When my daughter started school she wasn't diagnosed. I told the Principal she was outside of the box (meaning she was different) and he was happy to accept that. Her first teacher accepted her just as she was. The class was small in numbers, quiet, roomy and positive. My daughter was happy to go to school. Most weeks we got some positive feedback. Slowly, the feedback seemed to be about her writing. The teacher told us how my daughter wrote the most extraordinary stories. They were outside of the box. My daughter would also include the most detailed, pictures. As a family we experienced success at school in the form of positive feedback from the teacher. As parents we felt confident that the teacher valued our daughter. She could see her special talents.
Towards the end of the year, while walking towards the staffroom, the teacher gently said "I think your daughter may have Autism". "Thank you, Yes, we now think that too, we will go ahead and get a diagnosis, do you know how?" We felt supported because all year the teacher had been feeding back to us positives. The news that our daughter may have Autism was well received because of the relationship we already had with the teacher who clearly accepted our daughter and saw her strengths.
Tara O'Neill
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