Paddy and Christine McGuinness have twins with autism: how they cope

Four years ago, Christine Martin gave birth to her and husband Paddy McGuinness' first children - twins, Leo and Penelope.

Earlier this month, the model and mum of three took to Instagram to share a tribute to the children on their birthday, revealing publicly for the first time that the twins have autism. Now speaking to The Mirror, the couple said that initially, finding out that their children had been diagnosed with the condition was a shock to them both. They had brought the children to see a paediatrician after noticing that the twins had delayed speech and were struggling to make eye contact. The doctor told them she was certain Leo and Penelope had the condition. https://www.instagram.com/p/BWCuTulDBnD/?taken-by=mrscmcguinness&hl=en Christine said that at first, she was angry.

“How dare she say that about my children, having only seen them for a few hours? (...) I was totally stunned. It was the first I’d ever thought of them having autism ­- even if, looking back, it was obvious.”

According to Paddy, Leo needs a lot of warning before something out of the ordinary happens. He said that although the recognisable symptoms of autism vary a lot, the four-year-old also exhibits many symptoms that people would be aware of.

"He likes to open and close doors (...) If you walk in the front door and shut it behind you, which is such a routine thing to do, he’ll be really upset as he’ll want to shut it.”

Since the twins' diagnosis, Christine has said that she is taking a break from her modelling career to focus on her kids. The former Miss Liverpool met her husband on the set on of a photoshoot. Soon after, they announced that they were expecting twins. On Leo and Penelope's fourth birthday, Christine took to social media to share how much the twins had changed her life. On Instagram, she said:

"You changed my life forever, swapping stilettos for slippers and discovering a patience I didn't know I had. I love you both more than you will ever know."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWCWE4ljAys/?taken-by=mrscmcguinness&hl=en The couple said that, at first, understanding the children's needs was difficult as they have a tendency to become extremely anxious but had little to no way of expressing how they were feeling. They would rarely bring the twins out as they didn't know how to cope when they became distressed. Now, however, Leo and Penelope go to a nursery for a few hours every day. The family use images and charts to explain concepts to the twins that they otherwise may have trouble understanding. They said that they are speaking out about their experience to make more people aware of autism, and to potentially help other parents who are raising children with the condition.