“Thank goodness we have each other”

A story of friendship

In March 2024, a new semester of the ErinoakKids Entry to School (ETS) program started. And two moms found themselves in a fast friendship. As their sons learned through play and social interaction, Sonia and Maria made the best of their time waiting. As they relaxed in the Longo Family Resource Centre, they started talking and quickly realized how much they have in common.

“I really like talking to other moms of children with autism. I am always interested to hear what their experiences are, and if there are any tips and tricks we can bounce off of each other,” says Sonia. “But with Maria, not only does she understand what it’s like to have a son with autism, but we see so much of ourselves in each other.”

After just one week, Sonia and Maria were bringing each other coffee and talking for hours. Both of their sons are four years old with complex behaviour issues.

“I feel so comfortable with Sonia because you can talk to any mom, but talking to a mom with a child just like yours brings you so much more comfort and validation. We just clicked and she is so easy to be around,” says Maria. 

One of their favourite topics to discuss is the progress their sons are making in the ETS program. And they love the staff as well. 

“The staff and community I’ve found here at ErinoakKids is like nothing I have ever experienced before. This place is like a small village, and we all know it takes a village to raise our children, especially children like ours,” says Sonia.

Sonia and Maria have both seen a huge change in their sons since starting their journey at ErinoakKids. They love to hear what new things their children are learning, and it is happening faster than they both expected. 

“When I wake up, I can hear my son in the other room singing Erinoak! Erinoak! Erinoak! before we get ready for school. And as the weeks passed, he has now learned to put four words together,” says Sonia. 

And Maria sees it too. Before ETS, her son was only able to communicate using one word. Now, he strings three words together, answers questions and has more clarity in asking for what he wants. 

“He is now able to ask me to put his favourite Spiderman clothes on. Having him actually ask me for them is so big for us,” says Maria.

One thing that Sonia and Maria both worry about is the unknowing, the unpredictability and the irregularities in their sons’ behaviours. They spend a lot of their time talking about their struggles with anxiety and poor mental health. 

“I don’t even hide it anymore. I have to talk about the anxiousness I feel about having a child with special needs, and Maria really understands me. She encourages me to talk,” says Sonia. “We believe ErinoakKids has been the single most helpful thing for our sons, and for us as their moms.”

Both Sonia and Maria’s sons will attend junior kindergarten in the fall, and they are more confident now watching their children experience the benefits of the ETS program.

“We know so much more about autism now, way more than we knew before,” says Sonia while looking at Maria. “We are so much stronger now and we cannot believe it. And thank goodness we have each other.” 

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