In thinking it's not ok to reveal your son's ASD diagnosis to 4million strangers on Instagram?

[Dabralor]

Mrs Hunch - Instagram cleaning woman- has posted a pic with her little son. He's had an autism diagnosis confirmed.

How can it be justifiable to share his private medical information with all these random strangers? Wherever he goes now in his life, a quick Google search will reveal really personal information about him. This information is no longer his to possess.

If my parents had done this to me, I don't think I could ever forgive them. I feel really sorry for the kids of social media stars 😔.

I don't think anyone should post pictures of their children online, I think up to a point, it's mostly harmless, but people over share. That goes for everyone.

I'm glad social media wasn't a thing when I was a child and thankfully all my childhood photos and moments were private.

What influencers are doing sharing all of these photos and videos of their dc is very unfair. But they are making a good living from selling a lifestyle and a brand some are even becoming millionaires. I can understand why they're cashing in to be honest.

@Dabralor

I’m on the fence with this. I personally wouldn’t on Facebook/Instagram. But I don’t look at people who do and think ‘that’s wrong’. I think it raises awareness and a celebrity sharing can help others - so long as it’s done with good intentions.
With my DS, I find I do have to let people know - and I don’t think it’s a secret or anything to hide. For example - he was asked a question yesterday, which he couldn’t answer and the lady looked confused. I have to make the choice for him when he’s little and I told her.
It can be confusing, emotional and isolating for a parent to get an ASD diagnosis - so a ‘you are not alone’ ethos is good.

I think as a child gets older, and has more awareness - it’s really important to say : do you want this shared. I agree that the info is out there and they haven’t consented. I guess it’s parental consent until a child reaches the age that they can make that decision for themselves.

Maybe i am naive and trusting of others intentions , I’d rather be that way than suspicious about everyone and bitter assuming everyone has bad motives

@brickastley it's very refreshing when someone admits to being wrong on here. Thank you 😊

This is just because it’s Mrs hinch and some people dislike her. When Christine and paddy mcguinness shared their three kids were autistic, as is Christine, they simply had support. When ulrika Johnson shared about her daughter’s heart problems, from a child on, same thing. And the countless many other celebs who have done it. But as Mrs hinch did it, some people are using the excuse to attack

personally I think it’s fine, good in fact, anyone who meets ronnie would likely suspect, or even know, at this age and as he grows. It would be impossible even if she wasn’t an influencer to hide. And why should they hide it, so what if he and she are autistic.

You wouldn’t find one photos of my children online at all. It should be that way for every cuild

the information about a child shouldn’t be shared.

Would sharing a diagnosis of any sort, even if later the diagnosis is amended and thought to be incorrect, potentially have future implications for medical insurance and certain career paths?

In my opinion people should not be sharing every aspect of their children's lives online. We owe it to our children to protect their privacy. We wouldn't walk down the street and tell all and sundry about our children to strangers so why do it on social media? By all means raise awareness but stop sharing children online. My 18 year old has a life long condition and he would hate if I used his face to share information as he said he doesn't want his illness to define him.

My primary age DC are Autistic, I only speak about their Autism anonymously online. IRL I share relevant information with teachers, therapists and a couple of friends I know with Autistic children who I know wouldn't share anything . Sometimes I would like to tell others for more support. But it's not about me, it's their personal information and it's up to them what they share and who they tell. It's a part of who they are. One of my DC tells lots of people if it's relevant to the conversation at hand. Another has told only very close friends. The other is too young to have thought about it. I also wouldn't share my DCs mental health struggles or puberty issues, anything that is private and important to who they are.

Children deserve privacy, any vulnerable individual deserves to have their privacy protected. The principle, where someone cannot consent or doesn't understand enough to make a real choice to consent, should be to minimise the potential for harm by minimising sharing in the public domain, until that individuals becomes capable of consenting.

Her son could absolutely do this - but isn't it his choice to make, not his mum's? He's had this choice taken away now.

Not at all. I'm autistic myself, and I'm starting to be more open about it. For example I've just joined a professional network for ND individuals and this is visible to other people. But that was my choice. A choice which has been taken away from these children. It's not the same as making it shameful at all.

Cmon now, it was clear he was autistic. Anyone who meets him, sees her with him, any random who meets them would know. In this case it is not hidden.

Can you please post about how many children you've had, your medical experiences doing so, details of every time you have been hospitalised in your life, any medication you're on and any medical diagnoses you've had please?

Could you also post your full name (including your middle names), your date of birth, your parents full names and the town you grew up in just to make sure I can properly identify you.

If you're not willing to post that on this forum (where it's unlikely 4m+ people would see the post) then you absolutely have the right to keep detailed personal and medical information to yourself.

Mrs Hinch's children have had that right taken away from them.

I also note she has had her diagnosis for a while and has only now decided to share it, when she wanted to. Which is absolutely right. Her son can't possible consent to that though, and sharing at his pace has been taken away from him.

Why do you think autism isn’t a condition? (As in what does that word mean to you?)

Most children can’t give consent on many areas of their life.

I don't think anyone should be sharing personal information about their children to millions of followers, full stop. Not just autism - any personal info at all.

I don't think it's okay for parents to decide their child's diagnosis should be used to "raise awareness" or "get support." Children cannot consent to this or understand the implications of so much of their lives being shared online.

How was it clear? He was a late speaker (which as a total stranger I shouldn't know), but he seems to have caught up.

I have literally seen no other obvious-to-the-general-public signs that make it "clear" he is autistic.

@Dabralor

But I told a random lady when I was out yesterday because of her confusion over his inability to speak. My DS could say when he is older - ‘I didn’t consent to that’, but I did it with his best interests in mind and it felt like the right thing to do.

I think it is a parental decision until a child is of the age to personally make that decision.

My measure of whether things are right or wrong is often by ‘harm caused’.
I agree that someone over sharing on the internet for self gain, for profit, with disregard for the welfare of the child is harmful.
If it’s done with intention to raise awareness, to support the child’s welfare/other children with ASD - then it’s ok?

Being autistic is part of who he is. Why would he want to hide it in the future? She’s clearly bombarded with messages speculating on the fact. Perhaps she wants to be an advocate and support others too.

But there was a relevant reason to mention it in that context that didn't jeopardise your child's privacy for years to come.

If Mrs Hinch's son doesn't want to disclose his diagnosis to a future employer, to his friend's as a teenager or indeed to anyone he doesn't want to know, he doesn't have that choice now. Googling his name, as employers and friends will likely do, will bring up his detailed childhood medical history - including an autism diagnosis.

I can only assume your son still has the ability to not tell his employer, or any stranger, about his diagnosis. You telling people one-on-one in relevant situations is unlikely to hamper this.

This is a spectacularly naive comment, almost as if discrimination doesn't exist, there are daily threads where people suggest an autistic child simply needs to be more resilient. However the main point is that it's up to him, not her, as to whether or not to share it. Him. Not her.

edited to add, I am autistic and share it happily with people. Not 4 million of the fuckers though.

The point is it shouldn't be up to her to decide that for him, as for being repeatedly questioned, is saying "thank you for your concern but it's none of your business" or similar, difficult?

I don't buy the "raising awareness" guff, people know that autism exists, many know the different signs and traits, what awareness is she raising beyond having tonnes of people know that he has autism too?

You can get a private diagnosis within 6 weeks. That’s what we did and obviously what they did too.

Naive? Really? I am autistic, as is my son. What do you know about the subject?

@leachesleachesleachesleachesleaches

Naive? Really? I am autistic, as is my son. What do you know about the subject?

Of course it naive to not have a clue why he wouldn't want to share it.

Also, I'm not playing autism top trumps with you.

Not entirely sure who Mrs Hinch is. I personally feel medical records and childhood pics should be up to child to share when adult, regardless whether the parents are McGuinness, Kardashian, Beckham or Hinch.