Kemi badenoch now against autistic children

[Hunnymonster1]

What is wrong with her? Just read that the children commision is saying average wait like to get diagnosed as autistic is 4 years.
So kemi banging on about how parents are pushing gor diagnosis because they see how much extra money etc autistic children get at school is wrong.
The fact is I woukd think judging by lbc many kids are not getting the support that they need.
So js this about her saying the conservatives need to save tax by not helping people or children with autism and mental health issues.
Bare in mind she said similar about maternity pay last week makes me think she's like Liz truss wants to cut alot of stuff
How the hell can anyone support this?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/kemi-badenoch-autism-tory-leadership-buckland-b2628845.html

Well o can't speak for all but I bet many of them commenting don't care they like her. They are mean and selfish to I dont get why non doms have packed up some and kept because they don't wanna pay tax to help others. I don't get that selfish mindset I feel that there are far to many selfish fucks about

There are areas where the NHS won't even put you on a waiting list for assessment for an autism diagnosis unless you are presenting with the most severe need (e.g. complete family breakdown, or non-verbal).

The idea that people with mild needs are being handed diagnoses like it's that easy is just utter bollocks.

This.

Do people really want to see what a meltdown on the bus looks like? Some teenagers are as big as grown adults.

I'd forgotten that was him.

Truly the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible as someone once said about fox hunting.

How many medical doctors and what was their area of expertise?

It is highly unlikely that there is a misdiagnosis in most cases.

I suspect that the rise in cases of autism and ADHD are likely owing to a mix of the following:

A greater awareness at the "milder" end of the spectrum. When I was at school in the 60s/70s there were children in my classes that I look back on and now think may have been autistic etc but were not recognised as such. They had problems socially and showed differences in the way they spoke and their approach to life and we're at a disadvantage. I can remember one girl at my grammar school getting in to terrible trouble for having an alarm clock in her bag (which went off accidently) she told the teacher that she had it because the ticking noise helped her concentrate (which didn't go down well!). Having taught students with a range of neurodiversities, I can now see that there were other things in her demeanour, the way she spoke etc that could indicate neurodiversity.

A massive increase in the survival of premature babies. Of course not every child born prematurely has autism/ADHD and it is possible for term babies with no birth complications to be neurodiverse but I wouldn't be at all surprised if prematurity can cause subtle brain differences which sometimes result in neurodiversity and that this would account for some of the increase in children being diagnosed. This may also explain why with some identical twins, one is diagnosed autistic and not the other.

Epigenetic effects. I'm less certain about this one but again I wouldn't be surprised if exposure to modern chemicals and pollutants especially from plastics hasn't triggered some epigenetic changes that increase incidents of neurodiversity.

Our world is a changed one in many ways from even 50 years ago so we just can't say "There never used to be this number of neurodiverse children so they must be being misdiagnosed".

Red! I think purple might have been next. Or brown. He was onto Soreen bars before I had chance to take it all in 🤣

I think the people posting & commenting on the almost daily Labour & keir bashing threads need to take notice of what the alternative is. I think it’s possible to do both.

They’re all awful. I wouldn’t want to vote for either side, because none of them are going to do anything for us.

@EducatingArti , I’m not sure who you are quoting at the end of your interesting post but to be clear it’s not me.
Further up in this thread I posted an article from the Guardian you may find interesting. Certainly there are and always have been people who are incapable of functioning in society because of being at the extreme of the autistic spectrum but at the other end while it’s helpful to be aware of people being a bit different I’m not convinced that labelling and medicating children is what is best for them.
The thread was started by @Hunnymonster1 in order to portray Kemi as being ‘against ‘ autistic people, I remain unconvinced that the OP has read or even cares to read what Kemi actually said.

I have just listened to lbc and the stories of parents who chikdren are just not being supported by the system as brogitte phillipson says uts broken. So kemi trying yo paint it like that they get support and extra money maybe they do but many need that. She's forgetting about the ones that under the tory party haven't been supported and how many special schools have closed. You are untrepreting her like you suggest but I interpret her as some one that wants to cut the state spending

Does she have any kids?

This article is even better about it https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/14/kemi-badenoch-conservative-leadership-autism-campaign-pamphlet

Technically KB says: 'anxiety comma autism' so she does separate them out - just - ( note she puts anxiety first..)
However, Autism is a neurological difference which is legally recognised as a disability & must be diagnosed. Anxiety is a mental health difficulty (which must also be diagnosed as such although is often self diagnosed & is common) You have have 1 or both. But they're different. KB is either ignorant, badly advised or being deliberately deceptive. Or, all three.

Certainly there are and always have been people who are incapable of functioning in society because of being at the extreme of the autistic spectrum but at the other end while it’s helpful to be aware of people being a bit different I’m not convinced that labelling and medicating children is what is best for them.

Autistic children aren't medicated.

I think her point is very muddled and doesn't make sense.

But what is true is that we have an unmanageable demand for diagnosis and we need a serious discussion about how how to deal with this because expanding the current services is neither realistic in terms of costs and staffing or actually addressing the needs of people even if we could.

I understand if your child needs an assessment you don't care about the wider system you just want your child seen but when so many feel like this the system as it exists cannot meet demand then it's the most vulnerable that suffer.

There are many issues here:

The number and severity of need has risen exponentially. We need to rethink how we manage the real and serious needs of a now much larger group of children. Resources isn't the only answer, we need different systems and services and schools.

But we should all be screaming ' what the hell is going on with this rise??' what is happening to children to be causing this? I don't understand why it's not a medical emergency for research.

The ND movement looks really positive on the surface but it is diluting real need to a personality type and an identity and being grouped alongside those with serious need. This is a problem for those with high level needs. It is and will undermine societal tolerance for resources and adjustments for ND as so many functioning people adopt it as an identity. I think this is driving KBs stance. You can shout at her but it represents a real growing intolerance with some people's demands for ND. If your child has high level needs you should be worried about how this ND positivity could undermine support for your child.

Doctors are feeling under pressure from some parents for a diagnosis. Diagnosis has a great deal of leeway for professional judgement and is not clear cut. So pressure does have an impact.

Many parents are getting private diagnoses and this is skewing the education system as they may not be the children with the greatest need.

I could go on with the issues they are multiple. I think this is what Kemi B might be trying to convey, but I think it's very unclear in the way she's done it.

Well one side is investing in public services and reforming the NHS and setting up free school meals for every child, and making sure waiters and waitresses get the tips they actually earned, and stopping public transport and health professionals striking, and one isn't.

“In short, whereas once psychological and mental health was seen as something people should work on themselves as individuals , mental health has become something that society, schools and employers have to adapt around”

Clearly noone involved in this leaflet knew anything whatsoever about autism as they seem to think it is a mental heakth problem.

www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/03/autism-not-scientifically-valid-or-clinically-useful-diagnosis

Badenoch is clearly suggesting (twice!) that autistic children are advantaged at school @Icanthinkformyselfthanks

I'd really like to understand what economic advantage my austistic daughter has over her NT sibling.

The pamphlet doesnt cover the criteria for diagnosis (just as well as they dont see to understand what they are talking about).

This is nothing more than a cost cutting manifesto - reduce employment protections, cut transport to SN schools (which we dont have enough of and are often a long journey away), cut support in schools. Demonise those with mental health issues.

We should all remember that 2022 Badenoch referred to schools employing "superfluous staff members" by which I presume she meant TAs.

Anyone supporting this pamphlet either hasnt bothered to read it or is on the Conservative right.

@Icanthinkformyselfthanks my youngest is autistic . Looking back at my family , it is obvious older generations were too but because it’s on the milder side it was recognised. They did however find school and life very tough.

My child doesn’t need lots of money or medicating but he does need understanding. Time, space and reasonable adjustments. With the right support he thrives as he is bright, but when people don’t understand him and push him or don’t give him the time and support he needs to communicate he gets highly distressed.

I agree in an ideal world he wouldn’t be labelled and his needs would be met, but our education system currently does not allow this , and as his parent I want the best for him and for him not to be traumatised by people who do not try and understand him.

I think, and I am prepared to be flamed for this, that there needs to be more schools dedicated to provision for children with autism, mainstreaming isn't always working. It reminds me of growing up with the 'care in the community ' concept. There was a place just down the road for us, the residents were chucked out between 8 and 6 or something like that, and as kids, we were scared of on street interaction. I remember hiding under the kitchen table with my sisters and a friend as my dad had had to go out and pick up my mum as her car had broken down, and one resident was banging on our windows. November, so dark. I managed to crawl to the landline and call the friends dad, and then was almost to scared to open the door to him. I was 10.

Sometimes specialist provision is best. Not always, but sometimes. Whatever the age.

It's basically Kemi subscribing to the 'oh, just pull your socks up' school of thought with regards to mentall ill health and neurodiversity. Because that worked so well in the past.

And people are on here defending that ignorance. The mind boggles. (Parent of two neurodiverse young adults).

Right, so you now believe autism doesn't exist because of one article from 2011. And so you agree that autistic people shouldn't get any support.