Bethany – Cairns Family Photographer

I met this beautiful family last year and Amy and I have stayed in contact ever since. Amy was a bit hesitant to do some family photos and I persueded her to let me do an outdoor session with her family. After their session today, this family is even more special to me. I love Bethany. I must admit I was preparing myself for this session as I knew we would have some challenges. I went in with a relaxed attitued today and consulted with Amy that they relax and not stress about her not looking at me. I wanted to capture them as a family in a natural way. With some direction, but not a lot. We were focused around Bethany for this session and what she wanted. If I didnt’ take this approach we would have had a not so great session but we rocked their session today and would like to share Bethany story in light of it being Autism Awareness month. Autism Awareness

Here is her story…

Bethany was officially diagnosed just before her 3rd birthday, she is rather unique in the sense that she has what is called “classic Autism” which you mostly see in boys. She has been fortunate to have a great team of therapists who help us not only understand the way she sees and experiences the world but to help us find ways to help her. Its hard to sum up what it all means as it impacts everything in one way or another.

Because her world is very narrow. Life is black and white to her with no shades of grey, she is very literal! If you tell her it is raining cats and dogs she will look out the window for the cats and dogs!! It’s very overwhelming to be in a situation that is new to her or beyond her control. Most kids give cuddles, smiles and make eye contact without a thought. For Bethany, these simple things are very anxiety provoking. We have had to teach her to look at us when she talks, to cuddle and to kiss. Yet even with her family she will often not do those things, to her its too hard.

When things in her world become to hard or too different to what she knows her reaction is to retreat and get away. This appears to most people as being very naughty and disobedient. Really she is just trying to get some space so she can make sense of it all. She has spent hours in speech therapy and can now communicate verbally, which many severe Autistic kids may not do. But in a stressful situation she reverts back to screams and trying to get away from too many people. She needs help when she is at daycare to play with the other kids, Autistic kids tend to live in their own little world and are quite happy there! They don’t know how to “play” with others or be social. Part of her early intervention includes learning how to play and take turns and how to talk to friends.

As a family we have had to learn what her limits are and try to work around them while at the same time trying to extend them too. Yet with all this in so many ways she is just a 4yr old. She loves the Wiggles, Peppa Pig and Yo Gabba Gabba. She loves to dress up as a fairy and do ballet. Her favourite food is hot chips. She goes to daycare as well as a special program of early intervention for special needs children. She also has speech and OT as well as time with a child psychologist. It is doing all of these things now while she is young that is making a difference for her now and we hope for her future.

We take each day as it comes. Some days are hard and you feel like you have lost ground and you are just trapped by the autism and all its limits. Other days you watch her and you forget, you just see Bethany. She has come so far. And we will keep working with her and her team to make sure she has a future as remarkable as she is.