| My friend's son has autism. | | | | it is a great achievement and proves he can learn |
| He never sleeps or at least not for any length of time | | | | when he is taught. |
| and she is exhausted. | | | | Outside of school he is inept in many areas and |
| Over the years sleep deprivation has been a real | | | | couldn't possibly be left on his own. He needs to be in |
| problem and the only time she gets any rest is when | | | | a supported environment with people who understand |
| he goes to respite care. Even then she admits to | | | | his needs and are prepared to make allowances for |
| spending the whole of her waking hours thinking and | | | | him. That's the problem. |
| worrying about him. | | | | Through the years of determined effort his disability is |
| Quality time is something neither she nor any of the | | | | now termed "higher functioning autism" and my friend |
| other family members get to enjoy and the strain is | | | | has been told as her son no longer has severe |
| beginning to show. | | | | behavioural problems or a severe learning disability it is |
| However, she is according to the latest reports, one of | | | | unlikely he will receive any funded support once he |
| the lucky ones. It seems that two thirds of families with | | | | leaves college. |
| members who have special needs get no help at all | | | | What's she supposed to do? |
| and that 8 out of 10 of them are at breaking point. | | | | Autism is on the increase and all these autistic children |
| Unless you are in such a situation you cannot | | | | will grow up into autistic adults. They'll all have to leave |
| appreciate the difference just a few hours of being | | | | school eventually so where will they go and what will |
| able to lead a normal "ordinary" life can mean. It's often | | | | they do? Apparently only 2% actually get "employed", |
| the only thing that keeps families going - the difference | | | | some spend a few days at day care centres or in |
| between them being able to cope or not. | | | | social enterprises but what about the others? |
| Unfortunately, however, the money and support pot is | | | | And of course, that's just for autism. There are a lot of |
| only so large and as situations change so do services. | | | | adults with other disabilities too. You do see some as |
| Just as they can be given, equally they can be taken | | | | trolley pushers of shelf stackers in supermarkets but |
| away and anyone who receives respite lives in the | | | | have you ever seen one working as a cashier? I |
| shadow of regular assessments and reviews. | | | | haven't. |
| Part of you wants your child to improve and the other | | | | In UK this week it was announced that a company |
| half doesn't because you know you risk losing what | | | | established specifically to employ disabled people |
| little help you may get. | | | | around the country is reducing its factories by half. |
| In an ideal world there would be help for everyone | | | | Seemingly the government is cutting funding and thus |
| who needs it but there isn't and unless you can build up | | | | the workforce has to be reduced. If that is the case |
| your own support network many families struggle. | | | | then it's very short sighted. |
| My friend's son can legally leave school this summer. | | | | If these people can't go out to work in a suitable |
| He wants to go on to college with an autistic unit and | | | | environment then they will have to stay at home. |
| do a Life Skills course. He can and most probably will | | | | Someone, usually a family member, will have to look |
| do so with support. He'll also be entitled to transport | | | | after them which in turn means that they can't go out |
| there and back. | | | | to work either. |
| However, once he reaches nineteen everything will | | | | Unless rapid changes are made there's going to be a |
| change. | | | | lot more people staying at home because in recent |
| My friend has worked incredibly hard to get her son | | | | years there has been an autism epidemic. |
| where he is today. If you knew him as a toddler you | | | | It's a major worry and not just financially. Being bored, |
| would never have believed he'd achieve so much. His | | | | broke and undervalued is not a happy combination for |
| bad behaviour is under control although he can still say | | | | anyone yet alone someone with a recognised disability. |
| some hurtful things and in school he achieves Level 2 | | | | My friend is worried and so am I. |
| in all his lessons. This is, infact the level one would | | | | My son has autism! |
| expect from primary school children but never the less | | | | |