to About Autism.

This is a web site which has been written by the parents of Zoe, an autistic child living in the UK, with a view to sharing as much practical knowledge as possible. We have been building this site since we first found out about our daughter's condition and had to come to terms with the fact that we have a child who will never leave home and lead an independent life.

Autism affects the whole family, and is a fact of life, something which is summed up by Zoe's brother Tom (aged 15):

"So many things in life if you look hard enough have a reason behind why they happen, having an autistic sister just isn't something that has one of those reasons. You might be proud of a 'normal' 10 year old child for achieving high SATS grades or getting certificates of academic achievement. With us, we're proud of Zoe when she learns how to ask 'what's for dinner mummy?' or 'I forgot the words to that one', with an autistic sister, you just see the world differently and I guess it makes you realise how lucky you are to have a 'normal' life and how much you were able to learn in your life and still will be able to learn. She means a lot to all of us and I'm not sure I could have her any other way now. - Tom"

To start off with, please do look at the links on the left, and we will try our utmost to add more content as time allows.

Our web site is full of opinion and we are not experts in the field of autism. Having said this, we are experts in raising our own child. What works for us may not work for another family. What we are not prepared to do, is to sit back and just assume that "it will all work out in the end". Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder. It is not going to go away and the challenges of daily life change in focus but they will always be present. We also have two older boys who have their own needs, which we try to meet without making them suffer as a result of our having a disabled child in the family.

We are keeping this site alive as a way of sharing experiences and hopefully providing some comfort to parents who have recently found themselves thrown in at the deep end and are scared and bewildered by this complex disorder. Please have a look at the links on the left of each page and let us know what you find helpful.

Many thanks for stopping by...

Martin and Nicki (UK)