Telling the stories of autistic children

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“It’s the very first of its kind to be able to capture the stories of not just one particular generation,” Dahlia – the principal of Mila’s Books – says.

“It’s got stories from Pasifika autistic children themselves as well as parents [and] grandparents, which is really unheard of.”

One of the drivers that inspired the new book came when Dahlia’s son Mason was diagnosed with autism.

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021 360 008 stories from autistic children, parents and grandparents who grew up without such terms as autism, ADHD, Asperger’s.

“The journey of this book started a little over a year ago, with an idea that has lived in my heart for a very long time across my 14 year career as an educator which included teaching neurodiverse tamaiti who were both diagnosed and undiagnosed,” she says.

“Everything really hit home when I became a mother to our son, Mason, who was diagnosed with Autism at six years old.

“Better support also means increasing knowledge and understanding for us and our villages, and is why we have an educator and clinical perspectives included in the book also,” Dahlia says.

“I have learnt that piles of photocopied sheets of paper handouts, readings and pamphlets do not work for us as Pasifika. They do not reflect us, who we are and how we do things.

“Through our Mila’s books titles we have proven the power of our stories as Pasifika.

“Our stories not only help us be seen, heard and valued, but also in helping us to connect, talanoa and heal.

“Our stories are a vehicle for change.

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“All of this has led to so many lessons as a family along our autism journey:

“Firstly, that there’s still huge cultural stigmas across our Pasifika communities that are connected to autism and many other ‘invisible’ conditions, which calls for further education especially for our families around the causes, effects, strategies and tools.

“This is why we wanted to ensure that an intergenerational element was included in our book, with a focus of gathering

“When culturally safe spaces and support allows us to be and succeed as ourselves, we as Pasifika are able to nurture and fully step into being the master navigators we were destined to be.

“Finally I have learnt that autism has made our family’s life richer in so many ways and that our son Mason is our blessing, a true gift from God, alongside his little brother Isaia.

“He has taught us patience, compassion and resilience.

“He, alongside his brother Isaia, are our why and the first book I ever wrote was for our

Mase because regardless of diagnosis we wanted him to know and understand what being a Tama S moa meant through learning our Samoan language and developing his cultural knowledge.

“So it is safe to say Mila’s books would not have existed if it weren’t for Mase, his diagnosis and his younger brother Isaia.

“Now the thing I love about journeys is that when our lessons, challenges and wins along the way are shared, we find comfort and connections that remind us that we are not alone as well as some much needed light at the end of the tunnel which lets us know that it will be okay.

Our Government has worked hard to lift incomes and to support New Zealanders to get ahead. This week, we’re taking the next steps with a suite of changes coming into force on 1 April that will see more than a million people receive a bit more in their pocket to help with the cost of living.

The rising cost of living is being driven by lots of factors, like the war in Ukraine and the recent extreme weather, and I know it’s making things tough for many Wainuiomata families. There’s no easy fix, but we’re delivering a range of measures to help ease the pressure. The 1 April changes are part of this work, giving families, caregivers, seniors, and students – among others – an income boost.

Through increases to Working for Families and the Best Start payment, we’re providing more support for wh nau. We’re also making childcare more affordable for many low and middle income families by expanding childcare assistance income thresholds. On top of that, main benefits will increase by the rate of inflation, meaning a family on a benefit with children will receive an extra $40.86 a week and a sole parent will receive an extra $31.83 a week.

But it’s not just families who will see a boost to their incomes. Tertiary students receiving student allowance or student loan living cost payments will see around $20 extra each payment. Thanks to our minimum wage boost, which kicks in from 1 April, full-time minimum wage workers will earn an extra $60 a week too.

Seniors will also benefit from this week’s changes. Single people on Superannuation will receive an extra $66.86 each payment and a couple who are both aged over 65 will receive $102.84 more in total a fortnight. In addition, from 1 May, the Winter Energy Payment will kick in again, to assist more than a million New Zealanders with heating bills through the colder months. While these measures won’t fix everything, and we still have more work to do to bring down inflation and the cost of living, they will make a difference for many in Hutt South – and right now, I know every bit counts when making ends meet.

“You will be okay.

“Our tamaiti and our families will be okay.

“This is what “v sifika” is all about and why we are so proud to share this amazing resource with the world because it was truly created with the goals of better supporting our tamaiti and families living with autism, while promoting autism acceptance and awareness, the Pasifika way – with Pasifika, for Pasifika and for our village of supporters who accompany us on our autism journeys,” Dahlia says. The book was made with the support of Your Way/Kia Roha, Altogether Autism, Te Pou and the Pasifika Autism Support Group.

This package of support builds on the recent steps we’ve taken to help smaller budgets stretch further, including extending the fuel tax cut and public transport subsides so it’s cheaper to get around, as well as the work we’ve done since 2017 to lift incomes and make everyday life more affordable. We’re focused on the bread and butter issues that matter most to New Zealanders, and we will continue working hard to grow wages and to support families here in Wainuiomata to get ahead.