Mumsnet Talk

Not sure if anyone has already posted about this, but the National Autistic Society are asking carers and people with autism to complete their survey here, hope this is of interest.

Thanks for posting the link, I've just completed the survey after reading your post.

Great! Can I just add, don't be put off when it says it'll take 20 minutes to complete - it certainly didn't for me, only took about 5 mins!!

Thank you for this! Done it!

Okay, have completed it. Had to pretty miuch ignore the stupid questions and write the answers in the comment boxes instead.

done.

Starlight - some of the questions were a bit ambiguous I felt, our square pegs don't always fit round-hole shaped questionnaires do they!

I suppose the questions such as:

'Have you had to give up your job to care for your child with autism?' questions were really annoying.

Yes, I have, but not because my ds needs caring for, but because the LA needs fighting which isn't helped by the NAS jumping into bed with them all over the place.

I think my feedback was very similar to yours Star

It asks something like what do you want to see? CHANGE please.

Stop selling your soul and your courses to LAs and pumping out hypothesis as fact 'these children have no theory of mind'.

Start, advocating for children and families because children with autism have rights, they are not just sad faces/stories for your fundraising malarkies!

Filled in.

What will they do with the survey?

Done it!

Also, did the mencap one last week.

I filled it in - only the carers bit so can't comment on the rest. Seemed typical - respite, support, shoulder to cry on & a pat on the back - missing the point that if there were effective services offered to children who were identified early then carers wouldn't be pulling their hair out.

I don't need or want respite from my son - I want the people who are paid to deliver 'interventions' to do their bloody jobs. I am exhausted because I have to do it all myself - statutory services are shite, SEN education provision would destroy him. You don't even get good services when you pay for them. Try & find a really good ABA tutor let alone a great one. Private SALTS seem just as clueless as the average NHS ones. OT/SIT/AIT/nutrition etc ... you'll be doing well to weed out the vaguely evidence based from the quacks & crackpots.

And the NAS are complicit in maintaining the system that fails.

Is that what you put Hyper?

pretty much, yes!

Good!