Western Australian mother Erica Lee has published a memoir documenting her family's experiences raising two children with high-support-needs autism and ADHD, including the difficulties of accessing medical care, therapy and appropriate educational support.

Her book, The Bond Between Us, follows the experiences of Erica and her husband Ryan as they raise their daughter Louise, 9, and son Andrew, 8, who were both diagnosed with level-three autism in 2023.

Although the children share the same diagnosis, their personalities, abilities and support requirements are considerably different.

Louise experienced significant sleeping difficulties, sensory sensitivities and emotional regulation challenges from infancy. Andrew experienced serious feeding difficulties and repeated hospital admissions before doctors identified aspiration, where milk was entering his lungs.

At eight months old, Andrew was assessed by a neurologist who raised concerns about his development and suggested he might never walk or speak.

However, following early intervention involving speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and therapeutic swimming, Andrew developed physical abilities including cycling, swimming and participating in Auskick.

Lee said the family's experiences demonstrated the importance of recognising that children with autism have different needs, even when they share the same diagnosis.

Drawing on her previous experience as a physical education teacher, she has encouraged schools to consider each child's individual strengths, sensory requirements and difficulties rather than applying the same approach to every autistic student.

Although her children attend a supportive school, Lee said that getting them to school can still be extremely difficult. She also raised concerns about the limited educational alternatives available to families whose children cannot manage mainstream schooling.

Another major challenge has been accessing early intervention and specialist services, with some therapy waiting lists extending for years.

Lee said families often struggle to obtain additional assistance until their circumstances reach a crisis point.

Her memoir was released amid uncertainty surrounding the Federal Government's proposed Thriving Kids program, which is intended to provide support for some children with developmental delay and autism outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

While Louise and Andrew are expected to remain on the NDIS because of their substantial support needs, Lee expressed concern that other families could experience difficulties accessing timely assistance under the new arrangements.

She also discussed the importance of parents maintaining their own wellbeing, describing her completion of a 12-hour Ironman triathlon in 2023 as an important personal achievement.

Lee was inspired to write the memoir after reading another mother's account of raising a child with autism and recognising how valuable it was to hear from someone with similar experiences.

Through The Bond Between Us, she hopes to help other parents feel less isolated and encourage greater understanding of the challenges families can face when navigating disability, healthcare and education systems.

The book was published by Hawkeye Publishing and made available through bookshops across Australia.