Autism Among Us
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
Welcome and thank you for connecting. I am the mother of an Autistic son aged nine, and I also have a six-year-old daughter and am the guardian of my nephew and niece (seven and six, respectively). Autism Among Us (AAU) is my brainchild.
Our journey started in 2014, after my first child, a son, was born. Following his birth, things seemed to progress in a relatively normal way; however, at the age of two I noticed myriad unusual, often obsessive behaviours. These included becoming obsessed with trains, trams and buses – an obsession he still holds today. He would get extremely upset when a drop of water got onto his clothes, coupled with a need for dry hands. He also disliked certain types of material on his skin.
At two, he started talking using nursery rhymes. He knew them all by heart and was upset and firmly corrected us if we repeated a rhyme twice. He also wanted to be inside when the other children were playing out. He developed academic interests when he was very young, including teaching himself to read before he was three. His memory was and still is phenomenal – including the ability to remember everyone’s vehicle number plates and all the London bus, train and tram routes.
My son was formally diagnosed with Autism when he was five, following which we obtained an Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Whilst I have so far successfully negotiated the maze of obtaining support, and whilst I get good support from his school, I know that this is not the experience of many parents of Autistic children. I also know from many discussions I have had with other parents that they find it difficult to admit that their child may be on the spectrum and feel that this admission would result in their child being labelled and stigmatised.
Whilst it is true that Autism is still not wholly understood, and whilst with any deviation from what is considered the norm there will be prejudice, misunderstanding and stigma, I realised very early on that avoiding this reality does not and will not help Autistic children and their parents.
Because of this, I decided to start Autism Among Us (AAU) to:
• Promote honest discussions about Autism.
• Spread awareness and de-stigmatise Autism.
• Help family members, friends and individuals to gain understanding and use that understanding to support their Autistic child.
• Provide a vehicle for enabling individuals on the spectrum to be proud of who they are and to achieve success and fulfilment in their lives, in whatever way that manifests.
• Create and provide resources to help both the Autistic child and those who care for them.
Autism is a complex developmental disorder that affects social communication, behaviour, and sensory processing. At AAU, we understand that each person on the spectrum is unique, possessing their own strengths, challenges, and needs. At AAU we want to raise awareness of and provide the resources for each autistic person to live their life according to their needs, wants and desires and for that life to be a long, happy and healthy one.
