THE DOG THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES

When Gemma Nutton's son was diagnosed with autism, a helping paw was on its way

- VERONIQUE HAWKSWORTH

Approaching a road, my son Stanley, then three, lurched forward. Luckily, he was wearing his adventure belt which linked him by a long cord to me. ‘Stanley, wait!’ I said, holding him back from running into the oncoming traffic. It was June 2019, and he had no sense of danger. Battling to keep him safe was a daily struggle and it was getting harder.

When Stanley was born in April 2016, my husband Alan and I soon noticed he was developing a lot slower compared to his older sister Eva, then three. By the time Stanley was two, he was only just walking, and didn’t speak a word.

When we were told he had autism, neither of us were surprised. Having both previously been support workers for adults with autism, we had recognised some signs –such as his fascination with bright lights and lack of eye contact. But now, faced with an official diagnosis, I couldn’t help feeling anxious as I worried that life would be tougher for Stanley, and he’d never have any independence.