from under $5 to over $100.

The toys include a whole range of things, from puzzles to computer-based games.

http://www.amazon.com

Another parent recommended this Amazon search entitled "Bestsellers in special needs multi-sensory toys."

Spectronicsinoz also has a range of games, though they are more expensive and generally educational. Here are some examples of their games:

Spot on Games
Card Games
Switch-friendly computer games for children with physical disabilities
More computer games called Play with me

All the best for your Christmas shopping :) ... and may your Christmas be full of fun.

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Ask Amanda: Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia

Not too long ago a parent asked me to blog about Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. They were wondering what these labels meant, and what could be done to help their child.

Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia can be diagnosed alongside Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit Disorders. Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia are neurological disorders that effect the way people learn literacy and numeracy skills (NINDS, 2009; SPELD, 2008).


Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is demonstrated in a person's significant difficulty with written expression - handwriting, spelling and structuring a piece of written work.

Children with dysgraphia generally have difficulty with processing and sequencing information (Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, 2008). They may also have auditory, language and visual processing difficulties as well.

Information processing difficulties mean that children find it difficult to transfer what they are thinking onto paper. This can be because they find it hard to store the information long enough in their working memory to go through the physical process of writing it letter-by-letter, word-by-word. So what is a complex, creative story in their head, may come out as a jumble of random words and/or sentences on paper.

Sequencing difficulties mean that they find it hard to use the conventions of writing, like spelling and grammar. Proficient writers are able to spell "automatically" as they remember patterns of letters and shapes of words, thus not having to really pay attention to each individual letter in a word. This frees up a lot of working memory so that they are able to write fluently and focus on making meaning rather than spelling. For children with sequencing difficulties, it means that they will struggle to make meaning because they have to focus to much on each letter.

The same goes for grammar. Proficient writers most of the time use grammatical patterns without having to actually think about it. But children with sequencing difficulties will struggle to put their ideas on paper as well as follow the conventions of writing.

For children with auditory processing difficulties, they will struggle to use sounds to help check spelling. For children with language processing difficulties, who may think in pictures or concepts rather than words, it will be very difficult to translate their ideas into writing. For children with visual processing difficulties, it would be very difficult for them to use visual cues such as the shape of letters and words.


A Sample

You can see a sample of writing from a child with dysgraphia at http://dyslexia.learninginfo.org/dysgraphia.htm


Next time... I will discuss Dyscalculia...


Links used in this blog post:

http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/dysgraphia.html

http://www.dyslexia-speld.com/LearningDisabilities/WhatisDysgraphia/tabid/90/language/en-AU/Default.aspx

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dysgraphia/dysgraphia.htm

http://dyslexia.learninginfo.org/dysgraphia.htm

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The rage and recovery stages

Following on from the previous post, the next two stages in the rage cycle include the rage stage, then the recovery stage (Myles & Southwick, 2005).


The Rage Stage

It is at this stage that you will see uncontrolled, explosive behaviour. It could be physical, such as hitting, kicking and self-injurious behaviour. It could be verbal, with screaming and yelling of abuse. It could also be withdrawal, where the child withdraws from contact and any interaction.

This is not the moment for trying to teach new skills or redirect the child.

What should you do?

Myles and Southwick (2005) suggest a range of things including:

1. Protect: The child, property and others around the child. This could include finding non-harmful ways for the child to release adrenaline such as those suggested in the previous post.
2. Plan: Have an "exit" strategy, one that allows the child to escape from the pressures of the situation without feeling humiliated or disempowered. Use this routinely, preferably having discussed it previously in a teachable moment. This should be your crisis management plan.
   
3. Prompt: With as few words as possible, and very circumspectly, prompt the child towards there safe space (as discussed in the previous post).
   
4. Prevent a power struggle: Don't argue or respond or try to negotiate. At this stage in the rage cycle the more you say, the more the behaviour is likely to escalate. In my experience, a simple and calmly repeated phrase can help diffuse a child's anger. This could be a simple prompt towards the child's safe space.
   
5. Timer: Having a timer that provides the child with a visual prompt as to when they should stop can help them find an end to the rage stage.
   

As Myles and Southwick (2005) state, it is important (and difficult!) to remember not to take the child's behaviour personally.


The Recovery Stage

As with all stages in the rage cycle, every child will act differently at the recovery stage. Some will be so exhausted that they will fall asleep. Others will use withdrawal into fantasy or denial to remove themselves from the incident. Others will be apologetic.

What should you do?

At this stage it is likely that both adult and child are feeling fragile and emotionally drained. It is important that the recovery stage is just that - used for recovery. This stage is also not the time to discuss the incident. Don't place any demands on yourself or the child until you are absolutely sure that the recovery stage is over.

You could:

1. Rest, and allow the child to sleep.
2. Redirect the child into their special area of interest.
3. Use relaxation techniques - for example: deep breathing, stretching, blowing bubbles.
4. Give the child space if they need it.
5. Use familiar structure and routine to help settle the child.

Once you have both recovered, then you will have teachable moments where you can plan, discuss and use tools like social stories to address the reason why the meltdown happened in the first place.



References

Myles, B.S. and J. Southwick (2005). Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns. Autism Asperger Publishing Company: Kansas

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The Rumbling Stage

When dealing with meltdowns, or rage, it is important to recognise when it is possible to negotiate, re-direct or deflect the child's emotion... and when it is time to "ride it out", letting the emotion take its course. If we can catch a child/youth before the emotion takes over their reasoning or thinking power, we are more likely to prevent or minimise the meltdown (Myles and Southwick, 2005).


The Rage Cycle

According to Myles and Southwick (2005) the rage cycle includes three main stages - the rumbling stage, the rage stage, and the recovery stage. They suggest that before and after these stages teachable moments occur. Once the rage cycle starts, the opportunity for the child to learn is gone.

At this stage it is about management and, where possible, prevention of escalation.


The Rumbling Stage

Parents have often expressed to me the fact that they can tell when a meltdown is coming on. The signs could be categorised into four different categories:

• Physical signs, including fidgeting, tapping, restlessness, muscle tenseness, grimacing
• Verbal signs, like name calling, threats, grunting, increasing or decreasing volume
  
• Behavioural signs, like refusals, crying

What can we do in this stage?

Myles and Southwick (2005) identify a range of strategies that could be used in this stage. Some ideas include:

1. Provide a safe, cool down space: Help the child feel safe by moving to a space that is familiar and away from the triggers of their meltdown.
2. Provide a physical outlet: Give the child a way to get rid of the excess adrenaline that is flowing as a result of their emotion. This can be anything from squeezing a stress ball, to bouncing on a trampoline, to tearing up paper.
3. Remain calm and quiet: Don't try to reason with them, remain calm and close-by. Walk with them if necessary. For some children, touch can also be helpful.
4. Redirect: Using a child's interest it may be possible to redirect their attention and emotion. You might need to help the child re-evaluate their goals.
   
5. Use routine: Help the child get back to familiar and safe sequences of events.

But the most important thing to remember at this stage is that, as adults, it is important that we remain calm and flexible, adapting to the needs of the child as the child will not be able to be flexible once they have entered the rage cycle.


References

Myles, B.S. and J. Southwick (2005). Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns. Autism Asperger Publishing Company: Kansas

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Ask Amanda: Managing Meltdowns

At the Autism and Aspergers Support Group Inc Hawkesbury meet in July I was asked by a parent about how to manage meltdowns. There is not simple way to answer this question, though other parents did provide some suggestions. Some things that work for other parents and their children include:

• Staying calm
• Get down to your child's level and sit with them
• Speak reassuringly, assuring them they are not "in trouble"
• Hug them tightly or wrap them tightly in a blanket (for some children with Sensory Integration issues this can be comforting)

Since that time I have been reading some information on the topic. One book that I have found particularly useful is Managing Meltdowns: Using the SCARED Calming Technique with Children and Adults with Autism. It is written by Lipsky, who has been diagnosed with high functioning autism herself, and Richards.


SCARED stands for...

Safe - find an environment, or follow the child to an environment where they feel safe.

Calm - stay calm, speak calmly, talk in literal language.

Affirmation - show that you know what they are afraid of by putting it in words.

Routine - work with repetitive, routine behaviours that they may be using to help calm themselves (so long as it does not involve self-harm).

Empathy - show you are there to support and help.

Develop an intervention strategy - make a step-by-step, concrete plan for what to do if a meltdown happens again.


This month...

This month I plan to explore these six elements of responding to meltdowns in more depth.


Reference:

Lipsky, D. and Richards, W. (2009). Managing Meltdowns: Using the SCARED Calming Technique with Children and Adults with Autism. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

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Helping children self-correct and problem-solve

How do you avoid meltdowns when something changes? How do you help your child recognise that what they are doing is making others upset? How can you help a child recognise when they have said or done something that "crosses the line"? Or when someone else has done something to them that "crosses the line"?


Prepare

You are about to go to a new shopping centre. Or your child is about to go to a new school. These situations will bring up a whole range of new information that they will need to quickly process in order to behave as expected and cope.

For children with executive functioning difficulties, as mentioned previously, this will cause many difficulties (Oates & Grayson, 2004). The best thing to do is to prepare your child as much as possible for their new environment.

Talk about what is going to happen. Talk about the environment, and set relevant rules (Dodd, 2005). Further, whilst talking use video, photos, even a drive past or short preparatory visit to help them process as many things prior to the visit where possible. This will help limit the amount of new information they need to process when making choices about their behaviour.

Using repetitive patterns of language, such as if... then... statements, can also children develop an awareness of possible consequences. This means that this is one less thing that they have to think up in a difficult situation.


Rehearsal

The importance of repetition and rehearsal has been discussed previously, but it is important to recognise the significance of role play in helping children develop self-awareness and problem-solving abilities. For young children, this may be done through dress-ups and dramatic play.

For children who struggle with imaginative play, using scripts will be important. That is, teach the child to use a set phrase or set of actions in response to a situation. Older children might want to help you design a screen play and video their new skill.


Visualise


Children with executive functioning issues will need help storing the information and skills, so they need a concrete reminder to carry around with them in case of "emergencies." Ways to do this include:

• A task card
• A social story
• A comic strip
  
• A picture sequence

The bottom line is to ensure that any visuals are small enough to carry in the child's pocket or on a lanyard or key ring. They need to be immediately accessible, but hard to lose.


Teach emotions

Help children get feedback from others around them by teaching them about body language and facial expressions. You can do this through books, videos, photos and picture strips (Dodd, 2005).

Recently I borrowed a great book called Sometimes I feel....: How to Help Your Child Manage Difficult Feelings by Dr. Samantha Seymour. Apart from the great hints and tips for parents/teachers at the beginning of the book, it is full of great photos of different facial expressions and body language. It also helps build awareness of what can cause someone to feel a certain way.

For example, pages 14-19 read:

Sometimes I feel angry... like when my mummy tells me I have to eat my breakfast before I can go outside and play. Or when it's my turn and my sister won't share."

These are accompanied by relevant photos of young children. This is a great book to help children recognise what can cause others to feel angry, sad, worried and so on. Knowing this can help them self-correct more effectively.

Dodd (2005) also discusses the usefulness of video modelling. This is effective as it can be played over and over again, and can demonstrate step-by-step a process of dealing with or responding to certain emotions.

Another great strategy highlighted by Dodd (2005) on page 187 are little picture cards that include an illustration of an emotion with relevant questions (see image adapted from her examples below).


Have a crisis management plan

It is important to also anticipate difficult emotions and situations when a child may not be able to cope. Have a plan for those times.

One of the strategies that has been discussed previously is the use of a feelings thermometer. This is a visual way of helping children recognise and manage difficult emotions.



Be proactive and positive

But most importantly, we should remember to always be proactive - prepare and anticipate in order to prevent negative events as much as possible - and positive, giving praise and positive reinforcement rather than focusing on "don'ts".



References:

Dodd, S. (2005). Understanding Autism. Sydney: Elsevier.

Oates, J. & Grayson, A. (2004). Cognitive and Language Development in Children. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.

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Helping children adapt to change

Self-Correction:

"The ability to monitor and accurately evaluate performance and to make changes. Ability to learn from experience and feedback." (Queensland Health, 2007)

Problem-solving:

"The ability to recognise when the actions you are taking are ineffective, to stop, re-evaluate, and to formulate a plan." (Queensland Health, 2007)

Struggling with change

It would be simplifying things far too much to draw a direct link between executive functioning issues and children's difficulties adapting to change in their environment. However, it can play a significant part in this. But before I discuss the problem-solving and self-correction element of executive functioning, I want to look quickly at changes that children may find difficult to deal with, what behaviour they may display, and some other key factors that can contribute to difficulties adjusting to change.


What changes can cause difficulties?

There are many changes that can cause children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD and even children who are chronically tired to feel threatened or anxious. These can include:

• New people
• Familiar people behaving differently
• Interrupted routines
• A favourite toy missing
  
• New sounds
• Moved furniture
• Complex, unpredictable interactions
  (Dodd, 2005; Oates and Grayson, 2004)
  

In fact, almost any change that a child with these difficulties is not prepared for will cause them distress.


What might you see?

Every child will have their own individual way of demonstrating that they aren't coping, or don't know what to do, when dealing with a change. Some examples:

• Meltdowns: I have talked about these in a previous post.
• Withdrawal
• "Stubborn" behaviour, or refusals. This often comes up in the context of children with Down Syndrome.
  

Executive functioning, self-correction and problem-solving

These elements of executive functioning, alongside the ability to plan and self-evaluate, help us adapt to the changes and complexities of life. As Oates and Grayson (2004) discuss, "the ability to switch flexibly between planned actions and different approaches to a task, without losing sight of the goals that are being aimed for, is a high-level cognitive function that is critically important in everyday life." (p214) That is, in order to cope with the many complexities of life - social, academic and physical - we need to be able to constantly evaluate, identify what is/is not working and adjust our behaviour accordingly.

When the executive functions aren't developed appropriately, then children will have difficulties adapting to change unexpected behaviour.

For example, imagine you are a child who loves playing in the sandpit with your two close friends. Ever since you have been at school the three of you have gone directly to the sandpit as soon as the recess bell has rung. Then one day you are heading out to the sandpit and one of your friends decides they want to join the hand-ball games instead.

You want your friend keep to your routine, so you say, "Come on! Aren't you coming to the sandpit?"

Your friend replies, "Nah. Today I feel like playing in the sandpit."

You say, "Aww. Come on! Let's play in the sand pit. We always do!"

Now, if you have a well-developed ability to self-analyse, self-correct and problem-solve, once you start noticing that your friend is becoming annoyed, you think about previous experiences, what you have been taught, how your behaviour is effecting them. You then correct your behaviour and problem-solve based on your goal of maintaining friendships ... which could mean you join the hand-ball game or go to the sandpit with your other friend.

If you have executive functioning difficulties, you would probably keep insisting that your friend maintain the routine. You may become aggressive in your attempts to maintain the routine (eg. pulling the child towards the sandpit) or have a meltdown as you are unable to work out what to do next since your routine has been broken.


Other reasons why children may struggle with change

• Theory of mind or social imagination (as discussed in a previous post) ... Not being able to interpret and respond appropriately to your social context will lead to difficulties with problem-solving and self-correction, or the ability to be flexible and adapt to your environment.
• Intellectual Disability ... a person's IQ is only one element of diagnosing an intellectual or developmental disability. The other element is an assessment of adaptive behaviour. As the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities states, adaptive behaviour is about the ability to use language, social, conceptual and practical skills to live independently and according to the social expectations of our culture. It is therefore recognised that a person's cognitive development influences their ability to problem-solve and self-correct.
  

Next time....

Next time I will talk about ways to help children self-correct and problem-solve.



References:

Dodd, S. (2005). Understanding Autism. Sydney: Elsevier.

Oates, J. & Grayson, A. (2004). Cognitive and Language Development in Children. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.

Queensland Health. (2007). Executive Function and Capacity. Retrieved 8th May, 2010 from http://www.health.qld.gov.au/abios/documents/behaviour_mgt/exec_functn_capacity.pdf.

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Ask Amanda: An update and a review

As usual, with the mad rush to get the Learn to be Buddies newsletter out, I have neglected my blog for a little while. Now the rush is over, it is time to get back to it ....

About our theme

Because executive functioning is such a complex and important topic, and I didn't get very far with it last month, I will continue writing on this topic this month. But before I start writing on this theme, I thought I would mention two things...


A Spotlight...

As part of the Learn to be Buddies sponsorship scheme, we are beginning a monthly spotlight on charities or businesses that a particularly relevant to the Learn to be Buddies mission. This month we are spotlighting Rainbowland Autism Services. Make sure you check out their services and support their cause. Shortly Allison will be writing a post for us to tell us all about what these are.


A review...

I also wanted to share a little from the workshop by Dr. Lee Sturgeon that I attended recently. I shared some information that related to bullying on my Learning to be Buddies Series blog. But here I just wanted to share some of the answers Lee gave to questions asked by parents in the audience.

Toilet Training Tips

Lee was asked about any tips he could give for a situation where a child was fully toilet-trained at home, but was struggling to use the toilets at preschool. His suggestions included:

• Try giving the child access to a private toilet, such as the staff bathroom. It may be the fact that they have to use a public toilet ("in a fishbowl" was Lee's analogy) that is putting the child off using the toilet at preschool.
• Video the child if/when they do use the toilet, then watch it and praise the child for that behaviour at home (applied behaviour analysis). My note: You as a parent may need to do this as many preschools would be reluctant to tape so intrusive a video. Lee's tip about using video as a teaching tool: Make sure you focus on the positive rather than video-ing something you don't want them to do, watching it and saying "Don't do this."
• When toilet training a child with ASD, make sure you do so with a range of different toilets - not just stick to one. This helps them generalise the skill, or use the skill in a wide range of settings not, as Lee said, "just in the ensuite at home."
  

Service accessibility

There were a number of parents who were asking about how/where they could access services for their children due to the limited availability and long waiting lists for Medicare and FAHCSIA funded services. Lee talked about asking your GP to establish an Enhanced Primary Care Plan or a Mental Health Plan, both options allowing parents to access Medicare refunds for private consultants and therapists.


Medication

Another question that came up was the issue of medicating children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Lee talked about the fact that many children with Autism Spectrum Disorders have a secondary diagnosis. For example, they may also be diagnosed with anxiety disorders or ADHD.

He suggested that it is usually these secondary diagnoses that lead to medication. He stated that he used medication for his clients especially for anxiety in the middle school or adolescent years. His statistic was that 40% of children in transition to high school were on medication to help them deal with anxiety.

However, he had one emphatic warning: Make sure you see a specialist in the field of Autism/Aspergers for the prescribing of medication. The main reason is that children with Autism Spectrum disorders often respond differently to medication than do their peers without these disorders.

As you can tell, this workshop was great. It was also free, thanks to a government initiative. I will keep my eye out and let you all know if there is another on coming up in the future.


*

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Zoe's story

Harley and Brodie

I have two sons/with ASD Harley is 14 and Brodie is 11.

Harley loves playstation and Brodie loves swimming at nans, swinging and the computer..

Harley is really good at playstation, online computer strategy games and technology. Brodie is really good at giving kisses to his mum, swimming and going away on holidays

Harley struggles with organization skills, getting off the playstation, doing his chores and the unknown. Brodie struggles with speech/communication, frustration, challenging behaviours and eating non food items.

Sometimes I, as a parent, find it hard when an outing goes pear shaped, when I have to find things to do that suit both my childrens needs, when people comment and stare.

But then I think about the special moments, like when Brodie said mum and nan (his first and only words) and when Harley's got a fantastic first high school report after his last primary school telling me he would never cope with high school. But especially when my mum and I flew with both boys to Detroit, LA and Hawaii and we coped and the boys coped and we had the holiday of a lifetime! x

Tell your story
and help build Autism Awareness

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