Why did I create Soshul?

Autism is a very significant part of my life with my son.

From an early age I realised that he was on the spectrum, he was formaly diagnosed with high functioning autism at the age of 7 after much angst and confrontation with the education system. The diagnosis was a huge relief, it was also an acknowledgement that he needed understanding and support and didn't "need to be broken", it was also an affirmation that Dad did actually know what was best.

Since then, after some difficult choices and significant changes I'm still working hard to get him the understanding and support that he needs and deserves. I believe that autism is a condition - NOT an excuse or an expectation. I've come to realise that I have a unique insight into what being autistic means for my son, as he grew I saw many paralels with my own experiences of life and as we learnt more about autism it became very obvious that I too was on the spectrum.

I stumbled across Social Stories™ on the National Autistic Website and started trying to use them, it was a little hit and miss at first but once I worked out how to use them they became a very usefull tool in helping to get the social skills into place.

To avoid duplicating effort and to provide a consistent approach I started looking for some dynamic story writing software that could incorporate pictures and was flexible in the way it could be styled and presented. My search proved fruitless so I decided to create my own story writing tool and utilise my experience in computing with my backround in education and develop Soshul.

Developing the site has been a labour of love and taken a great many hours and a lot of head scratching to get it to this stage but if all that work helps just one child then it will all have been worth it. As a parent of an autistic child and an adult with autism I am in the fortunate position of being able to see things in a way that few people understand, hopefully my understanding can help other people.

If you would like any help using Soshul or would like more information or have any advice or suggestions please get in touch with me, even if its just to say hello.

Welcome To Soshul

Steve