I think God and his mercy has been my greatest strength and support, as you know.

My son is now 37, and in those days there wasn't much help and all, and being a migrant family, we didn't have any support from anybody else. I always turned to God and he gave me peace within and he gave me physical strength.

And my husband and I have been really relying on God for strength and support, and the joy our sons caring gives to us is something really incredible to explain, the satisfaction and the joy is really really something which has made us the people we are now, too.

[ uncredited ]

I come from Malaysia, I have been here about 13 years. I have got 4 children, three boys and one girl.

My eldest son is John. He [has] got autism. He is autistic.

When he was born, he was very normal, we went to the specialist and then everything was OK, until [he was] 2 years old, [when] he suddenly had no eye contact, and if you call[ed] him he also [would] not respond. After that we moved to Australia because at that time we appl[ied] for migration.

Then we [went] to Singapore to check on our son. Everything [was] OK, only the ears are blocked inside. After that he got the needle to take out the wax, and hurt inside the ears, and then the doctor checked all the ears and then the doctor say there is nothing wrong, it is OK, nothing happen so after that we move to Australia, and then he [went], here also, to the doctor.

My family doctor asked me to see the specialist and the specialist say, "check, check, check" -- all the things, scanner, but came up with nothing. His behaviour, he can't talk. Always he [would] go to school crying. And then the normal school [would] not accept him, which is fair enough so then he go to the support centre.

After he [went] to the support center also they can't do anything, he [would] cry and cry, he is always crying, and I can't work and my husband he can't work because he no job here, we don't know the place very well.

And then we just [be] every day at home and listen to the phone because when he cry the teacher can't stand it and the teacher call and ask me to take him home. He is my son, so I say OK, and I take him home. And then cry until the education also can't do anything and then after one year inside he transfer school to that school to that school to that school. Oooh! Transfer, transfer, transfer, until no school accept him.

And then the education department told me, and they say, but I can't accept, "no school for him."