After the diagnosis of my then 16 year old daughter’s autism I was in a bit of a state, as I didn’t recognise the symptoms and just thought she was painfully shy. More of a shock as her twin brother also has autism (diagnosed at 3 years old) so thought I should have known.

Georgia presented differently to her brother who had the ‘typical symptoms’ and I was at a loss what to do. There is a grey area at her age as she was almost an adult but still a child, then I discovered the ASD Post-Diagnosis workshops through Healthy Young Minds and booked myself on the course - it was simply wonderful. From the first session to the last I learned so much about all aspects of autism:

Introduction to autism, Education, Understanding the brain, Communication & Emotions. 

The sessions were helpful and educational, and also so friendly and welcoming (tea, coffee and biscuits too) ! I would highly recommend anyone to attend these sessions if they get the opportunity, as when your child is first diagnosed it can feel as if you’re alone, but trust me you’re not. I got to meet lovely parents who were going through the exact same thing, and it’s great to swap stories and advice about all different kinds of things regarding autism.

Thanks to POINT and the advice I received (thank you Debbie, Megan and guest speakers), Georgia has now settled well into college, has made new friends and although is still quite socially awkward, is doing so much better and has a very bright future ahead of her 😊.