Creating a balance in life

An almost fatal accident changed an Eaton mum’s approach to life when her son fell from a hotel window in Perth 10 years ago and surprisingly walked away with just a greenstick fracture.

Naomi Amat knew something was different about her son Ethyn from a young age and it was only after a series of processes and tests that he was diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

From the beginning, Naomi said trying to access support for her child and family was like asking for fruit and vegetables out of season.

“Along with dealing with this diagnosis and lifestyle changes, we were trying to access support but it was a challenge all the way through – there is nothing available to help drive support for the parents,” she said.

“We were on a rollercoaster ride we could not get off, but I needed to find a way to achieve this for myself, my husband, daughter and son.”

After the incident that subsequently caught the attention of Today Tonight, Naomi knew it was time for change so she began attending courses and reading books to work on her self-development in the hope of better understanding Ethyn.

“As difficult as it was, I immersed myself into understanding how emotions impact our world on so many levels and how by nurturing ourselves, we can better nurture our children too,” she said.

“It often takes a significant event, if not many, to change our perceptions and to begin to understand the impact of what is really happening in our life.”

From research and focussing on developing inner strength, Naomi came up with a whole family approach to target the potential and opportunity she saw even through the difficult times.

“I worked on creating a balance for everyone – when there are other family members to consider, I learnt to figure out all our needs in order to achieve tranquillity,” she said.

Major improvements soon followed within Naomi’s household from the early days of Ethyn being “pulling-hair-out” material to now cruising through the day, and it was this transformation that inspired Naomi to share her approach with the world.

She began an online community group last year for those living on the spectrum and the number of members has now ballooned to 15,000 people around the world.

“I’ve gone from just our personal journey to developing opportunities for others,” she said.

“The success is the feedback I receive – people have gained value from my approach and there is now a stream of support readily available.

“Our son has taken us on a journey we didn’t expect but he’s taught us so much and his laugh is the biggest reward.”

Naomi is now working on a new project that will provide opportunities and services for families dealing with autism.