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• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 12-17 >> Paula - Interview 5 >> Paula felt “incredible relief” to get the diagnosis as she had been questioning her parenting ability.

Paula’s older son Alex was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome two years ago and her younger son David has been diagnosed with ADD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, agitated depression, speech dyspraxia and Asperger syndrome over the years. Both boys attend a mainstream secondary school and Paula is still trying to organize appropriate support for David.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 12-17 >> Dot - Interview 9 >> Dot felt the diagnosis would make everyone take her seriously at last and when she got home phoned everyone to tell them the news.

Dot’s son Joe was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when he was 7 years old. He attends a specialist Asperger Unit which is on the site of a mainstream secondary school and he is getting on very well.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age under 6 >> Caron - Interview 15 >> Caron was not listened to for so long and feels let down.

Caron’s son, Leo, was diagnosed with autism when he was three. He attends a mainstream primary school but Caron worries that he is not receiving appropriate support.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 12-17 >> Dot - Interview 9 >> Dot describes how she put an advert in a local paper asking if parents of children with AS wanted to meet up and forty people turned up.

Dot’s son Joe was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when he was 7 years old. He attends a specialist Asperger Unit which is on the site of a mainstream secondary school and he is getting on very well.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 18+ >> Tracy - Interview 13 >> Tracy experienced ‘waves of euphoria and fear’ when her daughter was diagnosed and still feels her emotions are in turmoil over ten years later.

Tracy’s daughter, Nicola, was diagnosed with autism when she was six years old. Nicola is currently at a college for further education and will start working at the local hospital radio station when she finishes her course.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age under 6 >> Nicki and Mark - Interview 14 >> Nicki struggled with feelings of guilt and anxiety about Tyler’s future for 18 months after receiving the diagnosis.

Nicki and Mark’s son, Tyler, was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. He attends a special school and they are delighted with his progress.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 12-17 >> Rosie - Interview 18 >> Rosie’s son had a fixation about eating anything and ended up in hospital after eating glass.

Rosie’s son, Sam, was originally diagnosed with dyspraxia and then with autism when he was five years old. He attends a special school which has a specialist autism unit which he enjoys.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 18+ >> Christine - Interview 20 >> Christine didn’t want to believe her son had autism because he had been misdiagnosed many years before.

Christine’s son, Brian, was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome four years ago after being wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 14. He lives at home now after years in a residential home and attends an autism day centre during the week.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 12-17 >> Karen - Interview 23 >> Karen feels judged to be the worlds worst parent and talks about the effect of her experiences on her life.

Karen’s old daughter was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when she was 10 years old. She has since been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder and her mother has removed her from school because appropriate support was not provided.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 18+ >> Jacqui - Interview 31 >> A professional told Jacqui that if he had Luke for three months he could stop him behaving in the way he was.

Five of Jacqui’s children are on the autistic spectrum and, as they have grown older, Jacqui has found that adult services have few resources and there is no support to help ease her children into employment.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 18+ >> Diana - Interview 33 >> Diana and her husband went to behaviour therapy after being told that “academic families have no idea how to talk to children”.

Diana’s daughter, Vicky, 37, was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when she was 33 years old. Vicky lives independently and spends the weekends with her parents.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 6-11 >> Nick and Vikki - Interview 34 >> Vikki thinks her son is who he is and does not want to think about cause or blame.

Nick and Vikki’s younger son, Peter, was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when he was five years old. He attends a specialist resourced provision attached to a mainstream primary school which he enjoys.

• Autism >> Parents of children on the Autism Spectrum >> Age 6-11 >> Bobbi - Interview 30 >> Bobbi describes getting the diagnosis as ‘light bulb moments going off all over the place’.

Bobbi’s younger son, Charlie, was diagnosed with autism when he was five. He attends a local primary school with support and is getting on very well.