Paul Scholes has thanked his followers on Instagram for their messages of support after his remarkably open discussion about caring for his autistic son Aiden in a recent episode of the Stick to Football podcast. The legendary Manchester United midfielder stopped doing television punditry on live matches in order to look after Aiden and above all keep him in a regular routine.
Getty Man Utd icon praised for open interview about autistic son
In his typically understated way, Scholes did not make an announcement about stepping away from ' Europa League coverage and his close friends and colleagues Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Jill Scott and Ian Wright did not know the true reason for the decision.
Scholes opened up on the difficulties of looking after Aiden, who he described as "severely autistic" and is unable to speak. He said: "Well, he’s non-verbal so he can’t speak. When I say he can’t speak, I think he understands a lot more than we think. He has sounds but it’s only people that are close to him that will know what he’s saying. He has autism, but it’s like a really severe autism – because you can have it and go to school normally and such.
"He’d bite your arm or scratch you just out of frustration for him cos he didn’t understand things, couldn’t tell you how he was feeling. I never got a break from it, even when playing. It was very hard in those days, feels like it was years ago. I don’t think they [doctors] diagnosed it til they were two-and-a-half years old. But you knew early something was wrong but then you get the diagnosis, and I’d never heard of it. Then all of a sudden you start seeing everything."
The honest and at times painful discussion lead to an outpouring of positive messages from other families who have children with special needs.
Advertisement'Speaking about it helps so many'
Scholes wrote on Instagram: "Would just like to thank everyone for all your kind messages since the Overlap interview regarding Aiden, there's been loads and tried to read as many as possible. The response from families (especially Dads) shows much speaking about it helps so many. There was one quote from a parent in a similar position that's just got me: 'My job is to stay alive for one day longer than my son/daughter'. Anyway it's weekend let's have a few drinks and watch the football..Come on Salford."
Getty Images SportScholes didn't want to play upon Aiden's diagnosis
Scholes revealed that when he was told Aiden had been diagnosed with autism he did not want to play at all. And he played so badly that Sir Alex Ferguson dropped him from the line-up for the next match. He recalled: "We got the diagnosis. We were playing Derby away. I was terrible, absolutely shocking. I didn’t want to be there. Head was gone. I was worrying about autism, reading, trying to find out anything I could.
"I never got a break from it, even when playing – it was very hard in those days. I don't think they diagnosed it until he was two-and-a-half years old. But you knew early something was wrong, but then you get the diagnosis, and I'd never heard of it. I remember the manager dropped me the week after, and I hadn't told anyone. I ended up telling them a few weeks later, as it was quite hard.
"Even now, I don't want sympathy or anything. I just thought, even if I did speak to someone about it, it's not going to help Aiden. The big concern now is, because you're getting a bit older, what happens when you're not here? That's the thing that's now on my mind all the time."
Life now revolves around Aiden for father Paul
Scholes explained that being away on Thursday evenings would leave Aiden agitated and that just doing podcasts such as 'Stick to Football' and his new show 'The Good, The Bad and The Football' with Nicky Butt suited him better. He continues to work with Salford City as a technical director, deciding who the club should sign and convincing them to come aboard.
He explained: "All the work I do now is just around his routines cos he has quite a strict routine every single day, so I just decided everything I’m going to do it is around Aiden. Everything I’m going to do now just works around him, I do studio work, but everything is built around his day.