The TreeHouse Trust is a London-based charity, established in 1997 to provide an educational Centre of Excellence for children with autism. It was set up by a group of parents (including Nick) whose children had recently been diagnosed with autism. Nick tells us more about the charity, and about his personal experience with autism, below ...
My son Danny has autism. He is a lovely, happy, sunny, playful little boy. It wasn't always like that - just before he was two he went into a tailspin; regressing, losing words and skills he had previously had, grinding his teeth and shutting out the rest of the world. He seemed desperately alone and unhappy, and we felt we were losing him.
Autism is a particularly devastating disorder: an autistic child's development is erratic, unpredictable and shrouded in uncertainty. It is a life-long condition and the future for any child, upon diagnosis, can seem very bleak indeed. Even the basics, such as toilet training, and the forming of emotional bonds were things, we were told, he might never achieve.
Danny has been at TreeHouse for five years now. His progress is remarkable - he listens, he copies, he plays, he has fun, he has a special friend. This is something of a miracle given what the textbooks say about autism. He is affectionate and gentle. Danny's communication skills have developed dramatically.
TreeHouse is unique. Its children receive an education unlike anything else offered in the UK, which is why those of us involved are so passionate about our work. What is being provided to the 90,000 children with autism in the UK is hopelessly inadequate, which is why we want to share the pioneering work of TreeHouse. We want schools like TreeHouse to sprout up all over the country and we want to help many more teachers access the training that they need to engage, motivate and teach essential skills, in order that all children with autism can achieve their potential and live as independent a life as possible.
TreeHouse is incredibly proud of its achievements to date, which would not have been possible without the support of our many friends who give their precious time, money and energy to help us towards our vision that 'all children with autism will be empowered through whole life learning'. If you are considering joining us I encourage you to contact TreeHouse to discuss the many ways that you can help our cause; your support will be deeply appreciated. In the meantime, best wishes.
Nick Hornby
founding parent of TreeHouse |
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Nick on why parents are angry about autism
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,647836,00.html
Interview with Matt Seaton
http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/generalfiction/story/0,6000,394220,00.html
A transcript of Nick Hornby on Radio 4's You and Yours
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/yy_20041022.shtml |
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Treehouse Website
www.treehouse.org.uk
Email: info@treehouse.org.uk
The TreeHouse Trust,
Woodside Avenue
London
N10 3JA
School Enquiries 020 8815 5424
National Centre Enquiries 020 8815 5444
Fax 020 8815 5420
Registered charity number 1063184
National Autistic Society
http://www.nas.org.uk/
Autistic Society
http://www.autisticsociety.org/
Fact Sheet from the Royal College of Psychiatrists
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info/mhgu/newmhgu12.htm
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