Our George has been diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum, and while he looks just like any other little boy his autism has lead to him being quite different in many ways. Things that are taken for granted like simple choices can build into a traumatic experience for him. If things get too noisy or if things in his daily routine are changed for whatever reason all lead to him getting really anxious and affect his behaviour in a big way. A day out can involve a lot more preparation than would normally be needed, from convincing him it's going to be a great place to go (normally through his love of anything to do with wildlife) to keeping him interested in what's going on around to ensuring whatever food is on offer is right, and even down to the colour of straws that come with his drink can all potentially send our George into meltdown.

Our George while he will run, play and fight with his brothers also has a very matter of fact approach to things, a rather old head on young shoulders, I remember him being asked if he was going to run when he was older like his grandad does and he promptly replied "only if I'm late". or the time I took him to our local Museum to a dinosaur weekend and the tutor who was delivering a project made the mistake of using the wrong term for flying dinosaurs, he was corrected by our George who told him they weren't dinosaurs they were actually pterosaurs, the man agreed and stood corrected, George was aged 6 at the time.

More recently though, our George has started to say things like "I don't fit in here, I'm different", which is really upsetting thinking the older he gets the more he's going to worry about things and this is where Breaking Barriers really help. From His Mum's perspective who originally contacted Breaking Barriers as George didn't want to leave the house and she was in fear of him becoming a recluse, which affected her own anxieties of taking him places due to the many negative experiences from other people thinking 'he's just a naughty boy' because Autism doesn't have a physical appearance, so to be in an environment where no one judges the children on their behaviour and to also be able to speak to other parents who are in the same boat really, really helps. They have also helped in showing his older brother Thomas that he's not the only one with a special brother and that other siblings have brothers and sisters with special needs which has helped him understand so much better. 

This amongst many other reasons is why I am doing what I am to hopefully raise money to help Breaking Barriers,  which was set up by three mums (and now is run by two of them) all of whom have disabled children and who were looking for somewhere to be able to share experiences and do something positive to help others in similar circumstances, being mums themselves they can really relate with other parents and carers through a whole range of issues and dilemmas having faced most of these themselves. So, on the 9th of July 2017 I will be attempting to run across England in 7 days following Wainwright's original Coast to Coast route, you can read more about the route on my website www.7in7.co.uk. 

Please remember I am raising money for two charities so if you are thinking of donating please think about splitting your donation between them both, that way both charities can do even more to help children, young adults and their families. You can visit my team page at https://www.justgiving.com/teams/7in7coast2coast