FOREWORD

As a mother and father of an autistic child, so many of you reading this, could relate to the fact, how you look forward to being a parent. You may watch your baby grow into a contented toddler; they also might start to do everything on cue within the normal range, then suddenly their behaviour changes. Language they once acquired slowly lost.

Whether your child seemed to develop normally or not, it is not easy to understand why and when diagnosis is made that your child you thought was ok, has now been diagnosed with a life sentence called Autism. If you felt from the start something is not quite right, you at times feel you may be prepared for the worst, but the reality is, when those words are said by the Dr consulting you the time that your beautiful child is autistic, nothing will prepare you for the long road ahead that is to follow.

You may be faced with utter grief and despair, then comes the helplessness, and the big question, where do I start? In the meantime while getting over the shock, the reality sets in and you begin to face challenges that await you in helping your child prepare for life of independence and an understanding of the world around them.

My main aim in putting this story together is too let families who may be new to this transition in life that you are not alone. Your feelings of grief each day for years to come are normal and hopefully will see some positive outcome for each new day and that you were truly blessed with a child in the first place.

I truly believe that all of us parents with an autistic child were chosen, because you need to be special people with patience and understanding to face the challenges that lay ahead for us. I know being a parent to any child without a disability can be frustrating and hard work all the same, but having a child with autism is more frustrating because we have to learn to think for them, understand their needs and most importantly need more attention with their learning.

Over time you will see positive results which can be rewarding and especially when they say there first word you can look at it positively. I do hope you enjoy what I have compiled together about our special son and help you realise that you are not alone and help give you a positive outlook that awaits our autistic children.