When we first met Scott, our son was in an extremely turbulent stage of their life. It was difficult for him to engage with people outside the family and he became isolated after experiencing trauma at school. He was eventually assessed with a PDA profile, which was unfamiliar to us at the time. Our son was in crisis, and it was impacting our entire family. Scott’s mentoring has been a lifeline for him.
The trust that our son shares with Scott has been built up over several years. Initially, our son could not be in the same room as Scott and would hide or run away. Due to past experiences, he would struggle to meet new people, particularly professionals. Scott had a gentle and indirect approach with our son, allowing him to choose activities rather than assigning any agenda. This collaborative style relieved some of the fears my son had. Some of the activity options Scott offered included building Lego, Jenga or playing board games. This gentle approach helped my son feel safe with Scott as there was no pressure for him to speak or do anything that he wasn’t comfortable with. As this progressed, it led to my son interacting more with Scott, feeling open to share his ideas and interests.
One of the core elements of Scott’s role was getting to know our son’s interest in gaming. This area has offered our son deep levels of escapism from any daily anxieties or worries that he bottles up. He gains so much joy with this and through Scott embracing his interests, they were able to establish a strong bond.
When our son is gaming, it is their safe space. Any worries or thoughts during the day are let go as they can immerse themselves in a world they love. Being able to have someone like Scott to share that space with has done wonders for his mental health. Scott becomes a co-regulator for our son, and it is during these sessions where he can share any concerns or bad parts of his day. He also enjoys telling Scott various facts about his favourite games and all the knowledge he retains about these. Showing Scott clips from his most beloved videos or series has also become a common part of their sessions, which is a testament to the trust he has with Scott as these are very private to him.
The sessions often extend beyond gaming as our son will enjoy moments of adopting personas relating to his favourite characters. This can involve mimicking voices of characters, in which he might ask Scott to join in too. Sometimes he will decide to act out a scene through his soft toys, where he will assign Scott a certain role to take on alongside him. Having the opportunity for roleplay is a great creative expression for our son and we find this has led to improvements in creative writing tasks for him.
Additionally, Scott has provided us with guidance and resources around PDA as we began our journey of learning about this profile. This involved aspects such as adapting language that can be demanding, as well as ways to validate our son’s emotions and increase his autonomy. Scott wrote reports on these ideas based on how they benefited our son during their sessions. These were later passed on to the school, where they began to utilise the strategies mentioned. This has resulted in far more positive experiences in school as staff found Scott’s input to be instrumental towards understanding and supporting our son.
After Scott leaves, our son is buzzing with joy and excitement. He anticipates Scott’s visits every week and looks forward to sharing any new games or ideas he has. The sessions allow our son to express his authentic self without shame and as parents it is a delight to witness. Making our son’s autonomy the priority has made the sessions a true success as Scott is fully led by him. It has evolved into a real mentorship and collaboration between Scott and our son that has reduced the isolation he was experiencing.
Overall, we cannot recommend Scott enough. Scott provides phenomenal support for our son and family. Without a doubt, they are one of the kindest people we know. Scott is a gentle, wise and compassionate soul who has changed our lives in so many ways over the last few years. We could not be without Scott! Their knowledge and expertise is outstanding. Our knowledge and understanding to help support our son would not be where it is without Scott. Our son’s self esteem and confidence would not be where it is without Scott! Scott is a confidant and a friend for our son but he is also a confidant and friend for my husband and I too. Scott is dedicated to creating a world where autistic people can thrive autistically and they are absolutely smashing this with our son and with the fundamental support they provide to our family.
Not enough stars on the planet can do them justice. Please, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Scott!
Autistically Scott 