Celebrating Autism, Daisy Doo's* Story

April is Autism Awareness Month and in celebration of this, Calon Cymru foster carer Daisy Doo* talks about her experience welcoming a child with autism into her home nine years ago.

Hi all,

April is a month to celebrate ‘autism’.  We celebrate autism every day and the difference it brings to our lives. 

My family and I were blessed nearly nine years ago to be asked by our Supervising Social Worker to consider a placement, age three, who had additional needs.  His needs were not yet diagnosed.  I must admit to thinking long and hard about it.  I am a lone carer two weeks of the month and my husband had had no experience of additional needs.  My daughter still lived at home but was out and about a lot of the time.  I knew I could rely on support from Calon Cymru, so we said yes. The rest, as they say, is history. 

We have had THE best nine years ever.  He has truly blessed our lives and continues to do so every single day.  Each day there is a ‘new’ thing.  We take each day as a new day and acknowledge and embrace the good and the not so good.  He is now using ‘words’, we always knew he would one day. 

His autism affects him in so many ways and is definitely his ‘super-power’.  We finally had a diagnosis, but it did not affect the way we lived.

We have travelled to New Zealand, America, Turkey, France and many many places in the UK with him.  We acknowledge that it might not be ‘plain sailing’, but it has not stopped us.  What is the worst that could happen?  We plan, as much as we can, for every eventuality and consider ‘what if’ throughout the adventure.  Routine, consistency, diet, sensory issues are all considered and ways to distract if the issues get too bad, are part of the planning process.

He had such a rough start to life, he has autism, he has severe global development delay, but he also has a huge heart, an amazing smile, an infectious laugh, boundless energy, compassion, intellect beyond measure and a huge place in all our hearts.  Autism may be his diagnosis, but it does not define him.  He is child to be proud of, and a child you want to be around and watch how he experiences life. 

Thank you Calon Cymru for the chance to experience life through his eyes and for all of the support we have had throughout the years.

Take care for now.

Daisy Doo and Julian too xx

* Name changed to protect the identity of the foster carer, the children and young people in their care