“I wanted to share all of the resources and expertise that I can with others,” says expat partner Vanessa Burgal – the mother of an autistic 18-year-old who has just secured a place at university.
A great accomplishment
“My son is now preparing to move to our hometown Barcelona, where he will study computer engineering – it’s a great accomplishment for him. When he was diagnosed as autistic (at the age of three), a doctor told us that our son would probably not finish school. He was also non-verbal at that time but he now speaks Spanish, Catalan and English. He has also started learning French,” says Vanessa, a serial expat whose family has spent a decade in Africa.
Doubling down on study
“It wasn’t easy for him to get where he is today. I supported him as much as I could when he was growing up. Whatever he learned in school during the daytime, we would go through it again in the evening,” says Vanessa, who currently lives in Cape Town, where her son attended the American School. “In my personal experience, American schools seem to be more prepared for children with special needs. My son has received excellent support here in Cape Town.”
Extra support group
“I also joined the DEIJ (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Justice) group for parents at the American School. At the meetings, I sensed that some parents with children who have special needs were seeking advice and support. Therefore, together with another parent, we established a subgroup to address this topic. With other parents, I organised experts to come into the school to do talks on various topics – for example, how to support kids with dyslexia, ADHD, or autism; and how to help your special needs child apply for university, and what support they can request when sitting a university entrance exam…”
Sharing is caring
“As a parent of an autistic child, I know how stressful it can be when you feel like you don’t have anyone to talk to and don’t know how to support your child. That’s why we also created a folder in the school’s Google Drive containing all the resources, contacts, and information we have gathered, which can help parents provide their children with special needs the support and care they need.”
Photos: Vanessa and her son
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