Comments on: Your Facebook and Twitter photos can raise money for autism awareness

By: kat brooke

kat brooke — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:32:06 +0000

i have two brothers on the spectrum one is 19 and has aspergers the other is 12 and has severe autism. We have had real problems with the elder through school, he was often perceived as being rude and cheeky to the teachers when in fact the teachers had no autism training and did not understand his condition. for example once a teacher asked ‘how would you feel if i stood on your ipod and broke it?’ to which my brother replied ‘an ipod cant be broken by just stepping on it, its really strong metal,’ he had detention for being cheeky after that and was eventually excluded for bad behaviour. my brother is nt an angel by far, but i think with the right support and training his time in school culd have ben a lot easier on him, the teachers and my parents. he is currently studying music in college where my mother is constantly on the phone to the lecturers and teachers explaining his condition.

my other brother (12) is in a special school which is a 40 minute taxi drive away, i think we’re quite lucky that we have such a lovely school so close to us. as the school specialises in autism he has come on amazingly since being there. we were told he will never be able to communicate his needs or speak, he alks enough now for those who know him to understand what he wants which is a lot more than we were expecting.
my mother really panics what will happen when he reaches 16 and has to leave school, and also what will happen after her time (i do assure her i’ll be here for him) i really hope that support for autistic adults will become stronger as awareness grows.
we’re quite lucky in my area as there is a strong parent support group and special units and schools for autism, but i think we do have a lack of understanding of autism in mainstream schools.

By: Maggie Thomas

Maggie Thomas — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:55:23 +0000

I am the mother of a 20 year who has a specific speech and language disorder which falls into the Autisic spectrum. There is no cure, but she has managed to pass her gse’s, go to college, she is a mother of a 2yr old. She still lives at home, she has passed her driving test has bought her own car. Her school years were difficult but she was lucky enough to have a great primary school and her secondary school had a speech and language unit. My uncle is severely Autistic he is 44 and I see some traits in other members of my family. I therfore understand what a difficult time some families have. We were lucky to have had help, but it was hard faught. Her problems haven’t melted away just because she is a mother. she is brave, she worries about everything but she doesn’t let it stop her. she knows she learns through experience so she grits her teeth and goes out of her comfort zone, because she strives to live a “normal life”

By: Tony Inch

Tony Inch — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 00:07:30 +0000

Hi all have any of you been in contact with the N.A.S. who are the experts with autistic children, i work in a school in Devon called Broomhayes which has about 26 students 24/7, look us up on the web

By: mel jenkins

mel jenkins — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:55:01 +0000

There is very little support for work placing these special people i wish the goverment would do more they deserve a chance in the workplace like the rest of us.
My 19 year old daughter has Aspergers and as struggled with communication skills all her life everthing we have had to teach her. Its lack of understanding from people who see a learning challenges as a disabillity.
We know there is not a cure but they need our support to help face the world .. we love her the way she is we embrace it i believe these people have a true gift of just being special.

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:36:17 +0000

Well said! Our son is 17 and he is not cured and will never be.

By: Loobs

Loobs — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:32:23 +0000

I love your attitude! I wish more parents with autistic children had the same attitude instead of trying to make their child fit with society!

By: Alison

Alison — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:29:45 +0000

Autism is an”invisible”condition.I went through 11 years of being misunderstood and completely undiagnosed.I left at 16 as a shy,bullied,socially withdrawn but intelligent young adult with no friends and unanswered questions.
At 18 I learned about Aspergers but did not connect it with myself.I have studied my family history and have uncovered traits in my dad,g’dad,g’g'dad (all quiet,shy, clever,loners )& some other relatives.
Socialising was not easy.I suffered embarrasment in my early efforts & probably annoyed many people but now at 40 I am confident,help an Autistic Youth Club,help in my community and run an Art Group.
I found that stubborness and determination were very useful.I must add that I would not change my “condition”.
I have a flat,a husband and a challenging but interesting
life.

By: Amit Kumar

Amit Kumar — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:08:00 +0000

Amit Kumar

I have a 7 years old son, who is autistic. I am approaching his needs of education myself with alot of support from my wife.

The council schools do not do much effort, as what is needed for an autistic child is an individual learning programme. There are only 6 autistic schools in UK, private, who provide such programme. But you would be lucky if council pays for your child to get into one of them.

Thus, I am using the National Curriculum and Boardmaker software to teach my son English…means how to communicate. Most of the autistic children are good in PECS. Thus try making this as the medium for communication as early as possible. Have a digital camera and keep taking pictures till your child is able to recognise symbols…

I will be putting information on what I have been developing on my website – http://www.i-pupil.com shortly to help all of us.

Also take your autistic child everywhere, no matter what. Let him or her shout, scream, or dance even at TESCOs. Reject friends who do not invite or entertain these children.

By: carol

carol — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:03:55 +0000

My son will be 18 in a couple of months, he has autism, and attends 6th year school the other side of the country as where I live the support for this age is terrible. I teach in a small SEN school for ASD and I am trained in autism so for younger children some of them are getting the help they need, like your daughter, I believe more needs to be done for 16 years plus individuals with this condition

By: Ken Heard

Ken Heard — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:59:30 +0000

I have a daughter aged 16 who has a severe degree of autism. In a few years she will be leaving school which has been a fantastic place for her and is superbly lead by the Head Teacher. I only wish there were more like him. What concerns me is that all the support and care will disappear when she leaves. The provision in my area is woefully inadequate and the local authority/social workers are clueless.