Katie’s story: "My children can just be themselves and have fun, with no judgments"

Katie and her husband have two children, aged 8 and 12. Katie works with neurodiverse children and so was already aware of the signs and symptoms of a range of different learning disabilities.

A hidden disability is not always obvious at first but at the age of 6, Archie, Katie’s now 8 year old son, came home from school one day and asked “Am I autistic?” He and his class had been learning about autism that day.

“Archie is very intelligent,” says Katie, “so it was no surprise really when he asked me.” Katie approached Archie’s school, and together they applied for an autism assessment with Cognus, the Council’s specialist education provider.

“When Archie had his assessment he was quite nervous beforehand, but he thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing! He thought it was great fun, and getting that confirmation that he was autistic before we had even left meant a great deal to us. Having to wait for days to find out would have been a huge ordeal for him, so that quick decision was crucial to help all of us move on, knowing exactly what was what.”

But Katie’s 12 year old daughter, Chloe, had been secretly struggling too. “School became a very challenging environment for her when she moved from primary to secondary school and she was really finding it difficult.

When Chloe started at secondary school the family was already waiting for an autism assessment to take place. “The thought of having the assessment was very daunting beforehand, both for me and for Chloe,” said Katie. “I knew she would struggle with it - she was very anxious leading up to the meeting. But the psychologist who saw us was so good at putting us both at ease, taking the time to make sure Chloe was feeling secure and understood everything, reassuring her at every step that she would only go at Chloe’s pace, that it turned into a very positive experience for both of us.”

“Having that later diagnosis made things more difficult for Chloe. Girls with autism are very good at masking their struggles and are very different from boys with autism in lots of ways. Before that assessment, the school hadn't known the best way to support her, but with the support now in place for her, she is starting to adapt. Both of them have had supportive conversations with a psychologist at Cognus and that has been hugely helpful for both of them.”

“And the events that Cognus puts on for children with additional needs means that they know they are with other children who are the same as them, and they can just be themselves and have fun, with no judgments. Cognus has made what can be a very difficult journey much much easier to deal with. As a family we are very grateful for that.”

For more information about Cognus’ autism service.