I am one of 800!

Kat from Kats Life is todays guest blogger. Kat is Mum to three children, eldest (boy) 8 and two girls aged 5 and 6. The 6 year old, Gia, has Aspergers and attends mainstream school. She lives in Kilkenny, Ireland, with her husband Paul.

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Isolation is one of the saddest words I know.

The feeling of being set apart or being left alone brings with it loneliness, frustration and abandonment.

Isolated is exactly how I felt after the professionals dropped the bombshell about my daughter.

Admittedly I was given some direction. I found a course I attended helped greatly because we made contact with other parents with similar difficulties we had.

Yes, friends and family try to help but I find this is exhaustive and these people move on or can’t really be emphatic because they are not living with the situation.

Feeling as if you are the only parent in the world going through this alone is an awful feeling so when i was recommended to join this facebook support group I was hopeful that i may meet other parents in similar situation.

This group has been a lifesaver to me if only to use it as a sounding board to air my grievances. When I started on this facebook page I was clueless regarding my entitlements, management of my daughter and how to cope with her difficulties. Now I find I have become the advisor and our lives have settled into a nice steady rhythm thanks to all the advice, encouragement and friendship from everyone.

Where else can you post up that your child has eaten a spoonful of lasagne and be congratulated and praised. Yes pride in our kids is a wonderful thing and hey, why keep it to yourself when there are parents out there ready to join in your celebration. The little steps our children make are such giant leaps why not enjoy these victories. Likewise if your child is wearing you down who better to understand than the parents going through the same things you are. Its win- win the whole way.

I can honestly say that this facebook page has changed my life. I have made so many good friends, laughed with them, cried with them and battled with them ( WITH not against LOL) I feel privileged to call the people on this page my friends even though I have not met many of them.

Gia and I are better people because of this group and the many fabulous people on it.

Irish Autism Action

Irish Autism Action is an umbrella organisation with 33 member groups and 3,500 individual members. Our members range from the 13 Special Schools for Children with Autism to local support groups and are located in practically every county in Ireland.