UK lacks Adult Autism/Asperger’s Services
The news today that eight out of ten doctors need more help to spot autism shows the huge gap in services available, particularly for adults with ASD in the UK. …
Long ago..when I was somebody
Long, long ago, before I was ‘Special Needs Mum’, I had a great career as a television journalist and news reader. I loved it – the job, the lifestyle, the …
Many autism cases ‘undiagnosed’ – BBC News
A significant number of children with autism and related disorders could be undiagnosed, a study has suggested. (Reports BBC News Online) A Cambridge University team looked at existing diagnoses – …
Call for increase in Carer’s Allowance
UK Autism Foundation backs call for an increase in Carer’s Allowance The UK Autism Foundation has backed the call for a substantial increase in the carer’s allowance. There are six …
Sports Day at More House School
We’ve just come home from Sports Day. This always used to be a day of tears, upset and general not wanting to go to school. That is, until they started …
Well said, Mr Bercow!
I’ve just read in full the House of Commons debate on the second reading of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Support) bill last Friday. I must highlight one particular …
Update on Special Educational Needs and Disability (Support) Bill
Source: Epolitix: Conservative MP John Bercow makes the case for his Special Educational Needs and Disability (Support) Bill, which has its second reading in the Commons. Through my work conducting …
Mother Needs Help For Self-Harming Son
I have just been contacted through this site by Sharon, a mother from Kent, whose son has been excluded from school following incidents of self-harming. She writes, “My ADHD, ASD, …
Government Supports Autism Bill (UK)
The Government has, for the first time, declared its support for what could be England’s first Autism Bill. The National Autistic Society (NAS) celebrated the move as a vital development …
Parents rate local authority Disabilities service at 59%
When I was at school, a score of 59% definitely meant ‘could do better’, if not ‘should do better’. But that’s the score received by 10 local authorities in England …
Autism Assistance Dogs
As you may know, we recently got a puppy because we had read that dogs are good for children on the autistic spectrum. Leo is still a puppy and has …
Great News – A Statement!
Got the news we had been waiting for today – Son1 has got the Statement of Special Educational Needs we had applied for. Don’t have all the details yet and …
My hero – Geoff Adams-Spink
This is an item about a hero of mine, Geoff Adams-Spink. Geoff is a BBC correspondent whom I met when we were both training to be journalists on a Post-Grad …
ASD child? Are you getting what you’re entitled to?
If you are the parent of a child with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, you don’t need me to tell you how difficult a ‘normal’ lifestyle can be. Not only will …
Celebrate Calm – well worth signing up for.
I am taking the liberty of quoting from an email newsletter I subscribe to ‘Celebrate Calm, written by Kirk Martin. It is about his son who, like many of our …
The dog, the hand-washing and the ASD child.
As you may have read, we’ve just got a puppy, a labradoodle. He’s very cute and has transformed our elder ASD son’s life. The dog is the first thing he …
Genetic breakthough in autism
Genes ‘have key role in autism’ – BBC News Scientists have produced the most compelling evidence to date that genetics play a key role in autism. They highlighted tiny genetic …
I knew it was my fault…
Of course it’s our fault.. Mother’s antibodies may contribute to autism Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:18pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – While a mother of an autistic child is …
The new arrival
I am not a doggie person. My husband is not a doggie person. And yet, yesterday, we brought home a puppy. Leo the Labradoodle. We have read that dogs are …
Autism Costs UK economy £28 billion
A new study into the economic impact of autism spectrum disorders in the UK has shown that the total estimated cost is £28 billion each year. That averages out at …