A World Of Our Own

Book excerpt: A World of Our Own is a mother’s account of how autism challenged her family and changed her life. Young mother Aileen McCallan is filled with love and joy at the birth of her second son, Cian. Now she feels she can settle into motherhood and a comfortable life. But it is not to be. From the age of about eighteen months, Cian’s behaviour grows increasingly strange: his language fails to develop; he shows little emotional or social connection; he doesn’t play with his older brother Christopher; and he screams and writhes at night, wearing down his parents. They face an endless series of assessments and tests as the truth gradually dawns: Cian has autism. Shocked to discover the lack of support or treatments available for those suffering from autism, Aileen determines to hold onto Cian, to stop her son from slipping away from her. She spends her waking hours working with him and searching for therapists who can connect with him using Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA). It is an uphill battle that strains Aileen’s sanity, her marriage, her world. She feels caught in a world where there is only Cian and her. A World of Our Own is a heart-breaking, uncompromising glimpse into a family affected by autism. Ultimately, though, it is a story of the triumph of the human spirit, and of the victory of love over despair.