Parent Testimonials
My 3 year old son was diagnosed with Autism this year. After the diagnosis we were lost, confused and scared. We had no one to turn to to ask for support or advice.
Our son is non verbal and really struggling to manage in a mainstream school setting. We had no idea what we could do to help him reach his potential. Then by chance I saw a poster whilst attending an appointment with my son. That poster changed our lives.
When we first attended the group we were apprehensive, but we needn't had
been. We were greeted with warmth and professionalism.
Equipped with amazing experience and knowledge of ASD my son was put at
ease and immediately responded to the communication techniques used with
him.
I had never been to a setting where I had been able to sit and watch my son
enjoy his surroundings. He showed so much enjoyment and happiness in such a
short time of being there. Different strategies and techniques were suggested to
try at home to help support our son. We learned more about ASD and our son in
90 minutes than ever before.
ASD RAINBOWS is so much more than a support group. For our family it has been a life saver.
This is the ONLY provision specifically for asd that my son can attend at his age.
Budget cut backs in the local authority means that my son has to effectively
prove that he's failing in mainstream school before support is offered to him. This
process takes over a year. Significant research shows that the earlier a child
receives support with asd the better they will respond - the only place he is being
thoroughly supported is asd Rainbows.
Asd rainbows support the whole family not just the individual with asd. I will be
eternally grateful that I saw their poster and decided to attend the group. I
honestly don't know where we'd be without them.
Rebecca and Leo Lydon
Please find below a supporting statement to celebrate and endorse the ASD
Rainbows organisation who we as a family have had the pleasure and privilege
of working with in support of our son Charlie.
The organisation has been working 1:1 with him for several months, and already
the intervention programme has had a significant impact on his personal
development. We believe that there are a number of contributory factors which
underline this success story, success which cannot be measured or
underestimated in the life of a child on the spectrum.
Firstly, the inclusive philosophy of the ASD Rainbows allows for interventions to take place whatever the level of need, provides a bespoke programme in line with the specific deficits of the child, and perhaps most importantly it leaves no child and their family without hope, hope that their autistic child can become confident, independent and prepared for the outside world, a world very different to theirs.
Secondly, the expertise, passion and single minded determination of the Rainbows staff for all children to succeed is a driving force for positive change and is a vital ingredient in the success of the programme. Money can’t but this type of quality and continuity of care for the children, and funding this scheme is quite literally a lifeline for children and their families who live with autism 24 hours a day. Additionally, there is no other service in the area which offers such a specialised and tailored support for children and families for pre and after school provision for children living with ASD.
Finally, the exhaustive range of strategies to encourage and engage the children, with our son included, really does make a massive difference to their all round development, whether it be communication, co-operative play, gross or fine motor skills or social interaction.
The work of the ASD Rainbows is exceptional, and we cannot express strongly enough the vital role they have and continue to have in Charlie’s development, they bring so much fulfillment to our son and the impact that it has had on his progress is already marked and significant and we have no doubt that without this support Charlie would not be progressing at the same rate or to the same extent. We as parents are determined to not let autism shape the man that Charlie will become, and the Rainbows share and articulate this vision during their sessions with Charlie and his life is more the richer for it.
Lisa and Jason Toghill, parents of Charlie Toghill, aged 6 years
To whom it may concern, I am writing to express the need for provision and parent support for ASD
Rainbows. Our daughter attends sessions twice per week. She is currently going
through her diagnosis for Autism. We previously took her to a general playgroup
where the differences in our child and the other children were huge. We felt out
of place, and our daughter would just sit in the corner, clutching a random toy. It
was a horrible experience as no one understood our daughter and didn’t have
the time to give her the one on one guidance and support that she needs. We
were torn. We wanted our daughter to have the experience of a playgroup and
other children but it was more distress than the worth of it.
A member of the neurological team suggested ASD rainbows to us. We were
very apprehensive and nervous about going after our previous playgroup
experiences. From the first moment that we met the staff, our anxieties faded.
Not only do they completely understand Elphie’s needs, but they completely
understand her strengths too. This, as a parent of an asd child is huge!
Constantly we are asked about the things your child cannot do, whereas in the
playgroup, it’s all about what our child can do and her learning is built upon that.
Our daughter cannot wait to run into playgroup every time we take her. This
playgroup is so needed for children at this age. It is the perfect stepping stone
between home life and school. If we did not have such a wonderful provision, our
daughter would suffer and would close herself off even more.
Since we have been going to asd rainbows, our daughter has for the first time,
communicated with us using the PECS system. For a non verbal child, this is
absolutely huge! Not only is our daughter getting the provision and life skills that
she needs, but we as a family are also learning and receiving the biggest support
we can possibly receive from this wonderful organisation.
Without asd rainbows, it would be a detriment to all children that need additional support. Asd rainbows are a lifeline to our family. We have learnt so much and have experienced so much joy from our daughter by being there. We are very optimistic for her future due to receiving the best start in life from the staff at asd rainbows.
Yours Faithfully,
M. J. Fudge-Horton.
Information in support of the ASD Rainbows application for funding. Lyndsey Williams
Parent Carer Officer, RCTCBC Carers Support
I have recently started working with the carers support project as the parent carer officer, supporting parents who care for a child with additional needs including those with ASD. As an organisation we cover the whole of Rhondda Cynon Taff, providing training for parent carers but also helping them to access support groups within their local community. Feedback from parents I have met with is that they very often find support groups helpful as they are around parents going through similar issues. In order that I can provide the best support to parents registered with us I have spent some time finding out what is in the local area. I recently met with ASD rainbows and was very impressed to hear about what they currently offer and what they would like to offer families. Through researching local support groups there seems to be less support in Cynon valley compared with Rhondda and Taff. Due to the support that ASD rainbows offer it enables isolated families to access a provision that will help children learn new skills and transfer these skills both at home and during social interactions within the community. As a service we would like to work closely with ASD rainbows as I feel if they achieve what they would like to they can offer good support to parents of children with ASD