Teddy's Story

Teddy is six years old and currently pre-verbal with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Born during the Covid pandemic, he did not receive his diagnosis until he started school. 

Rachel, his mum, explains "Teddy's had some challenging times at school. If he feels like he's not being understood, if he feels like he's not being listened to, he can get very frustrated, very upset." When faced with staff members he did not know and trust, Teddy would panic and lash out, creating difficulties in his mainstream school setting.

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Fortunately, Swings & Smiles were able to help. “Emily [staff member] came out to school every week for six weeks to work with Teddy one-to-one. The school found that really helpful, just to have that extra resource to draw on - somebody with the specific knowledge and understanding,” Rachel says.

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Rachel and Matt first discovered Swings & Smiles through a Minis session for under-fives. Initially, Teddy struggled to engage. “The first few weeks he just spent the entire session just in the foyer, waiting by the door,” Rachel says. Over time, however, he became more confident. “Everyone was always so pro-active in getting to know Teddy. And now, when Teddy and Matt arrive on a Sunday, he just goes straight in, and he’s just immersed in everything that’s going on.”

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The Sunday Family Play sessions have also benefited the wider family. “In the past, Matt found it really upsetting and frustrating, because when I went to work on a Sunday Teddy would get quite upset – and Matt would be spending the couple of hours that I was out just trying to calm him down,” Rachel says. “Having Family Play to come to every week, it means that they don’t have to make a plan, it’s just there - they don’t have to worry about, ‘What shall we do on Sunday?’”

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Swings & Smiles have continued to support the family through difficult situations. Following a serious foot injury on holiday, Rachel contacted the charity for advice. “He actually cut off the pads of two of his toes,” Rachel explains. “We were in a foreign country, we were supposed to be flying home in three hours’ time. It was absolutely awful.”

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When she asked whether Teddy could still attend Family Play, staff responded immediately. “They said, ‘Yes, absolutely, he can still come to Family Play’. They recommended somewhere where we could hire a wheelchair, and when we brought him down, Ellora [staff member] had got all of his favourite things ready so he didn’t have to go too far for them.”

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For Rachel, the difference Swings & Smiles makes is clear: “We can bring him to Swings & Smiles, and he’s safe, and he’s happy, and he’s well cared for, and he loves it.”