Autistic girl dragged from home for unknown Food Sensitivities

PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

Another example of Autistic Discrimination in the NHS. The police didn't protect this vulnerable girl. She was bruised and detained: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2024/07/23/megan-docherty/ 

This forum might have more immediate ideas from Autistic Elders about how to help, ideas to try and how to communicate so these horrendous acts don't keep happening to our young.

Please be mindful when talking with "health" professionals who might not have bothered to stay up on the medical science around the different biology linked with Autism. Too much research is turning up gut-health related issues with Autism and ADHD: gastritis, inflammation, Crohn’s, celiac, endocrine disruption and lower GABA, all which affect gut health. Some medical papers suggest to stay closer to a Paleo/Keto/FODMAP diet if it's hard to identify what the problem is. 

On July 23, Nicola Jeffery wrote, Megan Docherty who is allegedly being mistreated, physically and verbally abused, and held against her will in an NHS facility after being violently taken from her home. 

I am trying to appeal to universities and charities. We need the NHS FULLY updated on the bio-science of Autism, how malnutrition is a problem with the Modern Diet, how unknown allergies and a difference in gut microbiota contribute to health problems. And individuals with this kind of perverse power to have their medical license revoked. 

Parents
  • Please be mindful when talking with "health" professionals who might not have bothered to stay up on the medical science around the different biology linked with Autism.

    I think a bit of common sense is needed here - those professionals often have a workload far in excess of most of us and are making life affecting decisions on an hourly basis.

    To expect them to keep up to date on just one small area around a condition affecting a small minority of people (approx 2% of people are autistic and only some will have the issues here) is more than a little unreasonable.

    What would be useful is if an organisation like NAS could advocate to the NHS to have neurodivergent training created for the NHS and for groups where we attend to have a minumum number of people trained on this with an annual refresher.

    I am trying to appeal to universities and charities. We need the NHS FULLY updated on the bio-science of Autism

    Could you share what hard proof the research in this area has produced please? It would be useful to see the peer-reviewed articles that will be taken seriously by the medical community. Most of what I have read so far has only resulted in indications or is not peer reviewed so I would like to update my own knowledge.

  • I only recently discovered that training is already mandated. The Health and Care Act 2022 specifically mentions autism in Section 181 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/181). I have no doubt that the inclusion of this in the Act is due in part to the work of NAS and other campaigning parties. How it's implemented is key, of course, but I believe training resources are pretty readily available.

  • ...and the latest position is given on this Health Education England web page: www.hee.nhs.uk/.../oliver-mcgowan-mandatory-training-learning-disability-autism

  • I think that autism specific training is still relatively speaking in its infancy. I don't doubt that its early form will be far from perfect, but it seems like a good start, and something which can be built on.

    In terms of osteopaths and the like... There seems to be a sane approach which recognises that not everyone needs to have the same. I guess osteopaths maybe should have the first tier. They should most definitely have some. Perhaps he should ask for it, saying that it's a requirement of the Health and Care Act 2022. That should set the cat among the pigeons!

  • This looks good - a starting point at least although it seems fairly high level.

    If this can be expanded over time to include more of the biologu the talks about then it will have a meaningful impact in cases such as the one at the start of this thread.

    I have a friend who is a osteopath part time in the NHS and he says he has never been asked to take this training so it may not be appled to all areas or not mandatory for everyone.

    I'll have a good trawl through the research has posted - thanks for that.

Reply
  • This looks good - a starting point at least although it seems fairly high level.

    If this can be expanded over time to include more of the biologu the talks about then it will have a meaningful impact in cases such as the one at the start of this thread.

    I have a friend who is a osteopath part time in the NHS and he says he has never been asked to take this training so it may not be appled to all areas or not mandatory for everyone.

    I'll have a good trawl through the research has posted - thanks for that.

Children
  • I think that autism specific training is still relatively speaking in its infancy. I don't doubt that its early form will be far from perfect, but it seems like a good start, and something which can be built on.

    In terms of osteopaths and the like... There seems to be a sane approach which recognises that not everyone needs to have the same. I guess osteopaths maybe should have the first tier. They should most definitely have some. Perhaps he should ask for it, saying that it's a requirement of the Health and Care Act 2022. That should set the cat among the pigeons!