Thomas Mitchell’s parents were told their autistic son would never walk or talk. Now aged 14, Thomas told Clare Hutchinson how he exceeded all expectations…
The Autism News
By Clare Hutchinson | WalesOnline
FOR someone who was never supposed to be able to walk or talk, 14-year-old Thomas Mitchell is surprisingly eloquent.
Sitting in the front room of his family home in Caerphilly with his parents and three sisters by his side, Thomas explained what it is like to grow up with autism and his constant battle to stay in control.
“When I was younger I couldn’t control it at all,” said the Doctor Who fan, who is starting his GCSE courses next week.
“If there was a loud noise or I was in a crowded place I would hate it. Traffic jams were the worst.”
The term autism covers a wide range of conditions including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism.
Autism is a lifelong disabling condition affecting one in 100 people in the UK, yet many have little idea what it is.
All forms of autism are characterised by difficulty in social communication, interaction and imagination – meaning someone with autism can find it hard to understand, for example, body language, sarcasm or the unwritten rules of personal space.
Thomas was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was three, after his parents Sally, 40, and Stephen, 45, noticed he was developing more slowly than his older sister Megan, now 16.
Sally, a former nurse who at the time of Thomas’ diagnosis was also struggling to cope with a spinal injury that left her having to use a wheelchair, said: “My brothers had some speech and language issues so I was a bit clued up and I already had half an eye open for it.
“When Thomas reached three and was still not speaking we took him to Ystrad Mynach Hospital, where he was diagnosed with autism.”
At the time autism was so misunderstood the doctors painted Sally and Stephen a picture of a child who would never walk or talk.
“We were told not to expect anything academically, but it was wrong of them to say that because, really, they had no idea what to expect,” said Sally.
“Every child with autism is different and you never know how it will affect them – that is the message I would like to get across to parents who might be in the same place as we were all those years ago.”
After his diagnosis, help for Thomas came quickly and, aged four, he was sent to a small specialist unit at a school in Newbridge, near Blackwood.
“They spent all the time in the first year teaching them how to sit still,” said Sally, who explained that her son was soon able to walk and talk with relative ease.
From there, Thomas went to secondary school at St Cenydd Comprehensive in Caerphilly, where, with the help of a one-to-one support worker, he soon began integrating with pupils from the main part of the school.
Having spent all his school life in specialist departments with other children with a variety of learning difficulties, going into mainstream classes was “totally alien” to him.
He learned to cope by knowing when to expect the bell so he would be prepared for the sudden noise and by going to the library to devour science fiction books during busy lunch breaks.
And despite his condition Thomas has made phenomenal progress.
The Cardiff Blues fan will begin his GCSE courses next month, having chosen leisure and tourism, geography and history for his subjects.
He now sits in mainstream classes for nine subjects, including English, science and his favourite, maths – for which he shot up from set six to set three in just one school year.
A keen sports fan, Thomas also plays in goal with Caerphilly-based disability football club the Pont Dragons.
His behaviour has improved so much he is now able to control his autism – catching himself if he is going to say something in anger and asking politely instead of being rude.
Thomas believes his behaviour has improved naturally as he gets older, while his mum, a devout Christian, sees it as a blessing.
She said: “A child with autism, by their nature, is the most selfish person in the world and it is very difficult for them to understand the needs of other people.
“But somehow last year he started realising that other people have the same needs as himself.
“Now when I come into the house he asks me how I am – that would have been unimaginable just 18 months ago.
“We thought he would have to live with us for the rest of his life, but now I’m confident he will have his own future – whatever he wants that future to be – and he will be happy.
“You have no idea how happy that makes us as parents – and hopefully it will give other parents hope too.”
She added: “It’s like there is light at the end of the tunnel, there is hope.
“I just feel it is criminal to tell any parent that their child’s future is dark because in every child’s life there is hope.”
Thomas harbours ambitions of one day becoming a sports reporter for Able Radio, a disability radio station based in Pontypool at which his mum volunteers.
After that, he hopes to raise enough money to travel the world.
Thomas added: “I just hope some of my hopes and dreams come true.
“People who have children with learning difficulties, especially those with autism, need to know that there is always hope.
“It doesn’t matter what you have got – if you work hard you will achieve your ambitions.”
Source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2010/08/26/overcoming-autism-helped-me-realise-i-can-do-anything-91466-27137429
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