Have you noticed how, when a woman is pregnant, people will stop and ask if she hopes for a girl or a boy?

The sort of reply most often given is ‘I don’t care as long as it’s alright.’

But have you ever stopped to think about the families who end up with a child that is not ‘alright’? Nowadays pregnant women are offered many tests.

If a problem is found with the foetus they are usually given a choice and whatever decision is made, it will not be an easy one.

However, it is often forgotten that there are also problems, such as cerebral palsy, which are actually caused by a premature or difficult birth and there are many other conditions which simply can’t be picked up by tests. There is no guarantee of a perfect baby.

Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), are amongst those conditions which can’t be detected in the womb.

The causes of ASD are not yet known, there is no cure and it is currently being diagnosed at about the rate of about 1 child in 100 in the UK, although some children are more profoundly affected than others.

Our son is severely autistic and I want to tell you a little about the laughter and tears he brings to our family.

Stick with me for snapshots of our life…