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Judy Sharp refused to accept a doctor's prediction that her son Tim would never speak or show affection. After being diagnosed with autism as a child, Tim began communicating through drawings, eventually using his art and imagination to reveal his sense of humour, emotions and love for his mother.
Sun 4 Oct 2026 at 10:00am Judy was told her son would never talk. Never have a future. Never get a job. But she wasn’t giving up on him that easily.
When Judy Sharp was told by doctors that her three-year-old son Tim would be "unfeeling and incapable of love", she refused to accept those limitations. In the years after his autism diagnosis, Tim began using drawings to communicate with his mum, sharing his feelings, sense of humour and love for her. When Tim was born in 1988, it was the best day of my life, my heart was ready to burst.
It was the same day the queen was opening the new Parliament House in Canberra, so I thought this is a very special day. He was distressed all the time, constant crying and unsettled. As he got older, he had to keep moving, he couldn't stay in the same room as people, and he only ate a few foods. Tim almost looked like he was in pain, you could see the fear in his eyes.
The doctors kept saying, "wait till he's three, to see a specialist". Judy:He diagnosed Tim with autism and just wrote him off. I had a physical reaction, not only mental and emotional, but it was like someone was sucking the life out of me. So, by the time I got out of that doctor's office and to the car, I was hysterical.
And I wanted to march back in there and say, "You tell me that boy doesn't love me.
"And I was going to keep on loving him no matter what anyway. Get a mid-week boost and receive easy recipes, wellbeing ideas, and home and garden tips in your inbox every Wednesday. You’ll also receive a monthly newsletter of our best recipes. But when he was five, he started to draw.
And it turned out that Tim had this natural ability for drawing, we thought, "he's got talent". Then he did start speaking. And when he was 11, he started walking around the house saying, "When I grew up, I'm going to be Laser Beak Man" — a superhero he had created. He's not a classic superhero; he's one defined by Tim in a different way and he's got a very unique way of looking at life.
And Laser Beak Man has taken us on a journey that no-one ever could have imagined; from New York, London, the Sydney Opera House, TV, theatre, movies, you name it. We've travelled the world with Laser Beak Man and met so many people and Tim's had so many opportunities and things that we never thought would have been possible in any way, shape or form. makes me happy and I relax doing it. I can have fun with it.
I can use my big imagination. made the Laser Beak Man theatre show come true and went to New York with it. He's a superhero and he's really awesome. She likes me just the way I am. She makes me feel peaceful and special.
I tell her I love her all the time. I like to help her and make her happy, I like to buy her some flowers and Maltesers. Love is everything. I feel it in everything.
You can see it and hear it. It makes life better and happy. Tim and I spend most of our time together and I find that a very, very easy thing to do, to be with him. I love his natural ability to want to connect with people.
And he will frequently tell me that he loves me. At the end of the day, he'll say to me, "I've had a really good day with you, Mum. We're a great team.
"The best thing you can do in life is just follow Tim's example; be brave, be yourself and show the world who you really are.
Autism Communication Art Therapy Mother And Son Child Development
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