I had a pain in my heart listening to the lovely Nabeelah.
And I noticed I was angry.
Angry at those who preside over Diagnostic classifications, the Researchers, the Advocacy movements the Influencers - the people whose decisions led us here, and which unintentionally informed attitudes now circulating in society.
I know those people might all be quite nice people.
I am hopeful that a correction is beginning... Thank you ladies, for being part of that.
This was such a valuable conversation. I have an autistic daughter who was diagnosed at age of 13 and was able to attend mainstream and was doing academically well until Year 10 but a lot of her needs are still invisible and missing from her EHCP as she masks out of the fear of being singled out and bullied and she wasn't able to access the support offered due to this but the environment and pace is such that it can't manage even with support so she would need a different "setpoint" altogether. But evidencing the true level of need is really difficult. I almost feel the amazing Nabeelah and I are facing a different side of the same coin, she's struggling to find support because of the severity/complexity of her daughter's needs which "couldn't possibly be linked to autism" and my daughter couldn't possibly have other severe support needs "because her autism doesn't affect her so much as she's academically able and we don't see the support need".
I had a pain in my heart listening to the lovely Nabeelah.
And I noticed I was angry.
Angry at those who preside over Diagnostic classifications, the Researchers, the Advocacy movements the Influencers - the people whose decisions led us here, and which unintentionally informed attitudes now circulating in society.
I know those people might all be quite nice people.
I am hopeful that a correction is beginning... Thank you ladies, for being part of that.
Hi thanks for this. Is there any way of getting in touch with Nabeelah? Would be keen to get her involved in some work we are doing
Thanks D
This was such a valuable conversation. I have an autistic daughter who was diagnosed at age of 13 and was able to attend mainstream and was doing academically well until Year 10 but a lot of her needs are still invisible and missing from her EHCP as she masks out of the fear of being singled out and bullied and she wasn't able to access the support offered due to this but the environment and pace is such that it can't manage even with support so she would need a different "setpoint" altogether. But evidencing the true level of need is really difficult. I almost feel the amazing Nabeelah and I are facing a different side of the same coin, she's struggling to find support because of the severity/complexity of her daughter's needs which "couldn't possibly be linked to autism" and my daughter couldn't possibly have other severe support needs "because her autism doesn't affect her so much as she's academically able and we don't see the support need".
How dare she... its a superpower!