Jodie Grantham

I first learned about autism when my oldest child was almost two years old. My Mum once said to me, "Jodie, I think G needs to be assessed for autism." I will never forget that day. I was afraid and in denial, so I avoided what my mum said. Those words changed my entire life. I started reading and researching when G was two years old. Nursery, health visitors, and other professionals brought up autism, and we began attending speech and language therapy. We went to a lot of therapy appointments and attended a lot of assessments, and I spent a lot of nights worrying and feeling nervous while researching autism. When G was five years old, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I went on a parent course that parents are encouraged to attend after diagnosis, and I sat there and cried as I realised every sign they mentioned sounded more like my youngest child, Cooper. I wondered, How have I missed these signs? The whole process was difficult, but it taught me a lot. As parents, we doubt and blame ourselves all the time when, deep down, we're all just trying our hardest. Cooper was two years old when I attended the parent course. A few weeks later, I spoke with the nursery and other professionals, and they explained they were going to speak to me about Cooper, but they were waiting as they knew I was going through the process with G and that Cooper showed very different signs from G. G first spoke at the age of 2, whereas Cooper didn't start talking until he was four years old. Cooper began speech and language therapy when he was two years old, and at the age of four, professionals diagnosed Cooper with ASD and speech and language communication needs. We were fortunate to have Jenny, the most amazing speech and language therapist, by our side from the time G turned two until Cooper entered school. As most parents are aware, it can be difficult to get people to listen to you and understand. The boys have faced some really difficult times, but I have been extremely fortunate that they have had wonderful support over the years from friends, family, and professionals. My life now revolves heavily around autism. I work in this field now because I believe that the more I learn, the easier life will be for these young people, and it makes me happy to be able to support them. I have never shared my story before, but I am doing so because I see so many young people and families dealing with difficult times on a daily basis, and these charities help support them. My boys are doing well and that’s because we’ve had people around us who have helped support us, it takes a village to raise a child and some people don’t have a village of support, by sharing or donating it could help change someone’s life, I would truly appreciate it if you could donate or share my link ❤️