Angela Bambach spent a week at the Autism Treatment Center of America in Massachusetts earlier this month attending a training course for the Son-Rise program, which she is confident will help her eight-year-old son Ed.

Ed has only recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of ASD that affects his ability to communicate and develop social skills.

“It became apparent Ed had Asperger’s syndrome when he began recovering from chronic fatigue, a condition that has, until now, masked his underlying autism,” Mrs Bambach said.

“Ed has never had any trouble learning things such as reading and writing, but it became clear that we needed to develop his social stamina.”

Son-Rise is a home-based, one-on-one method of helping children with ASD, using love and acceptance as the cornerstone of the program.

It suggests that joining-in the child’s activities instead of going against them will facilitate eye contact and social development, and motivate them to learn more.

Angela and husband Dave have dedicated a distraction-free room in their house for Ed’s program, which they liken to having a social gym at home.

“It’s his place to feel confident to do what he wants to do,” Mrs Bambach said.

“Ed’s perfectly happy doing his own thing so we will let him dictate how we progress.

“As he becomes more confident he will be seeking interaction with kids his own age, which hopefully means he’ll return to school.”

As part of the program, the Bambachs are looking for four to six interested volunteers to become part of Ed’s Son-Rise team.

They will be trained by Angela and Dave to work with Ed on different social goals.

Anyone interested would have to be reliable in their volunteer commitment, which would be about five hours a week, and have energy and enthusiasm.

For information or to volunteer, contact Angela on 6366-9169.

For more information on the Son-Rise program visit www.autismtreatmentcenter.org.