Seth called our office phone at just gone midnight. Knowing this must be a distressed parent’s call or an emergency, I answered it. As I had feared, there was just the sound of hysterical sobs immediately I answered. Unusually it was a man at the end of the phone. Seth’s wife, Julie, had just left him. She could no longer cope being a full-time, stay-at-home mum. Their little girl, Lilly, was 11 years old and had classic autism. Lilly had put her baby brother at the end of the garden when mum and dad were arguing in the kitchen. Their 13 month old son, Noah, was also showing signs of autism. He had no eye contact, everyone commented on what a ‘good baby’ he was and he rarely noticed when people entered or left the room.

I managed to calm Seth down and talk him through the many options he had. I assured him there was a solution, and that God had a perfect plan for him and his family although it may not seem that way at the moment. I reassured Seth that I knew of many parents in his exact situation and that he wasn’t alone. We could help.

An ‘ideal home’ is part of a caring community. Here’s how understanding, practical help and on-going support, helped a family struggling with autism, as told by Timothy, a member of staff at Network Interventions. Subscribe to Families First to read the whole article.