‘One thing at a time’, how one mother found comfort through knowledge

4th April 2024

As a mum of two young autistic boys, Laura’s* experience is instantly recognisable by so many parents. Below is a short insight into the most recent part of her and her family’s journey.

“My youngest always stops to smell the roses… literally!

“Having completed the ‘parenting course’ through Autism Hampshire I now have a much better understanding of how my son’s mind works and what I can do to support him to lead a happy and healthy life.

“I can now appreciate how his love of flowers reflects his own sensory needs, something I had very limited understanding of before doing the course.

“The thing that stays with me most from the training sessions is ‘one thing at a time’. I can understand now, how particularly if my son is engrossed in an activity, he needs sufficient warning that this will come to an end.

“I’ve stopped trying to reel off various instructions, put in place more routine (with visual cues) and our house is a lot calmer for it.

“The course spoke about making ‘reasonable adjustments’ and I feel like that’s exactly what I do now. The changes I have made are not ground-breaking nor particularly taxing on my time or energy but the impact these changes have had on the whole family has been clear to see - we are all so much happier for them!

“I’d want any parent at the start of their journey to not be scared. To know that just by making small changes they can have a really big impact on everyone’s overall well-being.

“In doing the Autism Hampshire course, I felt that I was not only able to gain a fantastic insight into how an autistic person’s mind works but was also given the opportunity to relate to a range of other parents with similar experiences.

“Most importantly, I was able to gain so much knowledge of how I can make life for my son so much more enjoyable.

“I feel more confident responding to his needs and also advocating for him. For these reasons I would strongly suggest that any parent like me reach out to Autism Hampshire.

“To have access to such a friendly and compassionate team, many of whom have lived experience of Autism, has actually proven life changing.

“Without wanting to trivialise the struggles of autistic individuals or of those who support them, I feel there are so many brilliant and wonderful things about being autistic and that it is not something to be feared.

“I hope that my son never tires of stopping to smell the flowers we pass just as I hope that other people who are neurodivergent can be appreciated for who they are too!”

To find out more about the training available through Autism Hampshire, click here.

*Laura’s name has been changed