Published on 12, July, 2020
Can someone please take the time to read this because I'm a bit stuck and need advice. Thank you.
I started working at a local service who provided support for people with autism and learning disabilities. This has always been a massive passion for me. I have 6 cousins 1 of them being a boy who has autism and learning disabilities. From a very young age I was stopped by my own family from spending time with him, my own grandfather refused to accept he had a grandson. This was hard to accept as a child because all I could see was he looked different? But my eldest sister looked different to me to but I connected with them well. Probably the only people in my family. I started my career in supporting people with autism to be independent and I was to be taught about autism. I went to educate myself and my family after many years of being in dental that I had autism. Society is a terrible thing personal opinion. I lasted 8 years working in the most horrible condition having to watch the people I was supposed to be learning about and helped waisting away in front of my eyes for the most simple and I mean simple things, small changes to routine etc. Too many to mention. Saying training was basic is a absolute understatement. Shocking I wasn't even taught about autistic meltdown or autistic burnout. I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that their autism is being treated and behaviour problems and are actually being stopped from doing what they enjoy or major parts of their routine. The way they are treated is so disturbing and the people who work there have failed to see it. I'm so angry raged to have put my trust in a company to be educated to be able to do my job and be taught with such ignorance. I've handed over as much as I can to c.q.c and only hope they look into training. Unfortunately I'm too late with possessing all the information that I have collected over the years not from the company I worked for but by the wonderful people I was supporting. A BBC documentary and 20 minutes on YouTube. Shocking. My sister now has a form of dementia she has been so totally misunderstood her whole life and its Shocking that people still choose to turn away like its not their problem. I think I've got it all out, sorry if it's come across as a rant. I'm just passionate and it has pushed me forward to go for a diagnosis at the age of 56 lol after at first being told I was too old. When is too old? So I'm pushing on and I've had past colleagues and also people who are still working in the service message and congratulate me so maybe I am hitting on something? The sad thing is it's all women coming forward all ages all too scared to reveal themselves. I think this is so incredibly sad for this to happen. Maybe working at that service has completely driven me mad, all I know is since I left that building on the 3rd February I haven't been able to leave the house. I don't even know where I need to start now, I just feel exhausted and traumatised and I can feel it effected my physical health. I actually went for cancer screening November last year. Working in that atmosphere was terrible towards the end. I don't feel it's fair for a company to get away with treating people the way they do. Thank you if anyone reads this.
Oh Boy! Bless you.
You seem to have discrimination all around you. Within your own family; your poor cousin, robbed of relationships with family members like you who might have been good for him, and he for you.
Errr, you don't specify who you worked for but indeed a lot of what we've seen on the BBC and Channel 4 of late is scary. Despite the 2009 Autism Act requiring their training, even those in autism units know NOTHING and such environments harm not help autistic people.
You are brave. Truely brave in standing up for what is right here.
If you think you too are Auristic, I wish you all the best with diagnostic process. The truth is everything and it's never too late. I was 56. It's changed my world. I only wish I'd known sooner.
There are other members of my family who are ND in one way or another. Two known Autistic cousins. One other met a premature death, thought to be mentally ill, but the descriptions of her behaviour date to early childhood and sound more autistic/ adhd to me...we'll never know because she's gone now.
Get to your truth for your sake and then scream to any one in a position of authority who will listen about what you have seen and know about the ill treatment of autistic people. Doing that in my own way too btw. Know you are not screaming alone. We are screaming together and together we can make a difference.
Thank you for taking the time to comment Dawn I can't tell what a difference that made to my day yesterday. I woke up feeling like I can't do this maybe it's easier just to give in to mental health, after reading your reply it inspired me to carry on so Thank you again.
I was really upset when I posted the other day, obviously I was effected by the news of my eldest sister. I guess I was beating myself up for being so slow in possessing all the information I've collected over the years.
I spent yesterday researching the autistic brain. I was amazed by what I learned and felt very disappointed that my training failed to teach me this. My eldest sister had a scan because of this rapid dementia but one of my other siblings also had problems last year and was sent for a scan. I found out yesterday that they both have brain shrinkage and they both have folate deficiency anemia. This is confusing for me because I become anemic last year so was put on folic acid, the course ran out and the anemia has come back, the only problem is I can't get out for a blood test. I'm going to ask to be sent for a scan because the autistic brain does shrink. I'm not sure if any of this is relevant but I feel I'm being pushed in this direction. I really hope you get to read this and thank you again.