Maria and I

Fourteen-year-old Maria lives with her mother May Suarez, in the Canary Islands, 3,000 kilometres from where Maria's father Miguel Gallardo calls home. Maria spends her summers with Miguel in Barcelona. Sometimes Miguel and Maria take advantage of the last days of summer at a resort in the Canary Islands.

Maria's Autism Spectrum Disorder means that everyday tasks can prove challenging, so a three-hour flight from Barcelona to the Canary Islands is certainly a real test of Maria's patience. Miguel's journals filled with drawings of all the people Maria knows pass the time. Sandwiches also help keep Maria's boredom at bay.

Miguel and Maria's days at the resort unfold in a predictable way because of Maria's disorder. Routine is everything to Maria. Their day begins with breakfast and then a walk that never detours from an established route. A dip in the pool is followed by lunch. Then it's time for a well-earned nap before dinner.

For Maria and Miguel there are other rituals, such as recalling the names of everyone Maria has ever met. Poring over and adding to the illustrated journals that document everything that matters to Maria is another occupation that father and daughter share. Then there are their trips to the beach, where Maria is captivated by the sand as it falls through her fingers and Miguel watches his daughter lose herself in her world.

When Maria returns home to her mother and her grandfather, she is occupied by other routines. Maria attends a school for children with disabilities, where she has the chance to make friends and be cared for by specialists. At home with the support of her mother, grandfather and her carer, Maria is encouraged to learn new skills and become more independent.

Miguel and May did not know that their baby was autistic, but by the time Maria was ten months old, it became clear that she wasn't developing normally. Their lives changed forever when eight-year-old Maria was diagnosed with an autistic disorder. Both Miguel and May now marvel at how Maria has developed. They are proud of their daughter's achievements and grateful for her happiness. Their relationship with Maria reveals their limitless love, endless patience and an honest acceptance of her disability. Miguel candidly claims, 'I don't want people to treat her like a normal person ... I want them to treat her like a queen.' For May there is comfort in the thought that 'She's not aware that she's different.' Both Miguel and May worry about what will happen to Maria if they predecease her, yet optimism surfaces when May expresses her belief that 'there'll be someone who'll continue loving Maria, someone who understands her and who will care about the quality of her life'.

Maria and I is suitable for senior secondary students undertaking:

• English
• Film, Television and New Media
• Social and Community Studies
• Spanish
• SOSE/HSIE

Maria and I is suitable for students in Years 9 and 10 undertaking:

• English
• Media
• Spanish
• SOSE/HSIE