Autism in Northern Ireland - whew
Posted by
asteroids
on 18th August 2010
at 10:39
Hi there,
Welcome to the forum.
I have some knowledge of autism support (or lack of it) in Northern Ireland.
I hope we can offer some support and advice here, even if we aren't able to directly change the system.
Asteroids Sara - Community Champion
Posted by
Elena - former Community Manager
on 18th August 2010
at 10:49
Welcome, thinkingahead! Very glad you've joined us!
Hope you don't mind that I moved your post into the Introductions section? It seems to fit better there as it's your first post, and I thought more people would see it and come say hello. Let me know if you prefer that I hadn't moved it.
Elena
Posted by
Josie Barnshaw
on 18th August 2010
at 11:06
Hi Thinkingahead
Welcome to the forum :)
Josie - Community Champion
Posted by
thinkingahead
on 18th August 2010
at 12:15
Hi Elena and Josie and Asteroids. Thank you for your kind welcome. I spent last night reasing this site - very happy to be part of it and yes placing my post in the intro section was right decision.
Posted by
asteroids
on 18th August 2010
at 12:39
Glad you like the site.
Look forward to hearing more about you and your family.
Asteroids Sara - Community Champion
Posted by
Snowdrop
on 18th August 2010
at 13:46
Hi and welcome to the forum. I too look forward to hearing more about you and your family.
Tracy - Community Champion
Posted by
demipowell
on 19th August 2010
at 20:52
Hey There
I'm in Scotland, but not in the Central Belt (glasgow/edinburgh) so I might as well be on the moon. We have one school for children with learning disabilities that has about 9 children. We have practically no autism services. There is a 2.5 year wait for diagnosis of ASD, IF you can get on the waiting list. I've been trying to get an assessment for my son for 3.5 years and NO LUCK. Meanwhile our family has been totally through the mill and have spent so much money trying to find any sort of help for him at school.
Most kids in our area have to go away for specialist education, the nearest school being about two hours drive, so a four hour round trip. Many of the kids I worked with were placed in England or Ireland or the very north of Scotland (eight hour round trip). They rarely saw their families, who struggled to cope during the six week summer break when they are plonked back with no support. Then everyone is surprised when they turn 16 or 18 and come back to the area, with no connections, no support and no proper services. young adults with learning difficulties in parts of our region go for respite in the dementia ward of an old people's home!
Everything pretty much thats been done for my son has been done by me, its crazy.
Rant over
Demi
Posted by
thinkingahead
on 20th August 2010
at 06:14
Hi Demi. Good God, what an experience you have had! Are there many children/adults living with autism in your area? Any joined up strategy at all? ARe those problems down to excuses involving money or just sheer ignorance and uncaring by those in power?
It might as well be Dickensian times. If children from Scotland were 'placed' in Ireland, I can't imagine where! How awful.
Posted by
demipowell
on 29th August 2010
at 09:13
Interestingly our area has quite a high incidence of autism, as many families move here because social services have in the past been pretty accomodating and most of the kids here get placed at private schools. There is a strategy but its almost made it worse. Now noone is allowed to diagnose autism except the CDAT team so you have to wait two years. And I'm really not sure why the education authority seem to have no interest in providing for the kids and instead place them in hugely expensive private schools. (I think the Irish school was near Belfast BTW).
Demi
Posted by
thinkingahead
on 31st August 2010
at 08:02
Hi Demi, yes you are right, a strategy as such may make things even more quixotic and restricting.
I note you said the irish school kids were being sent to was near Belfast. That was probably Glencraig, a 'steiner' school. There is no other private facility for kids on the spectrum in Belfast. over 30,000 a year and a facility that in my estimation, should be shut down. Sexual abuse by other 'inmates' of children there has occurred in the past and no one seems to ever escape this place. Horrible. But, parents are led to believe that because it costs so much it must be 'good'. Kids from germany come over for their gap year and do a stint there, so the turnover is quite high. Not a place i would send my dog. Steiner's philosophy was just a bit 'mad' and they are also luddites who dont allow kids computers and often phones. Was a program about it in Northern Ireland a few years back showing kids gardening and being patronised to the hilt while women dressed in tent like dresses gathered in circles, and celebrated 'harvest time' to music - arggggh. Dont even go there.
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Posted by
thinkingahead
on 18th August 2010
at 08:10
Hi Everyone, I am new here. I live in Northern Ireland, have 3 children, and my youngest has an autistic spectrum condition. The lack of opportunity to speak one's mind in Northern Ireland about the appalling state of affairs has led me, like so many other parents, to write a blog about what is going on. As the 'poor' cousin to the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland has, at least until recently been in the dark ages regarding autism. I know its like this in other parts of the UK as well, but here in Northern Ireland we have no access to specialist schools (even if you wanted to pay for them yourself you couldn't find one), no ABA whatsoever (unless you want to mortgage your house) and the usual worldwide negative belief system about the 'potential' and value of our children. But most of all, we have a government that has, for at least 20 years off loaded it's responsibility to our kids, and ignored legislation, preferring to just throw money at the voluntary sector. We only have 1.8million people in Northern Ireland, but we have a very top heavy public sector which likes to write reports and waste money on studies, rather than provide services.
Please see : http://autismnorthernireland.blogspot.com/ for a vignette of what is going on.
Our kids will all be adults soon enough and the politics that keep them and us silent is purely for money saving. I do despair of what will happen to our children in 10 or 15 years when many of them will be grown up. No jobs, no independence - all because such and such and so and so 'believes' they arent capable and believes they shouldn't obtain education that is tailored to them because it costs too much or because they believe it's being 'wasted' on them.
As a parent, i learned very quickly that you must do what is best for your child and your child only. That was, until i had a child with autism. I learned that i had to work to secure a future for him by doing anything I could to change that future. The status quo simply isnt good enough. I look forward to learning and communicating with other parents here on this forum, all of you with your own wealth of knowledge and experience. We are the experts regarding our wonderful children. God bless you all.