Greg Rutherford’s wife Susie Verrill took to Instagram Stories on Monday night to reveal how they parent their three children after their son was diagnosed with autism.
Susie, 35, spoke about how their child’s needs means they have to do things a little differently, including letting them take days off school to avoid causing damage to the family.
Greg, 37, and Susie are parents to sons Milo, 11, and Rex, eight, and daughter Daphne, four and one of their sons was diagnosed with autism in 2023.
And Susie wrote: ‘Ways our family might do things a little differently to yours because of neurodiversity…
‘We might have very limited boundaries on screen time because it’s one of our successful regulating/decompressing options.
‘We encourage participation with dress up days/adhering to school uniform but also pick our battles.
Greg Rutherford’s wife Susie Verrill took to Instagram Stories on Monday night to reveal how they parent their three children after their son was diagnosed with autism
Susie, 35, spoke about how their child’s needs means they have to do things a little differently, including letting them take days off school to avoid causing damage to the family
Greg, 37, and Susie are parents to sons Milo, 11, and Rex, eight, and daughter Daphne, four and one of their sons was diagnosed with autism in 2023
She wrote: ‘We often cut labels out of clothes, find items without seams, accept items which don’t really fit/have holes still being worn because they’re comfy and safe’
She shared a very honest account of how her family looks to her
‘We often cut labels out of clothes, find items without seams, accept items which don’t really fit/have holes still being worn because they’re comfy and safe.’
She continued: ‘We might end up at hospital frequently due to extreme physical activities, but also might not go ’til it’s an emergency because of the downplaying of symptoms.
‘Really fun things might not be really fun for everyone and might in fact be a sensory nightmare.
‘As a family, we’ll give lots of airtime to passions, hobbies and interests. We won’t refer to them as fixations.
‘We’ll sometimes take days off school because we know it’ll do more damage to all of us, fighting to get someone across the threshold.’
Sharing more pictures of her lovely family, she wrote: ‘We do one on one days quite often because not all three kids can be cajoled into having fun doing the same thing on the same day.
No doubt Susie is hoping to spread awareness to others
She loves her children just as they are and is keen to help her child’s complexed needs in the best way she knows how
She admits she allows their child to take days off school in order to avoid ‘damage’ and ‘the fight’
And she and Greg recognise that their children’s needs are not all the same
Susie also acknowleged that academic achievements are not the priority for some children and successes can be measured in other ways
The family have learned to manage expectations differently
It was important for her to share what family life looks like to them
She shared a sweet gallery of images of her three children
And she acknowledged that her child can say they don’t want to do something again politely and without fear
She said that things can get a little unsettled at times
Things can change suddenly and that’s OK
Susie also said that her child will address people in a different way and they are not rude, it’s just their personality
‘Our targets and aims are often based around our kids being happy and comfortable rather than academia. Lots of small wins or things we wouldn’t view as celebration worthy with our other two.
‘Big days out are often cut short before burnout sets in and that’s really ok. We make it a point that ducking out is an option.
‘The most random, unusual, obscure sentences/catchphrases/earworms are muttered and shouted around our house frequently.
‘Priprioceptive input activities before bed – wrestling, climbing, weighted blanket. hugs and headstands.
‘Most conversations are very polite and direct in our house.’Did you enjoy that?’ No, and I never want to do it again, thank you.
She concluded: ‘We have to accept that sometimes the smallest of things will upset the entire routine / ruin the next three hours.
‘Certain foods will be enjoyed for aaaages and *just* when you stock up, it’ll become something they won’t eat anymore.’
‘Family and friends know to greet our children ways. One of our kids in particular will say hello and socialise when they’re ready and people know that’s not him being rude.’
