Ms Miriam Kenny:

I would like people to be ambitious for autistic children and to raise the expectation. In doing so, they will need support, as will the schools. That is very important because our children are going to be adults, which I said already, and we need to be ambitious for them. Every other parent I know is ambitious for their neurotypical child in planning for the future but it is very difficult to plan for the future when one is constantly fighting and battling. It is very important that within that ambition for our autistic children that there is a family which needs to be supported there.

We did not touch on many of the issues that are arising with mental health, physical well-being, etc., of parents who are being dramatically impacted. These may be parents who are no longer working because they have to provide the support at home, cannot access carer’s benefit, and such matters.

In order to be ambitious, one needs the support from all different sides to do with autistic children, and children who have additional needs in general. It is not all just about autistic children. I am aware that we are here today to talk about autistic children, but there needs to be an understanding that we should be embracing all children and looking after them equally.