Our work is driven by the children, teens, adults and families we serve – those navigating life with neurodiversity.
This is Tim and Lisa’s story - one of the real-life experiences that inspired us to create our school and family centre. Their son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and like so many parents, Lisa and Tim have been engaged in a long, exhausting and uphill battle to find the right educational support and facilities for him.
Tim & Lisa’s Story
Our son began showing challenging behaviour from a very young age, yet every professional we saw related his behaviour to “middle child syndrome” or said he just “wasn’t affirmed enough.” We knew those explanations weren’t true.
At school he didn’t display the same demanding behaviour – he was academically able and articulate, yet getting him through the door became a daily struggle. Most days after he was picked up from school it was clear he was unregulated: displaying anger and aggression…what we now know as the ‘coke bottle’ effect.
As he moved up through the school years, it became clear he was wrestling with sensory overload and finding friendships difficult. Because he masked so much of his stress in class, teachers thought he was “fine,” until exhaustion finally hit and he became burned out: after that, he simply couldn’t face school and he rarely left the house, or his bedroom for the next 18 months.
As a family we had reached crisis point. Thankfully, during this time he received an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis and we started looking for a suitable school, only to find that there was no specialised provision locally. Our GP recommended a specialist school that sounded perfect – the only problem was that it was 45 miles away from where we live.
Securing a place there wasn’t easy; places are highly contested and the waiting lists are long. It took some time to adjust and the long journey each day is challenging, but over the last three years we’ve watched an incredible transformation take place: our son has built trust with his teachers, embraced his love of learning, excelled in sports, and now can’t wait to get to class each morning. His future at last, looks bright.
Our own experience is why we’re so excited about Havenswood Trust. Its vision mirrors the nurturing environment our son has thrived in, but right here in our own community - without the hour and a half drive there and back, each day. We know firsthand that a school and family centre like this truly works – and we can’t wait for other families to find the same hope and transformation that we have.