There are many other parents who have travelled the path before you, and one mother in particular is making massive positive change within the schooling system to better support our kids on the spectrum. Randa Habelrih openly shares her story of how her son, Richard, experienced chronic bullying and completed high school without ever making one friend. This broke Randa’s heart, but served as rocket fuel for her autism mission. Randa developed a program called MATES (Mates Assisting To Engage Socially) which facilitates friendship between two students by pairing a student on the autism spectrum with another student who does not have an intellectual disability.

This much needed program promotes a sense of belonging and inclusion in the school community. Randa is a beautiful passion driven mum who is changing the the landscape of how children on the spectrum experience school life. Her incredibly resilient and talented son Richard, is an autism advocate and sought-after speaker who travels to schools to spread awareness and a message of inclusion.