Joline Stroh tells us how her family benefited from attending an AEIOU Open Day and enrolling in the program

I discovered AEIOU Foundation shortly after my beautiful twins, Isabella and Noah, were diagnosed with autism. They were nearly 3 years old. 

I knew the twins needed 20 hours of intervention a week, and began working intensely with each of them at home, setting up an individualized program and turning our home into different learning centres with communication cards displayed in every room.

But late at night, as I reflected over the day, I would doubt myself, constantly questioning if I was doing enough.  I knew autism was incurable but not untreatable and early intervention was the key.

It wasn’t sustainable to try and deliver all the therapy on our own, at the intensity the children needed. Everything I searched for online led me towards AEIOU Foundation, but it still took so much courage to make contact.   

So, I’ll never forget my first phone call to AEIOU.  I explained our desperate situation to Katrina through shaky tears, and she was very re-assuring but more importantly she understood what we were going through. Katrina talked me through the program and the affordable costs involved, and put the twins’ names down on their waiting list. I just knew AEIOU would be the answer to my prayers.

A few months afterwards, I received the invitation for the annual AEIOU Open Day. I decided to go, and the session not only answered many of my questions about how the children would be supported in the program, it gave me the chance to meet the team at the centre we were on the waitlist for. Better yet, we met other families. It can be really lonely and isolating when you first get that diagnosis, and it was a great feeling to realise we weren’t alone.

Going to the Open Day gave me the confidence to begin attending the parent information training sessions and with each visit I met more members of AEIOU’s passionate team and saw the amazing work they did.    When we were offered a place for both the twins, I sobbed with relief as I knew AEIOU’s early intervention program would give my children the best chance to succeed.

I remember shaking so much on their first day, I was filled with nerves… but their therapists and new teachers were so incredibly supportive and welcoming that the only tears cried that day were mine. The twins settled into the program incredibly well and by the second week they were already starting intensive toilet training. 

I can honestly say that after nearly three terms both are thriving. Our home is at last filled with lots of chattering and singing! Noah is able to talk to us and has a special relationship with his therapists.  All of this has opened up a love for learning. He is interested in reading and has even started writing down some words. He has also made his first friends and I love how they greet one-another in the mornings with high-fives and a big hug.

Isabella is such a different little girl, full of confidence and joy and so aware of the world around her. Her speech is also developing which is such an amazing joy for us to finally hear her voice. She astonishes me daily with spelling new words on the fridge using the magnetic letters and often hunts around her toys looking for the corresponding item to match. Her joint attention and imitation skills have particularly improved, and she never stops singing and dancing too! We love the fact that all the therapists share in those small moments that mean so much to us and celebrate our children’s daily successes.

I’ve also had the privilege of getting to know some amazing like-minded, passionate mums of the AEIOU community who have all had different experiences but share similar feelings and really understand this emotional rollercoaster ride Autism has given us.

I remember reporting back that within months, AEIOU had given my little family a place where we all feel accepted and the confidence to overcome some of the obstacles that Autism has given us. Our future felt so bright! Now that we’re heading into Term Four of our first year at AEIOU, this is what I’d like all parents of a child with autism to know:

• You are not alone, and there are great support networks out there. The benefits of being with people who ‘get it ‘can’t be explained in words!
• You are the best advocate for your child. I have found that being a proactive, well-informed organized parent is much harder to dismiss and ultimately you know what is best for your child.
• Small milestones are huge victories in our home. Take pride in each small accomplishment and focus on what they can do now rather than compare them to a typically developing child.
• Parenting is hard, but with a child with autism, it can often feel overwhelming and defeating. Being a healthy happy parent is so essential, so remember to look after your-self and enjoy some ‘me time’ guilt-free.

I have learned that all people with autism are capable of astonishing insights and creativity and my eyes have been opened to my own children's hidden gifts. The hardest part of this journey is the just not knowing what the future will bring. But I am fuelled by hope as I celebrate their strengths and mine too as a mother with two beautiful children, who just happen to have autism.

If your child or a child in your care has a new or suspected autism diagnosis, please feel welcome to come along to the AEIOU Foundation Open Day on 28 August at the centre closest to you.  

This is a great opportunity to observe how the AEIOU early intervention program works for young children with autism, meet the team, and ask questions.  The Open Day would also be beneficial if you are an early childhood educator, GP or allied health professional, please join the team at your local centre.   Click here for further information and registration information.