Amber Kneale

Walking for Tion: A Mother’s Journey Through Autism

My son Tion is five years old, and he is my absolute world.

At the age of three, Tion started speech therapy due to a severe speech delay. That was the beginning of our autism journey — a journey I never expected, but one that has changed me in ways I never imagined.

Tion is a kind, loving little boy… when he wants to be. He has the biggest heart, even if he struggles to show it in ways people might expect. He finds it hard to understand his emotions and even harder to explain them. There are moments when he is deeply distressed, but physically cannot tell me what is wrong. As a mother, those moments are heartbreaking. All you want to do is take their pain away, to fix it, to make everything better — and sometimes, I simply don’t know how.

Tion thrives on structure. He needs his days to look a certain way, and change can feel overwhelming for him. When things don’t go as planned, it can lead to outbursts that are extremely hard to control. These moments aren’t bad behaviour — they are communication. They are his way of telling the world that something is too much.

There are times I feel helpless. Times when I question myself and wonder if I’m doing enough, or doing the right thing. Loving a child with autism means loving fiercely, advocating constantly, and learning every single day. I am working closely with mental health therapists to help Tion navigate his day-to-day life, and I am learning alongside him — how to support him, how to understand him, and how to be the mother he needs.

This charity walk means more to me than just putting one foot in front of the other. I am walking for awareness. I am walking so people understand that autism isn’t always visible. I am walking for the parents who feel exhausted and unseen. I am walking for the children like Tion, who feel so deeply but struggle to express it.

Most of all, I am walking because I want my son to grow up knowing he is loved, he is safe, and he is never alone. I want to know that I am doing something right — that I am showing my babies that their mum will always fight for them.

Tion is not defined by his challenges. He is defined by his heart, his strength, and the beautiful little person he is becoming. And I will keep walking, learning, and advocating — every step of the way.