Autism Bill - Northern Ireland Assembly Not Convinced

Watch and listen for yourself (see link below)

- 17 September 2009 Briefing to the Health Committee on the proposed Autism Bill - presented by Dominic Bradley, SDLP and Arlene Cassidy, AutismNI/AutismUlster.



Pertinent questions are finally being asked of AutismNI/AutismUlster. MLAs are thinking very carefully about the bill and clearly they are far from convinced. It seems in the past that as long as someone paid lip service to 'autism', it was enough. It could be the biggest load of **** but as long as it was purported to be for those little 'autistic kids' it was good enough. That's my impression anyway, and based on the **** my child has been offered so far, I find it hard to make any other deduction. Would someone out there 'in the know' please add up the money that has been wasted so far on autism in Northern Ireland in the past 10 years? Let's see, Middletown is a biggie. Then, there are the countless reports and surveys which added up to nothing. This would be followed by the mediocre and in my opinion, damaging training packages being meted out to teachers (TEACCH, etc). Then there are the junkets, the wasting of time of the assembly over this autism bill, it just goes on and on and on and we are all paying for it.
If you come up with a figure, let me know. Then divide that figure by what it would cost to provide a top of the class school for kids on the spectrum , with small classes and an OT/SLT suite, a sensory room and specifically, well trained professionals as teachers.

Probably doesn't bear thinking about.

Anyway, you can watch this rather depressing and uninspiring debate. Particularly interesting was Ms Cassidy's reference to photos at the back of her hand-out, about parental stress. Duh, yes we are stressed, stressed because organisations like yours, have for 20 years, been in existence and we are still standing in the same spot. What is wrong with that picture?

If you watch this presentation, keep your children in mind and try to work out how your child or loved one fits into this debate. Questions were asked as to why the other four autism charities in the North have not been fully included and why they are not participating as stridently as is AutismNI/AutismUlster regarding the pushing of the Autism Bill idea. Good question. My biggest question though is who asked me? Who asked my child? Where is my voice? It's not represented by AutismNI/AutismUlster, nor is it represented by Dominic Bradley of the SDLP. Only I can speak for me. Where do I get my voice heard on this issue? Which is why I write a blog. Says a lot doesn't it.


http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/videoarchive.htm