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

They don't believe in the welfare state, they think people on benefits make 'bad choices ' and charities should deal with the genuinely disabled.

Of course we need more specialist provision. Parents have been crying out for more investment.

Nobody wants their child to have to travel miles just to access appropriate educational support.

But this pamphlet is suggesting that at the moment autistic children are at an advantage. It says it twice.

People posting stuff about the criteria for diagnosis are entirely and in some cases deliberately missing the pamphlets aims which is to present autistic children as receiving economic assistance they apparently dont deserve.

They want to reduce support.

If there is an argument to change how diagnoses are made then it is not addressed in this pamphlet - I highly doubt any of the authors are in anyway qualified to make those arguments anyway.

It literally says that a diagnosis should be for the individual to learn about themselves, not for employers or schools to use as a means to adapt arrangements.

It is an attack on specialist provision.

I'd love to know how they think they can draw the distinction, with all their medical, psychiatric, psychological and meeting people on the ground experience.

Oh wait..

If it takes 4 years for a diagnosis, then that matches the minimum time that the Conservative party must spend in the wilderness before they have a shot at a fresh election.

Kemi understands the party membership too well. Remember, she's not trying to appeal to the general public. She's trying to appeal to to a group of less than 150,000 people with an average age of 72. To say they have a rose-tinted view of raising children is to put it mildly. They will get upset about losing their winter fuel allowance. They will gladly sacrifice maternity pay, child benefit and funding childrens mental health services to keep the triple-lock on their state pension and reduce the tax they pay on their private pensions.

No flaming from me. Inclusion is not inclusion for a kid who ends up working in a cupboard with very little teacher contact because a class of 30 is overwhelming for them.

Yes, they are all shouting in to very specific and small void here. What the rest of us think is totally irrelevant to them, as the winner will not be the leader come the next election so they have literally no shits to give.

Oh definitely. It boggles the mind that people like Badenoch seem to think the Tories lost because they were too 'woke' and not hateful enough, not because everyone was sick of 14 years of their shit.

I know you r right but what I want to know is does she really believe this or just to be elected as Tory leader. As she keeps com8ng out with in my opinion stupid opinions that can very much affect people

It's not about 'inclusion' it's about saving money. If it was about inclusion there would be resources in place.

Just to be leader, for her own career, as she won't be leader by election time. And as we've seen with Truss, can make a metric fuck ton of money after a very short time in the semi hot seat.

Or maybe I'm a cynic.

I don't think anyone, including KB begrudges the genuine disabled anything.

What she takes exception to (as do many) is the volume of parents hell-bent on getting a diagnosis for their DC, when there's absolutely nothing wrong with them.

Money related possibly? Shirking of responsibilities perhaps?

I follow some old school people on FB and the victimhood mentality is just bizarre. Not only are they seeking diagnosis for their poorly parented kids, they are seeking diagnosis for themselves!

In fact, an ex has just done the same and proudly exclaims that now he knows why his life has turned out shit, nothing to do with his poor and selfish life choices over and over again, it's the ND 🙄

It's tiresome actually and takes the focus and resource away from genuine cases.

Yet again I wish we had an anti thanks button.

@wickerlady I don't think you've read the pamphlet.

It does not tackle the criteria for diagnosis.

It simply wants to withdraw existing support.

It doesn't matter what she believes. No one will care what the personal beliefs of the conservative leader of the opposition are for the next three years.

All she has to do is appeal to the 150,000 conservative party members. They have some very self-centred policies that they'd like to justify. If she's the one that points them to an incredulous almost-800% in autism diagnoses over a decade, then she can sow just enough doubt about neediness/entitlement, then grandpa/grandma conservative doesn't feel selfish about trashing young people's opportunities for another decade.

No-one "seeks to label" their children. If they have genuine reasons to believe their children may be neurodivergent, they may seek formal diagnosis purely because it helps to secure the support they desperately need.

Anecdotal evidence derived from chats with "medical doctors" is worthless. Try reading peer-reviewed literature and talking go child psychiatrists with the required expertise and factual knowledge.

Well, exactly.

This^ is the best summary of our political situation I ever came across. And it answers the question why some of us are voting Labour even if they are not perfect.

Well, exactly. No-one gets transport to school unless they need it for the reasons set out in the Education Act 1996 (i.e. they live more than 3 miles away or are unable to walk to school due to disability), and even when they meet the relevant criteria it can still be quite a battle. You don't just rock up at your local authority offices waving a certificate saying your child has autism and wait for them to send the taxi round.

Would they rather these pesky children were just kept out of the school system altogether?

@Italiandreams , I completely understand that. Of course teachers should make adjustments for students who need them but equally many people who are high functioning autistic are also I gather very bright and can and should go on to live fulfilling lives. I hope your son gets the help he needs.

I'm not sure inclusion works some/a lot of the time. Separate but equally funded and more so if needed and equally valued. Surely that would help.

"No-one gets transport to school unless they need it for the reasons set out in the Education Act 1996 (i.e. they live more than 3 miles away or are unable to walk to school due to disability), and even when they meet the relevant criteria it can still be quite a battle. You don't just rock up at your local authority offices waving a certificate saying your child has autism and wait for them to send the taxi round."

Exactly.

And in order to live full filling lives they may need support, no?

Being bright doesn't mean you don't need support.

Well yes but how do you separate and tackle such a thing?

It's the product of a society who have become far too compassionate, even when they know that many swing the lead.

The only way out of this is to go backwards and unfortunately genuine cases will suffer.

@pointythings , I have not said I don’t believe autism exists. I do believe that historically those on the mild end of the spectrum have largely gone on to have productive existences by learning to deal with the way they are.

Nobody is sending their kid to a SN school to swing the lead!
That doesnt make any sort of sense.

If you think society has become too compassionate I'd suggest you havent ever tried to get an EHCP.