PERSONAL NARRATIVE
The archaic ideology which education is built upon has held
countless autistic individuals back from enjoying the fruits of life.
It is for this reason that Hope House does things differently, and
that has enabled me to reach university.
I have caught up on over a decade’s worth of education within
three years because Hope House does things differently.
grandson with autism was let down by the local
authorities. Together, Terri and her husband leased
a plot of land cradling abandoned bungalows, and
through blood, sweat, and tears, they renovated the
grounds to the Garden of Eden it is today for autistic
individuals. Terri and her husband took it upon them-
selves to personally help educate me as my previous
educational experience made me wary of new peo-
ple. As with all their pupils, Hope House developed
a curriculum based on me as an individual, which
focused on my strengths and weaknesses. Charac-
teristics like my age, cognitive ability, and previous
educational experience were all taken into account
when establishing my education program. This pro-
vision has become a staple of Hope House and was
vital in raising my literacy from seven to 16-plus in
a year. I passed my General Certificate of Secondary
Education (GCSE) in less than a quarter of the time it
takes in mainstream, and it got me to Cambridge.
It’s only now, as an individual with autism who has
gone from one side of the spectrum to another, that
I can begin to see the provisions that truly help au-
tism—not hinder it. For example, whilst I study in
preparation for Cambridge, I have taken a more
hands-on role at the school as Terri believes that my
experience and background allow me to understand
and help children the most. With her experience of
parenting two children with autism and my experi-
ence of being autistic, we work together to ensure
that Hope House provides true education that does
not just focus on knowledge and exam scores but
enables pupils to live independent and fulfilling
lives—free from the boundaries faced by individuals
with autism on a daily basis. Terri’s prioritization for
behavior before education shows in the school’s lat-
est Ofsted report, which awarded the school an “Out-
standing” for behavior. Provisions like this would
have prevented me from leaving school at age sev-
en. The archaic ideology which education is built
upon has held countless autistic individuals back
from enjoying the fruits of life. It is for this reason
that Hope House does things differently, and that
has enabled me to reach university.
I have caught up on over a decade’s worth of educa-
tion within three years because Hope House does
things differently. Stories like my own are rare be-
cause doing things differently is rare. Therefore, I as-
pire to share my story because I hope that we can
stop treating autism in the same way it has been
treated for years, and expect something different.
Statistics are coming in thick and fast showing how
badly people like myself are being let down—wheth-
er that is low employment rates or a higher risk of
depression. It is time to do things differently, and I
truly believe that Hope House is leading the way.
From being known as the “Worst Kid From Leices-
ter” to then leaving school altogether at age seven,
Matthew Punter’s fate seemed sealed. However,
during his decade-long departure from the educa-
tion system, he tried constantly to ensure he was
not ruled by his autism. After going from one side
of the spectrum to the other, Matthew mastered his
disorders and felt ready to learn again at the age
of 17. With the reading age of a child and little for-
mal learning, Matthew educated himself with the
help of a local SNE school. He now mentors other
children with autism and is heading to university to
study the disorder.
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 87 |
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