Cucurella and her autistic son: “We could see that he wasn’t well and we didn’t know how to help him”
Chelsea left-back reveals Mateo, 6, was diagnosed with autism when the family moved to London
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella spoke about life in London on YouTube channel La media Inglaterra , including how the family dealt with the autism diagnosis of their eldest son Mateo, 6.
“It’s difficult. After all, no one teaches us how to be parents. What you see, you do. But when you have an autistic child and you see that he doesn’t understand things like his siblings, you have to learn other things… learn to understand him. It’s difficult. When we came here and he went to normal schools, he wasn’t well, he was very confused. He was small, but he wasn’t happy and that affects him a lot… He didn’t adapt, he was always crying. He would stay for two or three hours and he didn’t like it, we had to go and pick him up. That also affects him a lot: you see that your child isn’t well and you don’t know how to help him,” he said.
“He was still young in Brighton. The doctor didn’t tell us what was wrong with him, he was too young to know,” recalled the European champion for Spain , adding that the diagnosis only came in London: “He didn’t adapt and he cried all the time. We could see that he wasn’t well and we didn’t know how to help him. My wife and I understood him easily, but if I left him here, they wouldn’t understand, although he makes himself understood.”
The Spanish international later recalled the moment when they began to deal with the situation better: «We weren’t finding a way to help him until we found another school in London and we improved a lot. There they help us, we have conversations, we learn to deal with him and understand him. He makes himself understood, but you need to get to know him.»
The left-back admitted that, despite the difficulties, successes are much more valued. “There is a negative side: everything costs more, everything is more difficult. But there is also a positive side: when you achieve something, a simple step forward, it gives you much more satisfaction,” he noted.
