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Horrible letter from community mental health team [Removed by Moderator] Merseyside

Mim77

I have received a letter from them after cancelling an appointment as I couldn't face going back there. Their staff have no understanding of autism at all and they have made my mental health worse. They won't accept this or take any responsibility. The letter says it is written by 'autism experts' and isn't 'intended to be patronising'. It is written in very simple language you would use to a small child. I am a grown adult and parent, I am of normal intelligence and have no issues understanding complex information. This letter has really upset me, they have just assumed that I am not able to understand complex information and must be addressed really slowly. I almost feel like this is discrimination of some sort. The letter is unsigned.

[Subject edited by Moderator due to Online Community Rule 2: https://community.autism.org.uk/p/rules]

Parents
  • Mim77 said:
    It is written in very simple language you would use to a small child. I am a grown adult and parent, I am of normal intelligence and have no issues understanding complex information.

    I suspect that what you received was a standard letter written to cater to the lowest common denomonator of peoples understanding. This would be normal practice for an organisation that has to send the same sort of correspondence to different people.

    If you understood it then it did its job.

    If they had sent the letter in a way that was very technical and you could not understand it then I think there would be grounds to be unhappy.

    Mim77 said:
    I have been diagnosed with EUPD

    Do you think that this could result in an over-reaction here? I'm not saying you have over-reacted but am suggesting trying to reflect and consider if your response was reasonable and proportionate.

    Mim77 said:
    I almost feel like this is discrimination of some sort

    Try to think like a lawyer to gauge if this is a realistic consideration. Did they break any rules or make it intentionally hard for you to understand. I would think that intentionally making it easy to understand would establish that it is not discriminating, but I don't have the wording to make such a determination.

  • in reply to Iain

    It wasn't a standard letter. It was a 'special letter' written by so called 'autism experts'. I have received letters from them before, ordinary letters written in normal language. This letter is actually bizarre.

    They have made an assumption that because I have an Autism diagnosis I must be spoken to very slowly using very simple words that a four year old would understand. If they were to speak to me face to face in such a way would this be acceptable. 

  • in reply to Mim77
    Mim77 said:
    They have made an assumption that because I have an Autism diagnosis I must be spoken to very slowly

    But this was in written form and speed would down to you to establish. 

    I understand your distaste for the simple language but did it make the point clearly? Was it fit for purpose technically?

    Also, if the "autism expert" did not know you then it would seem reasonable for them to not know your level of communication skills so they probably intended this to be as easy to process as possible.

    I know when I was younger and got information at stressful times then I found it hard to process straight away unless it was written in a very easy to absorb way. It could be this approach they used.

  • in reply to Iain

    I think you have missed the point really.

  • in reply to Iain

    I can absorb complex information thanks. I have already made formal complaints with PALs and also the Parliamentary ombudsman. I have applied for an ECHP for my youngest son and am representing my eldest son in his PIP application as he wasn't able to do it himself. I have been an avid reader my whole life. I struggle with conversations mainly.

Reply
  • in reply to Iain

    I can absorb complex information thanks. I have already made formal complaints with PALs and also the Parliamentary ombudsman. I have applied for an ECHP for my youngest son and am representing my eldest son in his PIP application as he wasn't able to do it himself. I have been an avid reader my whole life. I struggle with conversations mainly.

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