Maria shares how proud she is of her son with a learning disability, from hearing that he might never speak as a baby, to the talkative, polite and sarcastic adult he has become. And how with support from Family Action, he has been able to experience independence and make friends in a safe, supportive environment.
When my son was born he wouldn’t speak. He got to about 12 months old and he would babble but he never said anything we could understand, so we thought “what’s going on here?”.
I was quite young, he was my first child, and I didn’t know any different. I could see he was frustrated though, and we knew he had learning difficulties, so we went to a speech therapist, and then later to see paediatricians and psychiatrists.
They told me that he understood what we were saying, but that he was choosing to be mute… I was even told that he might not ever speak.
That’s why it was amazing that, within three weeks of starting at mainstream school he pointed at an apple, and I said, “what is it?” and he just responded with the correct word. It’s one of my most treasured memories.
Back then – this was some time ago – there were no classroom assistants trained in special needs, so he didn’t thrive in that environment, but once he went to special school he learnt so much and hit so many milestones – particularly regarding communication.
It’s funny as he’s now 29 and he won’t shut up! He’ll talk to strangers in the street and, when I pull him up on it, he’ll just tell me he’s being polite
We moved to the area around the start COVID and during that period he couldn’t really do anything, and he really withdrew into himself – he didn’t participate or go anywhere, and it wasn’t good for his mental health.
That’s why Family Action’s Community Support and Outreach service works so well for him. The service has allowed him to make new memories – they’ll head out for meals, visit cafes, go swimming or take day trips out.
The service allows him to get away from mum and dad, which is a good way for him to experience independence and make friends in a safe, supportive environment.
The confidence he’s developed through the service means I’ve continued to see him grow as a person in the past few years; he’s really developed a sarcastic sense of humour, for example, but he’s learning how to be respectful while still having fun. I’m just proud that he‘s still developing and learning.
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