02x02 - The Quiet Zone

[bunniefuu]

PAUL:
Albi?

MOLLIE:
Albi, look, there's more.

PAUL:
White one, wow.

White one.
- Look.

- Do you want it?

- [squeals happily, grunts]

MOLLIE:
Albi. [laughs]

PAUL:
Should we use a rock?

Albi, look.

Albi, ready?

Ah.

Ah.

Luh.

Bah.

MOLLIE:
No.

[chuckles]
PAUL: [groans]

MOLLIE:
[speaks indistinctly, laughs]

[speaking indistinctly]

PAUL: I've got
a little 3-1/2-year-old boy.

He's, um, autistic.

[laughter]

[soft music]

The first 12 months
of Albi's life,

he's hitting all the milestones.

He was walking
at 9 1/2, 10 months...

Earlier than me.

Um, he was copying sounds.

He was clapping
his hands on demand.

He was singing songs
and doing actions.

And everything was fine
until 12 months.

And then Albi
starting to regress.

He stopped making eye contact

with me and his mom
and anyone, really.

He... he didn't copy.

He didn't try to make sounds
anymore.

MOLLIE:
Wow, that's a big one.

[chuckles]

PAUL:
Bringing him here, he's happy.

He loves just running about.

And it's lovely to just come
out and relax and enjoy a bit

of time just in nature, like.

As I say, just
as long as we can make

him smile every day, then
we're doing something right.

MOLLIE: Where you running to?
PAUL: Where you going?

MOLLIE: Where you running to?
[laughs]

PAUL:
I'm going to get you.

I'm going to get you.

We've managed to get
the diagnosis for him,

and we've obviously got things
in place

for him going forward in school.

I can't go to bed
without feeling guilty,

so I have to try to alleviate
that guilt any way I can.

And, yeah, I might be
too hard on meself,

but, ultimately,
football's second for me.

It doesn't matter.

He's the most important thing
for me.

[chuckles]
ALBI: Whee!

SINGER: ♪ Don't forget
where you came from ♪

♪ Don't forget
why you're made of ♪

♪ The ones who were there ♪

♪ When no one else
would care ♪

♪ Don't be afraid to cry now ♪

♪ Even when the world
comes crashing in ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪

♪ ♪

MILLIE:
The best part...

Got loads of signatures
from the players.

And then I've done some drawing.

I have more, but I give
them to the players.

So Aaron Hayden and Lainton.

The special items...

This scarf here, it's from...

This one was
from Rob McElhenney.

He did sign it.

Yeah, it's a privilege
to be a Wrexham fan.

I love it, wouldn't change it.

My autism means my brain's
wired differently.

[soft music]

If my routine changes,

I, uh... I get angry or sad
very easily.

Then my next special item
would be the bag

with all this training stuff in.

I never used to
say I have autism.

I was very disappointed I had it

'cause I didn't fit in.

- Millie didn't sleep,
even as a baby.

She slept for two hours a night.

Never cried, didn't really like
being held, even as a baby.

She was delayed walking,
delayed talking.

And then when she was five,
you kind of get to the point

where you think, this isn't
quite as it should be.

When Millie was first diagnosed,

the psychologist used
the word "complex,"

and that word's kind of stuck
with me forever

because it is really complex.

She played, um,

disability football
when she was five.

And she was comfortable
with the disability football.

And not long after that,
she joined Wrexham

when Wrexham
began their ladies' teams.

And then she was with them
for a few years,

and she had
the best time with them.

Um, this... this is where
the problem lies with Millie

with attachments,

because that came
to an end for her.

The year before COVID,

she got released from Wrexham,
and she struggled...

Struggled really badly.

Um, so, yeah.

So that was a huge
learning curve for Millie.

You were, um...

Yeah, you went
through dark times.

- Yeah.

ALISON: It was pretty awful,
pretty awful.

I think, you know, we...

As a family, we suffered
quite a lot during that time

because we couldn't help her.

But, um, yeah, there was
a light, wasn't there,

at the end of the tunnel?
- Yeah.

CHILD: I want... I want...
I want to play today.

MILLIE:
English.

- I want to him to sign me...

- Yeah?

[indistinct chatter]

- Hi, how are you?
- I'm good, thank you.

- Millie sits in our quiet zone.

BOTH: Yeah.

- And she's amazing,
absolutely amazing.

I mean, when I first met Millie,

she wouldn't speak to me.

She was very,
very, very introvert girl.

[chuckles] You wouldn't believe
that of Millie now,

but, uh, she's quite
the character.

I tell you something, Millie...

From the Millie
that I first met to now

is a very, very different,
confident girl.

MILLIE: Thank you.
Nice chatting with you.

- Millie bought her first
season ticket from Kerry.

I said to Kerry, that day...

changed Millie's life.

[chuckles]

Ben's here.

- Millie, how are you?
- Uh, good.

Thank you, Ben.
- Good.

MILLIE: Going to score today.
- Gonna try and score.

When that... I'll come
to that corner where you are.

MILLIE: Yes.
- Right, I will.

MILLIE:
You're gonna score 200 goals.

- 200?
MILLIE: Yes.

But then as the time went on

and I liked Wrexham more
and more... Rob and Ryan...

It... it's helped me grow
loads of confidence,

made loads of friends.

Hi.
- Hello, how are you?

- Yes, I got a game tomorrow.
- How are you?

Yeah?
Fingers crossed.

Good luck with that,
though, yeah?

- Yes, thank you for the follow
on my other account.

- Oh, no worries.
Hope you enjoy it, eh?

It's good... it's good to see.

- Yeah.
- Good.

MILLIE:
When I go to see the players,

they're, like, there
speaking to me,

making me feel comfortable.

Yeah, great.

I have Ryan Reynolds
on my Twitter.

He follows me,
and he likes all my posts

about me and my autism

with Wrexham and the quiet zone.

It's great to have that feeling.

♪ ♪

ALISON:
Millie having her own seat

next to the same person
every time,

the same routine, same stewards

changed everything.

- My name's Millie Tipping.

I sit in something
called the quiet zone.

♪ ♪

It's run by the wonderful Kerry.

Thank you.
Hope we win.

- Millie's living her best life,

and there's no getting
away from that.

She is having the best time
at the moment.

And, you know, as parents,

we'll do anything we can
to accommodate that.

And I think even having
the quiet zone,

it enables her to be who she is,

because they absolutely love
her in that area.

I think she is
the queen of the area.

It's a place where
she can be who she is.

Your mood has improved
so much, hasn't it?

You're not in a dark place.
You're loving life.

MILLIE:
Yeah.

- And that is recognizing that
things are different to you.

MILLIE:
Yeah.

- You do see things differently.

MILLIE:
Yeah.

But, also, you embrace
who you are.

You are Millie.
You are Millie Tipping.

♪ ♪

[guitar strumming off-key]

PAUL:
Whoo.

Whoo.
Good songs.

[strumming continues]

- [grunts]

PAUL:
Good jump.

- [babbling]
PAUL: Oh.

Where's your football
gone, love?

[indistinct chatter]
Where's your football gone?

Should we find it?

What you want?

Me shoulders?

[grunts]

Since I moved back home,

I've managed to spend
a lot of time with Albi.

I noticed unbelievable
progression in him.

He... he follows instructions now

if I ask him to get things.

Or I could go ask him, does
he want to go in the garden?

Want to stand up?

- [babbles] Yeah.
PAUL: Yeah.

All right, then.

Go on, then.

Can you touch the sky?

Oh!

He's a happy lad,

enjoys every single day.

He makes me smile.

[roars playfully, chuckles]

[grunting goofily]

He doesn't talk.
He's nonverbal.

But he might as well talk,

because I know exactly
everything he needs

and when he needs it.

And, you know, he's a joy.

I wouldn't change him
for the world.

But sometimes it's just
difficult when he's not well

and he can't tell you why
or something's annoying him

and you can't help him.

Stand on Daddy's feet?

Sometimes you just turn round,
and he'll say, Dada.

[voice breaking]
And that's something that...

I just love to hear it.

It makes me cry every time,
to be honest with you.

Um...
- [babbles happily]

PAUL: [normal voice]
Spin, spin, spin.

Hug, hug, hug.
Whoa, got you.

[laughter]

Every day I come in,
I put pressure

on meself to try and teach
Albi something every day.

Sitting here?
Okay, then.

Right, high five.

And the other one.

[smooches]

[chuckles]

If you're going through
a tough time with your partner,

for the sake of your child,
and, you know,

you feel like yous have to
break up 'cause you're always

at each other's throats
because it is tough,

then believe me.

If you can stay for your
child and stick together,

it'll only help them
and benefit them.

And you can work
through it, you know.

It just... it takes work.
It takes effort and...

There's the beach.
- [babbles]

- Wow.
Come on, now.

- [babbles]
- [giggles] Come on.

- No, it's fine. It's, uh...
I'm not bothered, really.

Just...
[inhales sharply]

No, I'm all right.

It happens all the time, anyway.

I'm used to it now.
[chuckles]

Knew it was coming anyway.
Just stuff, you know.

[chuckles, breathes deeply]

PERSON:
Five, six,

seven, eight,

nine, and ten.
ALBI: Ten.

- Yeah.
- But he doesn't talk.

He just done it out the blue
the other week.

- Oh, but that's so good,
though.

- We were sat in the kitchen
at me mum's,

and he was just counting fruit
out of the fruit bowl.

- Yeah.
Just doing it?

- I've never heard him
do it before.

I just looked up.
I was like, what the f*ck?

Where's that come from?
- Oh, my God.

- And then now he just...

He recognizes the numbers
and everything.

- Yeah, then it, like,
goes great, right?

Like, with every kid, right?
- Fully.

- You got told a lot,
oh, don't look at the future.

You live day by day, and you do.

You get through every day,
but you need to know

that you're doing the best
that you can for her.

But there's nothing
to measure that against, so...

- And I'll be doing.

ALISON:
Millie's 17.

So, in 17 years as parents,

Millie has, um, never told us
she loves us.

Even as a child,
never held your hand,

didn't want physical contact.

We made a lot of mistakes
but learned on the way.

It's a really bad feeling
as a parent

because you feel
like you're failing.

And that's really hard
because you're a parent

and you just want to help her.

But you can't because
she doesn't want you to.

And that's... that's
really hard to accept.

[Millie speaking indistinctly]

PERSON:
W-what's this for?

- It's for Mullin
and his son, Albi,

because he got diagnosed
with autism.

And because I have it, I wanted
to do something special

to show that Mullin's not alone
and Albi's not.

It's... it's like a superpower.

I don't... It shouldn't be seen
as a disability.

It should be shown
as a superpower.

ALISON: Paul Mullin
has been absolutely fantastic

with Millie.

When the announcement came out
about his son,

obviously, being
diagnosed with autism,

I think that was a bit
of a turn for Millie as well.

MILLIE: He got those boots made
with the autism thing on it,

so now I can, like, look up
to him and talk to him a bit.

I used to be quite scared
talking to Mullin.

PAUL: Yeah, I posted the boots
because there's so many people

in the world who feel guilty.

They feel like it's their fault.

They probably feel lost.
They feel like there's no help.

I thought if I could help
one person

to be able to deal
with their child's diagnosis

and help them
to accept the child...

'cause I know it's not easy.

MILLIE:
We do the chant...

"We've got Mullin,
Super Paul Mullin."

So I've done one...

"We've got Albi,
Super Albi Mullin."

ALISON:
To actually know someone else

who has a youngster as well,

and I think Millie kind of
thought she could be a help.

- Basically, I put this one on,

then Mullin
was doing that as well,

and his son was doing that.

So they're, like, the same,
and that by his name.

Then the A for Albi
or "autism."

Then I did the heart
and then them two together.

- It's kind of given
Millie a focus as well.

- So, basically, this is
a goodie bag for Albi.

This is, like,
a Paw Patrol blanket,

'cause I have autism, too,
I like soft things,

so I thought
he might like soft things.

I have one of my fidget toys,
what I love,

so I think he will love it.

So then I have one, like,
little star pop-it.

This is, like,
a little stress-ball thing.

Then I did him a drawing
of him and his dad.

So hopefully he'll like it.

♪ ♪

ALISON: Oh, I'm not even
parked straight.

MILLIE: Oh, well.
ALISON: Oh. [laughs]

- Let's go see Mullin.

[indistinct chatter]

[chanting]
Let's go see Paul Mullin.

Hi, Humphrey.

HUMPHREY: Hi, Millie.
You all right?

MILLIE:
Yes.

[indistinct chatter]

[grunts softly]

[chatter continues]

PERSON:
Got your spot?

- Got my spot.

[upbeat music]

- Right. I see you.

PERSON:
How are you today?

- Yeah, good.
- [speaks indistinctly]

♪ ♪

MILLIE: Phil Parkinson.
- Thank you.

- Thank you. Got it.

MILLIE: Can I have
a picture, please?

- Of course you can.
- Thank you.

[Alison speaks indistinctly]

- No worries.

MILLIE:
Can I have a picture, please?

- Yeah, yeah, no worries.
MILLIE: Thank you.

[indistinct chatter]

- Hash... hashtag "United."
- They don't know who he is.

- Hopefully I get to score,
mate, again.

PERSON: Bye.
- Bye.

PAUL:
See you later. All right.

ALISON: They don't know.
You're right?

- Anywhere?

PERSON: Yeah, anywhere will do,
won't it?

♪ ♪

- Come on, Mullin.

- Are they? Good stuff.
- Yeah.

ALISON: Millie? Perhaps Paul
will come round here to do it

where there's a bit more room.

- How are we, Millie?
- Hello, Mullin.

- What have you got this time?
Wow.

That's lovely, that.
MILLIE: I got you...

I got Albi a gift.

It's stuff...
What I use to calm me down.

PAUL: Really?
You shouldn't have.

MILLIE: Yeah.
- Why?

MILLIE:
'Cause I don't use them.

- Thank you so much.

Can I have a hug
to say thank you?

- Okay.

- Thank you so much.

I think Albi will be
so happy with this.

[camera shutter clicks]
- Thank you, Paul Mullin.

- Gonna have fun? Do you think
we're going to win?

- 5-0.
- 5-0?

- Can you fake a penalty?

[laughter]
- Don't say that.

I got enough abuse the other
night for getting that foul.

- Can you dive us into League 2?

- Every time I score now,

I'm going to make an A sign
like that for Albi.

[cheers and applause]

But, also, it's quite cool to...
An A for "autism" as well.

So whatever people want it to
be for them, that's perfect.

Obviously, for me,
it's for me little boy.

[upbeat music playing]

[cheers and applause]

[stadium announcer
shouts indistinctly]

[cheers and applause continue]

ALL: Wrexham!

[sound muted]

[muted cheering]

[soft music]

♪ ♪

[soft music]

♪ ♪

[child giggles, seagull cries]