“Autism Connex have become our family. We look forward to meeting with parents who are on a similar journey to ours; sharing anecdotes, information & tips to make life easier. We also truly appreciate the care & understanding of the volunteers who play with & look after our children whilst we can relax.
“I have been taking my 17 year old son to the Autism Connex group meetings since they started running. They have been an invaluable source of support to us both. It is a very welcoming place we can go to and be supported. He can play and interact with other children without being judged for his differences. We are looking forward to being able to utilise the respite care service as this will be a vital part of socialising for my son and for myself some much-needed time out. Theresa and the other volunteers have done an amazing job getting this group up and running as there is a very real need for a service of this kind for the many parents with special needs children who may otherwise feel isolated and alone.”
“Theresa and her team are driven and determined and push on when others are happy to coast. Every meeting we attend we see more and more new faces coming to be in a safe, non-judgmental environment where we can share stories, experiences and concerns for the future. It’s great to meet parents with children older than our boys and learn from their experiences, and also parents with younger children who can learn from ours.”
“Autism Connex has been an amazing support for myself. Being able to talk to other people who understand what you are going through is very helpful. Although every persons story is different, because every child is different, the stress and understanding is the same. Being able to take my daughter somewhere, where she won’t be judged or bullied if she has a meltdown or does things differently is an awesome feeling. I don’t have to watch her every second in case she does something unusual. I can relax and talk to other adults who understand and that is a very rare thing for me to do. Thank you to Theresa Tongi and the Volunteers for all their hard work. All are very amazing people.”
