No limits for Carlanstown kids

As Enable Ireland prepares to launch its 'No Limits Kite Appeal' this week, a Carlanstown mother has spoken about the vital lifeline the organisation provides to her family. Helena Giles is the proud mother of three boys, Marty (8), Ronan (6) and Jack (2½), all of whom have Autism Spectrum Disorder. ASD affects each of her children in their everyday lives from a social and communicative level, everything from meeting and greeting new people to maintaining eye contact. Helena says that through the help of Enable Ireland, the future is bright for her boys, despite the challenges they face. "Enable Ireland has been wonderful. Through them, we have access to professional therapists, they have liaised with the school for us and it is just wonderful to have someone at the end of a phone that we can bounce ideas off," she says. When they first became involved with Enable Ireland, it was like being in a dark room and a light was suddenly switched on. She explains that, five years ago, her eldest son, Marty, was diagnosed with autism. This was done privately. "I naively believed that now that we had a diagnosis, we could access services, but everything was an uphill struggle. We had no support and everything was trial and error," she adds. Ronan and Jack were also diagnosed with autism last year and Helena andhusband Martin had their hands full. "We had to do a lot of groundwork ourselves and it was an uphill struggle and fight to access services. With Marty, we finally had access to speech therapy just prior to his going to school," she said. However, their involvement with Enable Ireland transformed their lives. "We have had access to a pediatrician, speech and langage, occupational and physiotherapists, their services are child-orientated and they also support the family with their creative and innovative use of their time and resources. "Early intervention is the key, particularly with autism, and there is a lot you can do in the early years and I finally had somebody listning and supporting us on this. She said that early intervention has really given the children the best start in life. Both Marty and Ronan attend the local primary school in Carlanstown. "The school has been fantastically supportive and it is great the boys can grow up in their communities," Helena says. Autism affects every part of the family's daily living - from they get up in the morning until they go to bed at night. "It doesn't define our lives, though; it is how we cope with it that defines us," Helena says. The boys like their routines and like to know what is happening next. Despite the challenges, the future remains very bright for the Giles boys, all of whom are intelligent. Ronan is in the gifted category and has attended Dublin City University centre for gifted children, while Marty has won Credit Union art competitions up to Leisnter level. The Giles family say they are very grateful to Enable Ireland and to their local GP, Dr John O'Connell, the local schools and their parents and friends. "With their help, anything is possible," Helena says. Enable Ireland is embarking on a new fundraising and awareness campaign - the 'No Limits Kite Appeal' - this week and is asking the public to support its services by buying a kite pin (€2), a kite trolley disc (€2) or a miniature kite (€3). Donations can also be made through the website at www.nolimits.ie or www.enableireland.ie Proceeds from online sources and the sale of the products will go straight to Enable Ireland and will assist the organisation in maintaining and building its services. The organisation provides services for children and adults with disabilities from 40 locations in 14 counties across Ireland and works in partnership with them so that they can achieve maximum independence, choice and inclusion in their communities. Since 1987, a nationwide chain of 21 retail shops selling clothes, books and bric-a-brac has provided a capital development fund for the organisation, including a shop on Kennedy Road, Navan.