Been There, Got the T-shirt

I used to hate going to ‘normal’ toddler groups where everyone was comparing how many words little-un had (none) and how many waves they’d given to mum (none). Even before the autism diagnosis, I shuddered at this point-scoring style of parenting. 

Then I discovered the welcome oasis of special needs toddler groups. Here you wouldn’t be judged and you wouldn’t be asked. You were just accepted. The atmosphere was easy-going, the parents less uptight. What I received weren’t frowns of judgement (as Alec and Bobby sat spinning plastic plates in unison) but smiles of familiarity and understanding. 

The fact that people were tactful enough to avoid asking about our diagnosis became a bit of a problem in itself, though.  I wanted to swap advice, but I couldn’t just walk up to anyone and say: ‘What’s yours got? Mine have autism!’ That’s the sort of thing that Bobby would say. We were in a special needs setting, but it would still sound a bit of a nerve.

As I was new to the whole special needs thing, what may have passed me by was the fact that you would have struggled to guess that Bobby and Alec were autistic about as much as you would struggle to spot that Elton John wears a wig. 

Bobby was flapping and humming, Alec was spinning anything he could lay his hands on. Hindsight is a marvellous thing.

Even in the early days, I felt that Bob and Al were much more than just a label. But I felt that my twins could have done with a T-shirt, even so; some sort of shorthand so I could cut to the chase. I didn’t want to label them with a Government health warning. I had no intention of buying a T-shirt that provided members of the public with an apology or a defence. I didn’t like the T-shirts that insulted people’s intelligence and sensitivity by assuming they were jumping to the wrong conclusions, either. Stuff that.

No, what we really needed were slogans with a bit of humour. Something that would do the job of communicating about the autism, but at the same time show that my kids were content to be who they were, we weren’t victims and that mum didn’t have a chip on her shoulder.

Five years on, and this little dream has been realised with AuKids’ new line of T-shirts, produced by Fins Design and Print. You can see the designs at http://www.finsdesignandprint.co.uk/AuKids-Magazine-Autism-t-shirt.html and they'll be ready to buy shortly - keep checking!

Don't worry mums, we've checked and they're washable at 40 degrees, plus designed to last.

If I could have waved a wand in those days, they would have appeared. Being the co-editor of a magazine has its advantages in the wand-waving department. It means I can wave one on behalf of you guys, too! That makes me very happy.

We hope you love them nearly as much as the little person who will be modelling them. And please send us your photos when they start to wear them!