Jamie was born on 29th October 2001 at the Rosie Maternity Hospital, Cambridge, UK. He weighed in at 3.56Kg and developed from a lively baby into a very happy toddler.

He is a remarkable boy. Happy, loving and talented, he possesses good academic ability and a great aptitude for music. However, Jamie also suffers from a severe disability: autism.

When diagnosed at age 3, Jamie’s day mostly consisted of spinning around in circles, flapping his arms and running up and down a room by himself. There was supposedly no treatment, with institutionalisation inevitable. Several years, a huge amount of hard work and considerable sums of money later, he is transformed. Attending a mainstream preparatory school, keeping up with the UK National Curriculum and able to ride a bike, he is also a very accomplished musician.

The remarkable journey that Jamie has experienced would not have been possible without the combination of intensive biomedical, rehabilitative and specialist educational interventions. Without these he would never have accomplished so much in music, which is what gives him a social skill and possibly even a vocation for the future.

This is Jamie’s story, a story of hope. The progress he has made has been astonishing, way beyond the prognosis at diagnosis. Keeping pace with neurotypical peers in a broad range of academic subjects forms the bedrock of his progress, for without this he would have too many deficits to make an independent life a realistic possibility. Fighting for his Special Needs educational support in a mainstream school has been exhausting and draining, especially for Jamie’s mother, but vital for his future.

Whatever Jamie becomes, it will not be for lack of effort on his part or that of his parents. We are determined that he will participate in mainstream society as a net contributor, the best way to achieve happiness and a sense of worth.

Visit this website to see the progress that Jamie has made.

Our charity is run by parents and we value parent experience. As such, we encourage parents to share their stories.  Parent experience cannot be viewed in any way as medical or therapeutic advice. Each parent story is just that: one account as shared by one family. Your family’s experience may be completely unrelated.