LOOKING at Bailey Barber you would think he was just like any other child and up until the age of one, his family did too.
Bailey was diagnosed with high functioning autism at two years of age – an early diagnosis for the condition.
The fact he was non-verbal first alerted Bailey’s mum Brianna and her parents to the fact something was not right.
“It was my mum who picked it up,” Ms Barber said.
“I guess I was in denial.”
This Autism Awareness Month, Ms Barber is urging the community to be more aware of the condition.
Now three years old, Ms Barber said Bailey is like a six-month-old, still in nappies and sometimes having meltdowns in public.
“He’s so tall he looks like a five-year-old so they expect him not to have tantrums in public,” Ms Barber said.
“I went into the shops to get milk and bread during the early stages and Bailey started squealing, and he has this high pitched squeal.
“Someone told me to ‘shut that kid up’.”
It was trial and error for the family trying to find the best way to cope with Bailey’s autism on a day to day basis.
Time has been on the Barbers’ side however with the family discovering a coping mechanism in the form of an iPod.
Bailey will listen to music with the speaker right up close to his ear all day every day.
“He will repeat songs; at the moment it’s Adele,” Ms Barber said. “As long as he’s got that he’s fine.”
