I hardly said a word for years but now I can’t stop: Student reveals how polar adventure changed his life

Arran Goddard was virtually silent for the first eight years of his life. Now he can’t stop talking.

For his first four years the young Scot did not utter a word. By the age of eight, he could say only four words and a couple of short phrases.

He was three when doctors diagnosed autism and warned he might never speak, struggle in mainstream education and be denied opportunities that others took for granted.

Fast forward 17 years and the university student laughs as he admits he cannot stop talking, addressing more than 14,000 people in Scotland, America, and Canada from schoolchildren to corporate high flyers.

The talks are the latest in a string of achievements. Aged 11 Arran earned himself a black belt in karate and competed for Scotland. At 16 he successfully completed a gruelling 140km Polar expedition with the ground-breaking Bo’ness-based The Polar Academy.

Today Kirkcaldy-born Arran, 20, two years into a degree in Adventure Tourism Management, puts his success down to his family and The Polar Academy which he promotes with his talks.

© SYSTEM

When he graduates in 2023, Arran will join academy leader and explorer Craig Mathieson’s team as a full-time Arctic guide. He said: “I will be the first graduate to become a full-time guide with the organisation.

“Up until the age of four I wasn’t speaking at all. My mum and dad were told they had to go on a six-week sign language course to be able to communicate with me. But as I got older they knew I could understand what they said. My mum just had an instinct that the doctors were not right. I didn’t have autism. I could speak. I was just very shy.”

Mum Joanna Goddard, chairwoman of The Polar Academy, explained: “Instinct told me it wasn’t quite right. When I was with Arran, I could figure out what he meant. He seemed very bright and engaged.”

Joanna was told about a special language unit at the Royal Mile Primary School in Edinburgh. After assessing Arran she said they did not believe he had autism and felt they could help. He moved on to the City of Edinburgh Dance School but his forward momentum was lost and he began to retreat into silence.

Everything changed when the Polar Academy visited the school in the spring of 2016. “Craig talked about the expedition to Greenland. About 300 people signed up and only 20 were picked. I was one of them,” Arran said.

“We travelled 140km on skis pulling 45kg sledges. We had to do everything ourselves, pushing ourselves to the limit …We all had different strengths and weaknesses, but we helped each other. Seeing how each person changed was amazing.”

Academy chief Craig said: “If the spark is there every kid can turn into an Arran. They just need the opportunity. We give them that.”