Paisley mum backs plans for national plan for autism

Jan 10 2011 by Alison Rennie, Paisley Daily Express

A CARING Paisley mum has opened her heart about the challenges – and rewards – of raising a child who has severe autism.

Bernadette Collins spoke out as she urged politicians to back proposals for a national plan to be drawn up to deal with the difficulties the condition causes for sufferers and their loved ones.

Her 11-year-old son Anthony, who attends Kersland School in Paisley, has severe autism,

Now Bernadette is hoping that MSPs will support the Autism (Scotland) Bill when it faces a key vote in the Scottish Parliament this week so that families across Scotland will benefit.

The Bill aims to create a joined-up approach between local authorities and other key agencies to support children and adults with autism and their families.

Proposed by Central Scotland MSP Hugh O’Donnell and supported by the National Autism Society Scotland, it will create a national strategy for autism services throughout the country to make sure government money is spent effectively.

Bernadette said the right support can make a massive difference.

She told the Paisley Daily Express: “Anthony was lucky to have the fantastic opportunities that he’s had but not all children get that.

“He is one of the lucky ones to get what he did. I had to fight for everything and I’m still fighting.

“I am the Renfrewshire branch officer for the National Autism Society Scotland and we have a member who has moved to Paisley from Aberdeen.

“She said the service her stepson got in Aberdeen is much better than what she has here. It shouldn’t be like that. It shouldn’t be a postcode lottery for services.

“A lot of the time, people with autism are looked after by learning disability teams at a local authority but autism is not a learning disability.

“Local authorities need dedicated autism teams and that’s what this Bill would do – it would create a national policy.”

Bernadette, 43, who lives with her husband Johnny, 50, and 16-year-old daughter Marie in the Saucelhill area of Paisley, admits that raising Anthony has been a difficult challenge.

She said: “I noticed things weren’t right with Anthony when he was very young. He wasn’t really speaking, he wouldn’t sit with us and he didn’t like cuddles.

“I had read an article about autism and thought it looked like that was what Anthony might have.

“I took him to my health visitor to allay my fears and I had hoped she would say I was being silly but, instead, she said she had the same thoughts as me.

“He was referred to the Panda Centre at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, in Paisley, and was diagnosed when he was two years old.”

Despite Anthony’s diagnosis, Bernadette still struggled to understand her little boy’s world.

“When Anthony was out and about, he would stop at trees and often spend hours running his fingers down the bark and screaming and crying when I tried to remove him,” she recalled.

“He couldn’t cope with any change in his daily routine. Anthony often self harmed and banged his head violently off the floor or pavements when he was outside.

“His world and our family’s world was becoming smaller and smaller. Friends started to drift away and we were becoming more and more socially isolated.”

Bernadette then heard about the Yorkhill Scottish Society for Autism, which ran a pre-school early intervention programme.

It was a fight to get Anthony in and took all the efforts of Bernadette, her GP and health visitor to secure a place. And that’s when things started to get better.

Bernadette said: “At first, I wasn’t too sure about the methods used in the programme.

“I was ushered into an empty room with just a few toys scattered around and a therapist there but it started to work.

“They told me I was talking too much to Anthony. I would point out trees and cars and talk to him all the time – things every mum does with their child.

“They explained that this was too much for him to cope with and that’s why he would pull away from me. They taught me to limit my language with him and play with him without speaking and it worked.

“He started to speak and respond much better to me. I got my first cuddle from him there.

“The techniques and ideas I obtained on this programme, I still use.”

As well as attending Kersland School, Anthony also benefits from support from the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity and has sessions with an art and speech therapist too.

Bernadette has been thrilled to watch her son’s progress as he has blossomed into “a wonderful boy”.

She said: “Early intervention was the key with Anthony but not all children get that opportunity.

“One music therapist shared with me that she had worked with autistic children since 1969 and she has never met a more self-confident, talented and laid-back autistic child in all her working life.

“She said that, whatever I was doing with him, I should keep doing it as it was having a massive impact.

“That was a wonderful thing to hear.”