)
)
)
)
)
Elijah and Ezra are twin brothers. When the twins started to grow and get older, the boys’ parents noticed their development was behind compared to their other children when they were the same age.
The twins started to walk much later than their parents were expecting and they started to see more of a difference between Elijah and Ezra. Elijah was developing his walking and talking quicker than his brother, Ezra was virtually non-verbal.
After discussing the parents’ concerns, the twin’s health worker referred Ezra to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health). Ezra’s dad took him for his first appointment with a paediatrician which was a huge relief for the family but then Covid and lockdown stopped all future appointments.
The twin’s parents became really frustrated, it had felt like a battle to get this far and the journey was far from over. The parents didn’t know what to do, they knew Ezra needed help but didn’t know how to support him. They had years of parenting experience but now they had to learn to parent in a different way. The parents were given little guidance, and felt as though they were encountering one obstacle after another, nothing seemed straightforward.
After lockdown, CAMHS’ waiting list was extremely long, they asked if they could outsource Ezra’s Autism Assessment to a third party. The twin’s parents then waited another 12 months before finally being referred to Caudwell Children.
Once the twin’s parents were referred to Caudwell Children, Ezra had his Autism Assessment at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre, which was completed by the charity’s in-house clinical team, the process was really quick.
The twin’s parents said “before being referred to Caudwell Children we were in the dark, we weren’t signposted to any information until we came to the charity. Caudwell Children made sure we knew what to expect, sent us information packs and guided us every step of the way. It was a massive relief that everything was moving. Ezra who was non-verbal is now reading a book, he can see the words and read them.”
Due to Ezra’s positive experience at Caudwell Children, the twins’ parents decided to apply to the charity once again for an Autism Assessment for Elijah. They were more aware of signs to spot with Elijah after Ezra received his autism diagnosis and had more knowledge after attending Caudwell Children’s workshops.
The twins’ parents said “We can’t recommend Caudwell Children highly enough. Our journey has been so positive. The centre is homely, the family support team are incredible and listen. Care is given in all forms, right from the layout of the building to the staff.
“Not only have the autism diagnoses for the boys been beneficial for them but for us too because having that extra bit of knowledge and support gives you more confidence when dealing with situations. We do still have challenges with the boys, for example food is an issue but we can now focus on what we need to do and know what to do to calm them down.”