UP DATE ON AUTISM.

The truth is I was never really diagnosed for my Autism.

Many people have asked me. How do I know if I have got Autism?

Bare in mind just over 40 years ago it was an unknown world.

May be I don't have Autism but over the years my family have watch films, read things and watched me cope with my disabilities.

I would like to get diagnosed for once and for all by a doctor whether they will do it after all those years or not I will just have accept that I will never find out for sure.

In those days, it was very hard for families, they still had to work long hours just like families always have done for non disabled children.

There weren't any benefit in those days.

My Mum was only 17 yrs old when she had me.

Nappies were Terry toweling, which she washed until I was five yrs old.

As a child I was fourteen mouths old until I could walked but I couldn't balance very good.

I found it hard to be interested in games with children but I very much made my own games up in my own little world.

I played and talked to my dolls and soft toys.

I never slept at night I just used to cry for hours until I cried myself to sleep. I felt scared of the noses outside on the streets for eg; barking dogs.

When stories were read to me I believed in them, I used to fear the big bad wolf jumping out of my wardrobe.

The family always said I was never very good at affection, which was a lack of eye contact.

In those days no one really knew what Autism was or any disability for that matter.

You just got on with live because you didn't know anything else.

Disabilities weren't known for sure but people always noticed when some people more problems than others but never sure what.

It was almost as if the world was mad at me people didn't understand me.

This made me feel guilty and hated by the world and society.

I used to feel mad with myself not understanding why I was like I was.

I never whether to blame myself for what I couldn't cope or people around me not understanding me. This caused a lack of communication and understanding.

It felt as if was very much disliked because I knew I couldn't seem to please anyone.

There again I am not saying that every fault I have boils down to my disability because each and every one of us has faults.

There are naughty children but back then children then we didn't get away with it.

I used to be on the go all night long but found it very hard to pay at tension in the day, like in school for example, that's why I left school having learned nothing at all.

The cause of having these problems could be the heavy medication I was on at the time and too much sugar and salt in my diet, which we knew very little about back then.

Health staff, families and carers should keep an eye on how the side - affects of medication is affecting people.

Everyone should work as a team to support people if and when they need it but at the same time don't over protect them.

Let people get on with things they can manage but support and teach them how to manage more, give them time to learn.

Tomorrow or another day is another day if it's a bad today.

Keep going until they get there, they will carry on if they want to learn.

If you give up they will.

They will be very upset if you give up on them.
Here's balance for you.

This caused me to be aggressive, kick, lash out, pinch, bit, hit and scream at any time i felt angry.

I believe the medication I was on at that time made me the human being I was.

Myself and my family have said that those tablets back then were far too strong for me.

I think I was on 300 to 500mgs 1 tablet three times a day.

They were also very dangerous tablets, which slowed my awareness down.

Even at the age of ten to twelve I couldn't be out doors on the streets alone, I had no road sense or any direction awareness and I was a danger to myself and people without meaning to be.

People thought I was a danger on purpose.

Without knowing I was going to change, I came off the age of 13, my fits stopped well for 20yrs but little did we know when I came off those tablets.

All of a sudden, slowly I started to be aware of what was going on around me.

My behavior problems started to calm down, I slept better, I started to learn better.
Learning to be safe getting out and about on my own.

This is why I think those tablets affected my life more so than my disabilities.

I became very angry if I couldn't communication.

Everyone seemed to know better than me.

It seemed as if the whole world was clever and I was useless.

One day I learned that I am just a very slow learner and I am not the only one with learning disabilities.


I suffered from bladder and bowl problems, no one understood why.

Even today my bladder is still the same.

I can't seem to make it to the toilet quick enough.

I was in nappies until age of five.

Now that I am lot older I have started Tena Lady,it helps a bit but not much.

People tend to think only because I can walk and talk, I don't have these problems.

We are still trying raise awareness of these things the don't see.

I have a very slight problem with my speech but not much.

When it came to the start of adulthood, I spent five years in a living in job at Camnant Mid Wales New town Powys looking after animals and I also passed a few exams.

I went on to college and I have been on my schemes over the years, plus signing on for 13 yrs.

Now I am helping out with Mencap and Employment Pathways is support me and two other people to have our business.

We are called Access All Areas Now! We are learning disability awareness training service we train services to understand and to be aware of what to except of learning disability.

We hope one day we will create a service to support people with disabilities in all areas of life.

Autism is a life time disability, there are all kinds of Autism.

No one knows what causes Autism but my Mum was neglected at the birth, they called it lack of Oxygen to my brain.

I had fit's, I have dyslexic and I could have Dyspraxia Developmental Co-ordition disorder.

I can't grip very well with my hands, not very good with motor skills riding a bike, driving a car, can't skip and things like that.

Autism is very common these days than it ever was before.

There are 1 in 100 people with Autism, it affect men more than woman I have heard.

Autism can be a communication and social problem, it's so easy to get misunderstood by people.

We can find it hard to understand the danger around us even though I am getting better than I was. b.i.r.d.org,uk or call to either support other children with Autism or may be you know some children with Autism.

If you have any comments you are welcome to email me on sarajgorman@googlemail.com or a send me a message on Facebook. WWW.autism.org.uk/