Mother of twins with autism moves to Rockhampton for support
Autism Queensland centre goes blue for Autism Awareness month
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NICOLE Douglas first suspected there was something amiss with her twin boys when they were only eighteen months old.
"They weren't listening to us at all; you could pop a balloon behind their heads to no response,” she said.
"You could whistle right next to their ears and they wouldn't turn.”
It took two months for specialists to arrive at a diagnosis of autism which was, at first, mistaken for an auditory processing disorder.
"The first few doctors said it couldn't be autism because the twins were smiling,” said the Frenchville mother of four.
Rather than being scared of the label of autism, she was relieved to put a name to it.
"The diagnosis opened a lot of doors in seeking support,” she said.
Mrs Douglas, a teacher who is on parental leave, moved her family from Longreach where she said support facilities were 'fantastic' but 'not enough'.
"Out in the bush there's only so my so much provision of resources; it was a choice between Rockhampton and Brisbane if we wanted to get specific support,” she said.
She lived here for six months before her husband could find a job and join the family, during which time the twins began attending Autism Queensland.
The Lakes Creek Road centre is the oldest regional AQ centre in Queensland with others in Cairns, Mackay, Gladstone and Brisbane.
It employs speech pathologists, occupational therapists and assistants to counsel more than 100 clients and their families.
The centre's early childhood intervention caters to children who may also be enrolled in prep or kindergarten, whereas its individual and group sessions are open to adults.
Mrs Douglas credits the AQ staff's "phenomenal individual support” with making life easy for not only the twins but their two, 'neurotypical' siblings.
"For parents of children with autism, the hardest thing is not knowing what to do,” she said.
"The routines they set here at the centre, we can follow at home; they guide you through it.”
As a teacher, Mrs Douglas is aware that mainstream schools struggle to offer such specialised support while autism rates continue to soar.
Researchers argue whether it is due to environmental and nutritional factors such as diet, or a result of improved diagnostic tools, but figures suggest the population with autism would rise to 5 per cent by 2020.
April has been designated National Autism Month and the AQ centre was decked out in blue for 'Go Blue for Autism Day' on Tuesday.
"People on the spectrum differ in their skills and strengths,” said Centre director Clancy Conlon.
"It would be lovely if everyone in society could accept each other's differences.”
As for her twins, Mrs Douglas said Jason is the vibrant one whereas Alex is a quiet soul.
"But they are both happy and pure,” she said.
"They are incapable if deception or manipulation; they have no capacity for deceit and that makes them a joy to grow with.”
Originally published as Mother of twins with autism moves to Rockhampton for support
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