Travis is the youngest of 3 boys and lives at home with his mum Rayleen, and his mum’s new partner Cheryl. Rayleen speaks fondly of Travis as an affectionate son who likes to ride his bike, loves swimming (would live in water if he could), trains  and giggling. Rayleen noticed early on that Travis was not meeting the same milestones as his older brothers, and at the age of two, his paediatrician diagnosed Travis with a global delay. At the age of 5 this diagnosis was revised to Autism Spectrum Disorder and a moderate intellectual disability. 

Rayleen is a teacher and is an attentive parent. She currently works 3 days per week and on the other days is often helping in the classroom or taking Travis to therapy. 

Travis has a limited spoken vocabulary often using one or two word phrases. He has some sign language, which he often uses when anxious and is beginning to use the IPAD to use images to help communicate – particularly around his emotions. Emotional regulation is a big concern for Travis. When he becomes anxious or upset he likes to screech at the top of his voice and find somewhere to hide, often in a small confined space. The things that upset Travis the most are when things change. Travis likes to have the same routine and can follow these with minimal teacher assistance. 

However, nothing can interrupt Travis while he is completing these tasks and he becomes very distressed if he is forced to stop or change something. A substitute teacher last year who repeatedly asked Travis to stop unpacking his bag and going about his morning routine resulted in an enormous tantrum and a smashed window.  Travis wears a digital watch and can tell the time – and becomes a bit fixated on this. He knows when certain things happen – lunch and home time – and gets anxious around these times, particularly if things are not going as planned and he feels he needs to get ready to go home (pack his bag). 

When he is calm and knows what to expect, Travis is quite happy in class. He sits with the group but does not contribute to conversations unless prompted very specifically. Travis enjoys using the IPAD in class but can often become fixated on searching Google for images of Thomas the Tank Engine. This was a favourite show of his when he was younger and still has a strong attachment to it, despite Rayleen trying to limit his exposure to it. His favourite book in class is a Thomas the Tank engine book and he can become quite distressed if he can’t find it. Travis likes to read simple, repetitive texts – particularly if they are about trains. It is very difficult to engage Travis in reading anything he is not interested in. 

Travis likes to draw and can spend many hours drawing. He can write his name and can copy text very with great accuracy but does not often write his own words independently. 

Travis likes to be around his peers but has not learnt how to behave appropriately and often tries to hug his friends, he seems to like physical contact. This can be a problem making friends and a number of complaints from other parents have been made about this.  He can also giggle at inappropriate times or when he doesn’t know what to say. He struggles to make friends or know how to initiate play appropriately. He spends most of his lunch time following groups of people around but not actually playing with anyone. 

Rayleen wants Travis to be as independent as possible, to be happy and to have a fulfilling life where he can achieve life meaningful goals.