Pat Hayes
![Autism in Focus - Pat Hayes](https://www.scottishautism.org/sites/default/files/gallery-images/pat_hayes_resized.jpg)
My son was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of 4 in 2001. He is now 19. He has always struggled with social situations, and as he was growing up we always tried to include him as much as we could. When I saw this photo, taken at a family Christmas Day meal, it made me realise that forcing him to 'be what society expected him to be' was just making him miserable. I decided that we would let him 'be who he was'. We have all been much happier for it.