Kanata mom-of-three pens children’s book inspired by son’s autism diagnosis

From the moment he was born, Eli Freitas brought joy, humour, curiosity and love to his family, and now, at age eight, he continues to do so — but the journey hasn’t been a smooth one.

Now, Eli’s story is making its way into the community through the pages of a new book, published by his mother, that aims to promote understanding, curiosity and a sense of belonging for kids who are just a little bit different.

Beginning at an early age, Eli was smart and unique in his own way, said his mother, Thais Freitas; although he was delayed in some milestones, he amazed her in other ways.

“He didn't show any interest in crawling and talking,” Freitas told the Ottawa Lookout. “He was very smart in a funny way because he had this big wooden spoon, and instead of crawling, he would use the spoon to bring things close to him. 

“I just thought, how genius. Take your time, kid.” 

At the time, as an only child herself and a first-time mom, Freitas said she thought he’d hit milestones in his own time. Looking back, she says the delays were signs of his future diagnosis.

He didn’t begin walking until age two. At four, Eli began displaying aggressive behaviour and having meltdowns in daycare, so Freitas and her husband began to look deeper. That’s when Eli was diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

Freitas and her husband had moved from Brazil to Canada in 2015 and lived in Vancouver, B.C., where Eli was born, for seven years before relocating to Quebec. They were living near Montreal when Eli began school and received his diagnosis.

“We got a special permission for him to attend an international school there in English because it was his first language, but the school was…Very traumatizing,” said Freitas.

By then, Eli had begun taking medication, which was a lengthy and troubling process of trial-and-error until they found the right dosage, and Freitas said the side effects made his behaviour less manageable in some ways. 

The family also couldn’t access many of the school and community supports that Eli needed in English. 

Often, Eli was sent home from school – sometimes for weeks at a time – or only allowed in class for a few hours each day.

“There was no adaptation [from the school]... nothing,” she said. “It was very lonely and very sad.”

By then, the family had welcomed another son, and Freitas learned that she was unexpectedly pregnant with their third child.

“At that point, we just thought: it’s not working, we were having all these problems…Let’s cut our losses and move to Ottawa.”