April is autism awareness month and it's always nice to see it being talked about in the local media. Being a parent of two autistic kids, it's hard for me to gauge whether awareness in society has risen in the last few years, as mine has definitely been. Before our eldest was diagnosed I had very little knowledge of what autism was and just how large the spectrum was. While Rhona and I weren't as active on social media as we would have liked to have been during April, I did find myself thinking about the kids a lot and how far they've come.

The most amazing thing about the kids is that their childhood has been elongated. Because their major hurdles have been communication and socialisation they have had a slower-than-average development in some areas, particularly speech. Lachlan is five years old, Alyssa is nearly seven, and we have only just been able to carry out conversations with them in the last few months. When he was younger, Lachlan needed a tongue tie operation, grommets put in his ears and had his adenoids removed. These factors influenced the way he was making sounds and we thought he would start progressing like other 'normal' kids and begin talking. We didn't think that he could be autistic as well, but he was. His traits had been lessened by being exposed to the therapy we were doing with Alyssa.

They have some similar eccentricities, such as their love of routine and the order of particular items, but they are quite different. In moments of sensory overload, Lachlan would lash out and scream, with Rhona baring the brunt of most of his outbursts. Alyssa, on the other hand, would retreat and almost shut down, staring off into space or flapping her hands. They both struggled with learning to talk and when Alyssa commenced her early intervention therapy at the Autism Association at the age of three, she was considered non-verbal. She had a handful of words, but couldn't string sentences together.

As time wore on they both began to understand the concept of a conversation. It involved more than just a question from one person and an answer from the other, although such a simple exchange took a while for them to be comfortable with as well. By listening to others around them talk they realised if they just put random noises together but ended with the object they wanted, then they pretty much had a question of their own; for instance: "Mummy, ga ba bee bee ge pa drink?"

A lot of the sentences they collected over time came directly from what they heard around them, particularly family exchanges. They began asking "How are you?" and "Are you well?" and their repertoire for farewells grew as well. These little steps continued over the years, but getting back to my original point, this has given them (and us) a much longer early childhood. Whereas some kids are able to carry out conversations from as young as two or three years old, ours have taken their whole lives to get to a fairly basic point. Because of this, we celebrate what might be considered minor milestones as big events. It is a wonderful feeling when your child shows you that they understand you. Conversely, seeing them realise that we understand them is also amazing. Having a better grasp on language has had the biggest impact on Lachlan, who has been significantly happier in the last six months.

I got an idea of just how far they had come yesterday afternoon. Lachlan was home from school due to an annoying cough that was hanging around, and he had a doctor's appointment. We got home after Alyssa had finished school and she was on the kids' computer. When we walked through the door, Lachlan said hello to Alyssa, with a tone of voice that strongly suggested that he had missed her and was happy she was home. She replied with "Hi Lachlan, are you feeling better?" showing that she knew he wasn't well and had been to see the doctor.  He went on to say that we had bought some medicine from the shops.

Just a simple back and forth, but it was wonderful to see a little a spontaneous conversation between the two of them. So much of their speech in the last few years has been prompted or modeled by therapists, teachers or family. It's been fabulous to see such initiative and genuine care for each other, which they are happy to express. All parents will say that it's amazing to hear your child say 'I love you', which it is, but it's even more amazing to hear a brother and sister say it to each other. Truly heart-melting.

They've both got a long way to go, but they wouldn't be where they are know without the team of professionals that surround them and the love of their family and friends. The fact that they have autism is a challenge, but it is being met, and I have every confidence that they will be able to live full lives as they get older.