Visuals are like charms…They work like magic!

I remember the day our son was diagnosed with Autism. I was like in a dramatic movie scene, only it’s real. A pregnant woman tired and holding back her tears, pushing the pram in the rain. It’s like the sky has joined in with the sadness. Without an umbrella, I just let go of the tears thinking nobody would know the difference of the tears falling down my eyes from the rain running down my face. I came home and I can’t even look at my child. Everything displays Autism. I asked my mother in law to look after him for a while. I needed to go out and clear my head. I  was walking with a friend in a shopping centre. Bumped into my son’s godmother. I told her and cried. Then she said ‘stop mourning, your son isn’t dead’. He doesn’t have cancer or sickness. Hearing it is like having a splash of cold water on my face. It woke me up. It is not a sickness that can be healed but a neurological disorder that can be able to manage and helped…  I went home having a different outlook on life.

Getting a grip of yourself after the diagnosis can be very hard. But if you have a child or children who depend on you there is no pause. You have to get up and get on with life. My husband and I had to shut ourselves for a while from friends and family to deal with it. It’s hard enough to understand autism and it takes more effort to explain it to everyone. It just sucks up all your energy and emotions. Time is of the essence in raising a child with ASD. You have to focus and redirect your family life after the diagnosis.

Being a first time mum and not having any ideas about autism, charities became my lifeline. Eagle Foundation sent me a lot of information and visuals to help me while waiting for a place for an early intervention training in Barnardos. MENCAP children’s centre where our son went to before he got a place in Nursery , have speech therapist , occupational and speech therapist who are there to help during and after the assessment. Middletown Centre for Autism also provides free seminars for parents. I usually sign up and keep my self updated on their website. National Autistic Society also provide a lot of information, support and resources.

It’s amazing to have met a lot of brilliant people who not only do it professionally but genuinely care. They are like angels sent down from heaven.

 Travelling or going out with a child with ASD can be very challenging. If a child has speech delay or non-verbal it can even be more difficult. Fortunately, we were able to attend early intervention trainings, parent support groups and other seminars . We learned the importance of visuals for children with ASD.

Attending seminars and researching about autism can make you feel like having an information overload. It can get both overwhelming and confusing on deciding what to use,when and how to start. Every child is different. One strategy may work with another child and not on yours.

Camera, Laminator and velcros became very essential for us. We had to take pictures of every part of the house, the people involving our son, food, places etc. It’s amazing how visuals like pictures and signs made a lot of difference in our son’s life. It’s like magic. Like his big introduction to the world. He became involve and aware of people and things around him. Showing his own picture with his name on it is like introducing himself to his own self.  He learned to respond on the sound of his name. He can connect name of people’s name and their faces. He called me ‘mummy’ before he turned three. I became a person and not just a hand that provides him everything.

We typed the words on the bottom of picture. The words draws him to learn and speak. With his obsession with the alphabet and numbers, he was able to read first before he can speak. Schedules and picture cards became very important tools for me to be able to take him out. The tantrums were still there. Visuals work like a charm that I can’t go without. It’s just trial and error sometimes. One must not give-up to be able to go out. It does take a lot of patience, practice and effort. You do need to think outside the box sometimes.

When IPAD apps were developed to help people with autism, we didn’t think twice. It is expensive though. You just need to shut your eyes and focus on the pros of having one. I then switched from laminated schedules and picture cards to using apps for travelling in iphone and IPAD. Social Stories became very useful not only to develop their social skills or challenging behaviour but also for travelling. We got the app Stories 2 Learn, and then the more efficient Kids in Story . Choiceworks and Calm Counter were also very useful. Visuals are like charms, they work like magic.