My disabled son needs 100,000 people

[helpingAsa]

Please help me find 100,000 friends for my disabled child

I registered a Government petition yesterday, to stop 41% of children in Hertfordshire being denied mental health services.

Hertfordshire has the highest referral rejection rate for childrens’ mental health services in England. 41% of Hertfordshire children are denied mental health support compared to 8% in Liverpool, Leeds and East Sussex.

My disabled 12 year old son is one of those left to suffer.

Asa has Autism and a learning disability (low IQ). He desperately needs medication. We have been asking for four years. He is in crisis.

He is struggling to eat, drink and sleep and cannot leave the house. He has been out of his special school for two weeks because he cannot eat, drink or use the toilet there due to his extreme germ phobia.

I have called, emailed and begged child mental health services locally. Asa is crying at mealtimes because he can’t eat for fear of exposing himself to germs. He is loosing weight.

While we wait for our petition application, I have set up a Twitter account @helpingAsa

Please help my child - follow Asa’s Twitter account @helpingAsa

Thanks and love,
Asa and Mum

Are you genuine?

The twitter account name and even the bio sound like a piss take.

A Mentalist is a magician who uses intuition to perform magic.

It's not shocking in the slightest.

Thanks for the pretend outrage though.

There's no pretend outrage. A magician will not be the first thing that springs to mind when someone hears the word 'mentalist', particularly in reference to a person with mental health difficulties.

A PP has suggested you change the name and the profile blurb to make it clear this is YOUR account where you post ("chat shit" as you so delicately put it in the profile) about mental health and not your 12 year old son's account. That seems an eminently sensible suggestion to me.

You definitely need to change the name. Yes, it has the meaning you specify, but also another.

It’s not pretend outrage. I have a large Twitter account, have used it daily for a decade and run most of my business through twitter. I know how it works and how words will be interpreted. If you post a photo of a disabled child and call the account Asa Da Mentalist people will largely ignore your petition (which doesn’t even exist yet) and give you shit for the name instead. It was friendly advice, that’s all. I’m not outraged, fake or otherwise.

But crack on. If you start interacting with the accounts you are currently following, which you will need to do to get the right attention, you will get shit for that name.

A Mentalist is a magician who uses intuition to perform magic

I didn't know that and many won't. Mentalist is used pejoratively by some young people, so you may need to be pragmatic and change it to something that doesn't have an alternative meaning that makes people wince.

Good luck though. I can't imagine how difficult things must be for you and your son.

This isn't a good idea.

Sadly I am genuine. My son is a real boy who is disabled and is currently eating and drinking next to nothing because he is in a mental health crisis.

I wish this was made up.

I will change the handle seeing as it is upsetting some people.

When he's not depressed, my son is hilarious so I tried to bring his voice into the biog bit.

I know what mentalist means. Using that term in that way on twitter is asking for trouble. Do you have any previous experience of twitter op?

It's not upsetting me op. You are being told for your own good.

Do you and your son understand what twitter is like?

If you're posting as your 12 year old, the profanity in the about me section is both inappropriate and takes away the seriousness from your cause.
I'd make it clear you're the one posting, and make that section about what you're aiming to achieve.
Unfortunately at the moment, it does look like you're tracking the mick out of him.

It reads much better now but I would write it from you. You're writing it in 1st person as if it's your son... even in the tweets. I think it's better from you unless this is truly what he is saying. I truly hope you're successful- changes don't happen overnight but we'll done for trying to bring attention to this. Wishing you all the best.

I have made the changes - if people could stop with the criticism that would be great.

No I have never had a Twitter account because it is the last thing I wanted. I don't have a FB account either because I am a very private person.

I am doing this because I am desperate.

I have been awake since 4.30am thinking how I can get my son's situation noticed.

I'm sorry I got it wrong and offended people.

Thanks - I'll remove those posts and start afresh.

You shouldn't be pretending to be your son.

You may be able to start a new thread in the petitions section and then link to that thread from this thread though. Petitions can be a little low in traffic.

Not on Twitter but will gladly sign the petition. Good luck.

OP you're doing a good job. I think most posters were more worried about the reaction you'd get on twitter their comments are like a tiny hint at how bad twitter can get sometimes. I think with the changes you're on the right course. Make sure you use hashtags at the end of your tweets as thats what gets ypu noticed by more than who follows you- you might want to read up a bit on how to reach a wider audience.

If you're not experienced with social media twitter is not the place to start. If you are getting upset by the posts on here just wait till twitter goes for you. Please just listen to the wise voices on here.

Another request for a non twitter way to sign of possible please.

Now you've made it look like this is an official mumsnet supported campaign

I hear Hertfordshire generally is pretty terrible in terms of provision for children with SEN and disabilities. I hope you succeed in improving things, OP.

I don't have a choice. When the petition is approved, it needs 100,000 signatures to get debated in Parliament.

Nothing moves without social media.

I have taken on board the advice and made the changes. And actually I'm grateful for the advice (despite being defensive at first, which I'm sorry for).

I am not a tough person but my son really needs me to stand up for him.

Hello @helpingAsa we've moved your thread to Petitions & Activism. When you have a link to the petition, let us know and we can add it to your post.

Thank you! Is the first tweet ok by you guys? I wasn't trying to make it look like a MN campaign as suggested by pp.

I hope I will have approval for our petition in just under a week (crossing my fingers it isn't rejected).

I will post a link her and on my Twitter page which actually has some follows now which is amazing!