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Denise Hitchen and her son Daniel.
Denise Hitchen and her son Daniel.
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`Different but wonderful'

Helen Tither
7/ 5/2008

DENISE Hitchen always knew her little boy was different. Sweet and caring, he never cried, even as a baby. In many ways he was a model child - and that's when she realised something might be amiss. He was just too well behaved.

"Daniel was absolutely the sweetest child as a toddler - and still is," smiles Denise, from Tameside.

"We realised by the age of about two and a half that not only was he not crying, he wasn't communicating with us at all. That's when we got a diagnosis and found out he has classic autism."

Daniel is by no means alone, as recent research shows around one in 100 children will be diagnosed with autism. Indeed, so common - and misunderstood - is the condition that it recently had its first UN-sponsored awareness day.

And it doesn't just affect children, as around half a million adults suffer from autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Characteristics include difficulties in forming relationships, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication and the development of obsessional interests.

In years gone by, it often went undiagnosed with children being classed as `difficult' or naughty.

Change

In many cases, autism makes it hard for a child to understand or deal with change. Sudden events, noises, or changes in schedule can make them upset, prompting others to dismiss them as attention-seeking. On the other end of the spectrum, some autistic children don't speak or communicate at all.

However, a few simple coping strategies can make a massive difference.

This is why the National Autistic Society is holding a special one-day programme in Bolton today to help families of children who have recently been diagnosed with autism. Looking at everything from education to benefits, the charity aims to support families at what can be a very isolating time.

Dave Scowcroft, from the society, says: "Some parents want help with practical things like education and the legalities of getting the right provision. For others it's about support, as it's not always easy to think positive about the situation. Many parents face a real battle to get services.

"What we want to do is show parents how, after diagnosis, your child can grow and reach their potential."

For Denise and Daniel, now 13, the past decade since his diagnosis has proved a steep learning curve. Getting the right education provision proved a challenge, for instance, but Denise persevered and got him into the class she wanted.

Ground-breaking

She also set up a ground-breaking scheme, Frogtastic, to take people with learning difficulties, disabilities, and autism, out to the cinema, theatre and other events. It sprang up from Daniel's love of all things film-related - a particular characteristic of his autism includes an obsession with films. However, Denise found that many parents of children with autism felt they couldn't go out to the cinema for fear of what other people might think. She's made it her mission to tackle that.

"It's not an easy time for parents," she says. "In many ways it's an invisible problem and you get a lot of ignorance.

"But it's not the end of the world. There's plenty of great support out there and it's worth getting as much information as you can. Then you realise that you have a wonderful child and he is going to have a wonderful a life."

A sentiment echoed by Richard Lewis, whose five-year-old daughter Niamh was diagnosed with autism in February.

He's been so impressed with the support from the National Autistic Society, he's ditched his coach potato lifestyle to get in training for the Great Manchester 10k run later this month to raise funds for the charity.

"We knew Niamh was different from her big sister Freya. She finds it difficult to deal with change unless she is well prepared, and doesn't like unexpected things happening," he says.

"She might come across as attention-seeking but she doesn't understand why she should change whatever she's doing. We're still in the early stages but the charity has been so helpful with practical advice that I wanted to give something back.

"Niamh's a lovely girl and we now realise that autism is not a disability - it just means she sees the world differently. She's not incapable of anything and I am sure she's going to be able to do anything she wants."

For support in your area, contact Clare Naylor from the National Autistic Society on 0161 946 1193 or email clare.naylor@nas.org.uk


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