I think the biggest hardship for Jack is his problems with communication, I try to imagine how I would feel in a foreign country were everybody spoke the same language apart from me and I couldn't make myself understood, I know how frightened, frustrated and isolated I would feel and that’s what Jack has to go through every single day.
Jack has routines that he likes to stick to, and if anybody should interfere with that routine he would be devastated. He likes to follow the same route if we go out in the car, if I tried to go a different way Jack would get so distressed so every journey has to be planned.
He enjoys repetitive play such as pouring water or playing in sand repeating the same action over and over, you can sometimes steer him to another activity without too much fuss but his attention span may be short on this activity and he will want to continue with his 'stimming' behaviour.
Jack has a very erratic sleeping pattern and very often can survive on as little as 4 - 6 hours sleep per night, if we are very lucky this will be a full 4 hours undisturbed, this can cause problems the following day as very often we are both exhausted!
He has a very limited diet as he likes all his food to be crispy in texture he doesn't like anything moist on his plate such as beans or gravy and will get upset if this happens, he won't use cutlery although he is quite capable he does not like it near his mouth.
Jack can sometimes get quite upset and it's not always obvious straight away what has bothered him, it may be a smell that he doesn't like or a light flickering and you very often have to play detective to try to find and eliminate the cause of his anxiety. Its heart breaking to see him so upset at times and you can't help him quick enough.
| Jack’s sensitivity to noise and the environment can cause him a lot of distress,
Jack did attend main stream school until recently, he now does a full time Son-Rise Program and his progress is phenomenal !
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The best part about being Jack’s mum is all the love and affection he shows, I get lots of big hugs and kisses. Jack’s achievements are slow but sure, and I think having a child with autism helps you to appreciate every little thing they do so much more. I'm very proud of my little boy xx
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