Autism means extra special Christmas countdown for eight-year-old Max

LITTLE Max Curran is already looking forward to Christmas, but the run up to the festive season is a little different for him.

It’s not just the usual excitement with Guy Fawkes Night now safely out of the way.

Instead, every single step of what’s in store is spelled out for the eight-year-old East Kilbride lad.

Max has autism and mum and dad Kimm and Brian have had to produce a special calendar to prevent full-on festive anxiety and panic.

“We’ve just had our first Christmas meltdown because Halloween hadn’t even finished before the festive displays started,” said Kimm, 45.

“Max absolutely loves Christmas but because of his autism we have to be so, so rigid about it.

“Routine is everything so we have to show him everything on the calendar so he knows exactly what to expect. Everything, including what day the tree goes up and what day it comes down, has to be detailed.

“Lots of people feel a bit overloaded at this time of the year but Max really does suffer from Christmas overload.”

And for the super-sensitive youngster, the somewhat fraught matter of doing all the shopping can be simply too much to bear.

“It can be incredibly hard,” says American-born Kimm.

“We either have to shop early in the morning or Brian and I have to go and do it ourselves.

“Max just gets so anxious and excited. Children with autism often have such heightened senses they can hear the buzzing of overhead lights or the noise from a freezer in a supermarket.

“So you can imagine what it’s like with all the flashing lights and the crowds. He likes the lights but he can just stand and stare and we can’t get him to move.

“He can’t cope at times and we have to be prepared to go home at a moment’s notice.”

As he’s their only child, Kimm and Brian didn’t realise that Max’s behaviour was out of the ordinary until he started nursery. And even then they only learned he had autism after a two-year battle to get a diagnosis.

“He was six and at primary when we were finally told,” said Kimm. “As a mother it was both a relief and the start of a grieving process.

“The relief was knowing what it was, but you also grieve because you’ve been told your child is not considered normal. It’s hard enough being a parent in this day and age but it’s even harder when you have a child with a disability.”

After the long and frustrating delay in diagnosing the condition, the couple then faced a struggle in getting the help.

Vital backing came from the Scottish Autism family support line which helped with everything from Disability Living Allowance claims to local support groups.

Max is now thriving in a supported Primary Four class at Greenhills Primary.

“Even extended family don’t really realise,” Kimm adds. “One of his favourite obsessions at the moment is washing machines.

“They think he’s just being funny but it’s actually a part of his autism watching things go round is soothing for him.

“So getting that awareness can still be difficult.”