As many of you know, my son Henry was diagnosed last year with Autism. Me and his Dad had noticed things weren't 'quiet right' from the age of 16 months. Henry was hitting some of his milestones, especially physically but others he was not. Henry was very quiet and we noticed that he didn't speak. He didn't wave or clap. He had poor eye contact and wouldn't respond or answer to his name. He liked to play on his own and liked things done in a certain way. He would line up all sorts of toys but mainly his favourite Disney cars. Henry loves to be outdoors and is a very active boy. He loves jumping on his trampoline! We decided that we needed some answers and advice. We started with a visit and discussion with our local Health Visitor in August 2013. 

As any other parents who this has happened too, you will know how long the process is. But for those of you who don't, I will just explain it a little in detail. It all started with basic hearing and development assessments.  Henry did well in some parts but in other parts not so well. We had further hearing tests (Henry is very vulnerable to ear infections) and appointments to see the specialists paediatricians. After having been evaluated by the specialists, we were told that they did suspect that Henry fell onto the autistic spectrum, but could not give us any more details until more tests and evaluations had been done. By this time it was already December and 5 months had passed since we first saw our Health Visitor. We were exhausted but carried on being strong to get the answers we needed.

Shortly after this, we placed Henry into Nursery. Easing him in gently and supporting him with trying to develop his social and communication skills. Henry was placed onto an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) this set 3 targets and goals for Henry every 6 weeks. This was help him progress in areas of his development that he struggled with. Mainly social and communication. 

We received more visits from specialist Nursey Nurses at home to observe and discuss Henry's Progress. We felt like it was going in circles and we weren't getting anywhere. We felt alone and confused. But most of all we felt sad that we still didn't have the answers for our little boy. Henry was referred to Ears, Nose and Throat at West Suffolk. They still didn't have any indication into whether he could hear or if his hearing had been damaged due to the amount of infections he was still regularly getting. After seeing yet another specialist, we were told that Henry would need an operation to test his hearing more accurately. We were almost relieved when we found out, as it felt as if we might be getting somewhere. In August 2014 Henry was put to sleep and tested. His results came back clear and all was well with his hearing. He still has regular check ups with the hospital, as his ear infections are still ongoing.

In March, we received a visit from Portage (this is a fantastic system in Norfolk where a support worker who is trained will come to you and help you with play strategies, devlopment tools, be a sounding bar for yourself and generally a support network). In May we started having regular weekly visits with our Portage Worker. This seemed like another step forward for us as a family and for Henry. 

In May we received our letter from the Children's Development Centre in Bury St Edmunds (CDC for short). Henry had 3 appointments with them at the end of June and beginning of July. They assessed Henry over 3 sessions by different specialists (speech and language, occupational therapist, specialists health visitor, specialists nursery nurses, paediatrician) to gather as much information on Henry's development. Our first visit to the CDC ended in tears for me. I thought I had prepared myself for what would happen in that 1 1/2 hour assessment but I wasnt. It totally through me, and I didn't want to go back. I can't quiet explain it, but any other mothers who have been through it will understand my thoughts on this. But we still had 2 more sessions to go, until we would get the answers we had been waiting for. After our 2nd visit, I felt more calmer and could see that with every negative thing that had happened last time, there had been a postive. We were finally getting somewhere and Henry was finally seeing the specialists he needed to. On our 3rd and final visit, we stayed in total 3 hours. This was Henry's last assessment and we were going to be hearing the gathered evaluations from all specialists and then a diagnosis. This is where we learned that Henry was Autistic. There are no words to describe the feeling of learning that your child, your baby has this condition. It's something they and you will live with for all their life. I can honestly say it's heartbreaking, but any mother, any parent knows that you do what you need to for your children. You will be strong and you will help them learn and grown and be the best they can be. This is what me and Henry's dad decided to do. We didn't want to be negative, we wanted to learn as much as we could and put our best foot forward. 

In total we waited 11 months! 11 months of various appointments and meetings. Shortly after receiving Henry's diagnosis I got in contact with the charity Autism Anglian. They were polite, undertsanding and helpful. I probably talked their ear off!! But they gave me so many positives and helpful information that I needed. I urge anyone who has been through or going through this process, to contact them. They will guide and support you in your decisions. 

I'm hoping by gathering family, friends, other families that we can raise money for this charity who help so many families in so many different ways. I'm also hoping that we raise the awareness of Autism to others. Not just those who suspect their children may be in a similar situation but people who don't even know what autism is about. How it affects people and makes them different and that's not something to be scared or ignorant about. As I always say, I'd rather someone ask me about it, rather than stare! 

So I'm hoping that even if you can't join in with the walk that you will help raise money and awareness.

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