Authors [ M ]
“The personal journey of Aileen’s family is courageously told and will serve as an inspiration to any families that are touched by autism.”
Keith Duffy, Patron of Irish Autism Action
Aileen McCallan knew at a very early stage that there was something amiss with her second son, Cian. Staring at trees for more than a minute, fixated on a colour, was not normal for a 2 year old boy. Cian’s speech deteriorated, his behaviour became erratic, he showed little signs of social interaction and at night time, he was unable to sleep with cramping pains. Cian has autism.
Like every mother, Aileen did what she needed to do for her child. Find help and support for Cian. This as it turned out became an impossibility. Quite simply there was no where to turn. Shocked to discover the lack of treatments available to those with Autism, Aileen threw herself into helping her son by ongoing extensive research. She gave up her career and turned her house into an educational centre.
The struggle to help Cian, affected her family life, her friends, her social life, but at the end of the day it was a labour of love. Deep down, Aileen knew that Cian was a very special boy, who, with love and care, would be able to lead a fulfilled life. The journey that she had to embark on is quite extraordinary.
With the pressure of raising funds for the local school, the ongoing training, the constant watch that Cian needed led Aileen to leave her home for 24 hours for escapism. The constant strain was becoming too much. Thankfully, fate intervened. It was during these 24 hours that she found what she was looking for. Help for Cian.
A World of Our Own is a mother’s courageous story of how one woman took things into her own hands and dramatically helped her autistic son. The story is an insight into how her family life was turned upside down when Cian came into their lives and how strong a mother’s love really is.
