World Autism Day: parents of Rachelle (8) from Vichte testify about daily challenges
- Marie D.
- May 20
- 2 min read
On World Autism Day, Henri and Anne from Vichte (Anzegem) share their story. Their daughter Rachelle has autism, and there is a strong suspicion regarding their son Joseph as well. With their testimony, the family wants to create more understanding and offer encouragement to other parents.
What seems like a quiet morning for many families often requires extra preparation and structure for Henri and Anne. Their daughter Rachelle has autism, and there is a strong suspicion regarding her younger brother Joseph as well. Autism primarily brings with it a need for predictability. The 'Pandaplan' application helps a lot with this.
“Rachelle asks as early as Tuesday and Wednesday what we are going to do over the weekend. She keeps repeating that until she knows what will happen,” says mom Anne. “We try to provide that predictability by visualizing everything.”
Ice-cold bucket of water
The diagnosis hit the family hard. Both Rachelle and Joseph have a genetic abnormality. “Then you are confronted with things like: the chance is small that you will ever become grandparents, meaning that they will live completely independently like us,” says dad Henri. “Those are painful moments, like a bucket of ice-cold water.”
Rachelle and Joseph are making progress, at their own pace and in their own way.
Henri & Anne, parents of Rachelle and Joseph
However, the parents did not give up. Both children are currently attending adapted education and receiving extra support, such as speech therapy. “They are making progress, at their own pace and in their own way,” they say.
Also many beautiful moments
With their story, Henri and Anne primarily want to support other families. “You sometimes feel socially isolated when you have a child with autism,” says Anne. “It is not always easy to go somewhere. But above all, I want to convey: keep your spirits up. There are also many beautiful moments, and try not to end up in that isolation.”
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