I hope to help others by sharing the story of my son Brendan
AWEST Lancashire doctor has released a book to help parents of autistic children, 10 years after her own son was diagnosed.
Dr May Ng, who lives in Ormskirk, has released A Journey With Brendan, detailing her son’s experiences with autism and offering advice to other parents in the same situation.
May works as a pediatrican in Ormskirk, Southport and Liverpool and was able to spot the early signs when Brendan began showing signs of autism, including delayed speech and a lack of social interaction.
Brendan, now 13, did not speak until he was seven and now attends Abbot’s Lea School, in Liverpool, the nearest dedicated autism school to the family.
As it requires multiple doctors from several disciplines to formally diagnose autism, the process took about 12 months for Brendan, even with May able to recognise the symptoms early on.
For many others, the wait can be as long as three years, something May describes as “appalling” and “unacceptable”.
She argues that early intervention is vital for effective treatment and is critical of the lack of support given to parents when a diagnosis is finally made.
The book is based on the diaries she has kept since Brendan began to show signs of autism and also provides a wealth of resources, advice and practical tips for families of autistic children.
In it, May provides a first-hand account of bringing up a child with autism, bringing together a wide range of resources and practical advice to help families cope.
Over the years, she researched, tried and documented almost every therapy available for autism – public and private, mainstream and alternative.
She worked with persistence and patience to teach Brendan to be able to manage basic life skills for himself.
It was incredibly hard, but the long, arduous years of working to help Brendan speak, toilettrain him, get him into the right school and develop his potential mean that Brendan is now a happy 13-year-old and able to do many things his family once believed might not be possible.
May holds a dual accreditation in general paediatrics and paediatric endocrinology & diabetes, has produced more than 150 scientific publications and has been a keynote speaker at many international meetings and conferences. She has won several major awards and hopes that her research and personal experiences will help many other families in the same position.
A Journey with Brendan: Life with a child with autism, by a mother and paediat-rician is on sale now and available from various book stores, including bookguild. co.uk