Thank you to James Moore, brilliant piece here featuring Autistic Not Weird aka Chris Bonnello, Laura Hellfeld Neurodivergent Nurse Consulting Henny (we need to find their socials) and our Emma Dalmayne.
Thank you to Fergus Murray for finding the link and sending it to Chris!
"Some are autism-led, such as Autism Inclusive Meets, where I meet up with Emma Dalmayne, an autistic mother of six neurodivergent kids and a formidable personality, writer and campaigner. Her petition against child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) racked up more than 216,000 signatures. It calls on the organisations to stop denying support to autistic children.
When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of two, I was at first visiting the hospital weekly. Regular tests and check-ups followed. The NHS is not doing a stand-up job with my condition. But if you stamp your feet, you’ll probably get seen.
When we had a child diagnosed with autism, however, we found ourselves left to our own devices, shoved out of the door with no idea of where to go. Since then, my wife and I have found ourselves engaged in what feels like a guerrilla war against petty bureaucrats.
“It’s like we don’t exist,” says Dalmayne, nodding her head in agreement with my story. “I find it exclusionary, frustrating, discriminatory and ableist.”
Dalmayne has also campaigned against some of the more destructive forms of therapy that autistic children are sometimes forced into, particularly those emanating out of the US. She tells me she knows of some parents who have resorted to bleach as a “cure”.
While the event is a demonstration of what is possible, a showcase of solutions and of peer support, the world of autism can get very dark. I can attest to that.
But there is light, here. I rather feel I would enjoy watching Dalmayne sparring with any politician showing their face at her doorstep.
They’ll get quite the earful."
Full piece here: https://archive.ph/jc6FM
Comments