Laura Brown is the parent of Ethan, an autistic 5 year old, who is non-speaking & a proud AAC user. AAC advocacy is now at the heart of all Laura does to fight for her son but also for all those who would benefit from access to an AAC device. She is calling for more awareness, more training – specifically in classroom settings – & more funding – both for schools & professionals, but also for parents to expand their knowledge & afford the devices in the first place.
Laura is also autistic herself & was late-diagnosed a year after her son’s diagnosis.
Whilst Laura at first was thrown into an entirely new world she has since found her passion & drive for all things autism, SEND education & assistive technology.
Based on their positive AAC lived experience as a family, Laura is now a proud AAC advocate sharing their story across the UK as a confident speaker & in various media outlets.
Highlights have included speaking at the Houses of Parliament for the APPG for Assistive Technology, being Keynote Speaker at Communication Works North, an ITV news AAC feature showing Ethan’s AAC use in action, frequent radio interviews & writing an article for The National Autistic Society all about how her family have introduced & embraced AAC.
Ethan is 5 years old & amazing – he has a cheeky sense of humour, huge curiosity about the world, a love of numbers & a growing interest in birds & animals.
He is autistic, non-speaking & has used an AAC device to communicate since April 2024. Using an AAC has been life changing for him – he can use it to request his favourite foods, comment on the world around him & show his teachers at Specialist School just how clever he is.
Equally as immersed in the world of AAC, when not modelling on Ethan’s AAC device Pete can be found proof-reading Laura’s speeches & cheering her on.
As Ethan’s Dad, Pete takes his role as communication partner very seriously & relishes each of the communication moments that happen as a result. Highlights include asking for “Help Daddy” when climbing at the local park & regularly requesting their favourite Father-Son activity of “Swimming.”
Laura proudly shares her family’s AAC story across her @SpinningWorldOfAutism Social Media where she supports many families like hers with her AAC lived experience & knowledge.
![Time can change everything. 💜
Proud of my progress & wanted to share. I never thought that I could get to this point. A solo breakfast date, where I drove with Ethan in the car & we had a wonderful time. I hope this gives some hope if you, at your current time, don’t believe this would ever be possible. 🧡 Of course we had hard moments - Ethan & waiting in the queue just aren’t possible & in the stress I totally forgot to order my own breakfast - but, it didn’t spoil or totally derail our day as it would have before. We chatted via his AAC device, Ethan watched a little YouTube, we did one of his fave number puzzles & I had strategies up my sleeve to support change & transitions which I just wouldn’t have known about before. 💛
I saw that @mattzhaig shared an image recently sharing “Same tree, different seasons” & it really resonated with me. I’m still me & always have been - even during the hardest of years. But, now I’m coming out the other side - hopefully wiser, definitely older [hello grey hairs & wrinkles], with hopefully lots more breakfast dates waiting with my little boy. 🫶](https://www.spinningworldofautism.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Join our Community
@spinningworldofautism
@Laura Brown
Cookie Policy
Privacy Policy
Website Terms