5 years ago my beautiful niece Sophie was born. She has brought us a huge amount of happiness, but we always knew Sophie was a little bit different to other babies. When she was 3 she was diagnosed with autism. Initially a diagnosis can be a bit scary, wondering how she might be affected growing up and thinking about the extra hurdles she will need to overcome. However, the diagnosis also helped us understand how to communicate a little better with her and has given her the extra support to flourish in nursery and school. A number of charities helped my family on this journey, but Parenting Special Children have stood out in their support of my sister.
They provide a free support network, workshops and 1-2-1 advice for families working out what an Additional Needs diagnosis means for them. ‘Additional needs’ means any disability, learning difficulty, developmental delay or a genetic disorder. They also support parents going through the diagnostic process, when professionals have identified that there is something not right with a child’s development but they are awaiting appointments or results to find out possible causes.
Parenting Special Children have played a big part in helping us towards the wonderful way that Sophie is developing. We are really proud of her and her 'neuro-typical' brother.
You can find out more about their work here: http://parentingspecialchildren.co.uk/
As a Thank You to the Parenting Special Children I have taken up my running shoes from where they have hung for the last 5 years and committed myself to running the Oxford Half Marathon on 11th October. On the way to October I am also running two 10kms which will mean by the end of the year I will have nearly run a Marathon’s worth of races. I and my sister would be extremely grateful if you would consider donating even a few pounds to the cause, and it will certainly encourage me in my training!
Thanks for reading
Sarah
