Thomas Gardiner

Hi my name is Thomas and I am 11 years old. I am autistic and can at times find communicating difficult.

My mum helps make sure that I always have a safe space to talk as when we are out I can sometimes say the wrong thing. Reading and understanding emotions is one of the hardest things for me. I can sometimes feel other people’s emotions which makes thing confusing! Luckily I know I can talk to mum about this. The most important thing to me is trust and I am lucky to have so many people I trust in my life to help with my communication.

I love drama and regularly take part in plays in my local area. This allows me to pretend to be someone else while not needing to worry about what I am saying. Sometimes I feel it would be easier in public if we had scripts to follow. I want other people like me to know that it is going to be ok and that people like Communication Inclusion People are trying to make things easier.