BiographyI had a normal pregnancy with Eli and he was a very contented baby. When he got to around 2 and half I noticed that he didn’t play with other children, preferring to stay close to me. He ordered his toys in groups or rows and would notice if his teddies had been moved slightly on his bed. As he got a bit older he liked things just so including having the same place at the table and at school, only liking certain foods, issues with clothes (sensory) and began to struggle with school.
Eli was affected when his Dad left the family home one day very suddenly and he became quite withdrawn in himself. We lost Eli’s younger brother which left the family absolutely devastated and changed forever. Our grief was immeasurable and it was then that COVID hit and we lost my mum who had been like a second parent to Eli when his dad had left and did not have contact with him at that point. Eli became depressed and then schools closed due to the virus so he spent most of year 6 home schooled.
Eli started year 7 in the COVID bubble with most of year 7 being disrupted. Eli began to struggle more when he did attend school and we were going through the process to see if Eli had autism. He was finally diagnosed in 2022 when he was in year 8. He had suffered terrible bullying, he felt he didn’t fit in and other kids picked up on that. He has struggled for years with sleep problems and social anxiety. Even when we moved schools for him from a large community school to a very small village school in year 9 he continued to struggle. Following his autism diagnosis we did get some support in school but life was still very hard.
Last year Eli had a terrible accident, a car took a corner wide and Eli came off his bike. He suffered a ruptured abdomen, split stomach muscle and grazed his bowel. He also developed a blood clot in his leg and was very poorly. He struggled being in hospital away from his home, his things and his safe place though we did take in his duvet, blanket, teddies and his photos and things. He is fully recovered now after 6 months but does have some pains and problems associated with the accident and suffers flashbacks and nightmares.
Eli is now in year 11 doing GCSEs, he has a small office to himself just him, the exam invigilator and a welfare mentor. He received a diagnosis of ADHD, slow working memory and slow processing speed last Friday following a QB test at the start of the year. We are in the last part of the EHCP process and Eli is looking forward to starting an entry level media course at college this September.
He is so excited that he has been drawn for a Love Quilt and I know it will soon become a prized possession for him as he loves the feel of being wrapped in something safe.
Thank you for reading Elijah’s journey
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