A sense of judgement is how Emma Mills would best describe the reaction of many strangers when her son Sam would have public meltdowns, screaming, shouting and potentially lashing out.
It’s true they didn’t know her boy has sensory difficulties, meaning he struggles with noise and crowds and has little sense of danger, but it was hard not to feel upset and bothered by the stares and comments. At the age of five, Sam was diagnosed with autism – and a year later, a depression diagnosis followed too. For a while, he couldn’t leave the house, never felt safe and had “lost his smile”, mum Emma, from Sheffield, says.
“The pressure it took off of us all as a family was amazing, it was such a relief for us all to know that Willow took away that burden of judgement, awkwardness and upset when Sam did struggle when we were out - not only for Sam but for the whole family.” The dog has also made places more accessible for Sam, Emma says. When people see him with Willow, it can open their minds to what he might need and has led to offerings of quiet spaces and music being turned down with no questions asked.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ollie Chessum says England ‘improving week-by-week’ ahead of South Africa clashSouth Africa are strong favourites to prevail against the team they beat in the 2019 final.
Read more »
Ollie Chessum says England ‘improving week-by-week’ ahead of South Africa clashSouth Africa are strong favourites to prevail against the team they beat in the 2019 final.
Read more »
Margaret Fleming 'invisible' at time of her murderAn independent review warns what happened to Margaret Fleming could happen anywhere in Scotland.
Read more »
Vulnerable teen Margaret Fleming 'invisible' at time of murder by her carersMargaret Fleming was killed by Edward Cairney and Avril Jones when she was aged 19.
Read more »
Eagles-Jets posts highest NFL TV audience of season, averages 26 million viewers in Week 6TV viewership topped the previous high of 25.78 million viewers for the CBS window featuring the Jets and Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
Read more »
SEC midseason superlatives: Best games, top transfers and a league MVP through Week 7An exciting if uncertain first half for SEC contenders leaves us with plenty to sort out down the stretch. Here's who has stood out so far.
Read more »