lorryw

Brilliant news! Well done you.

Lovely to hear from you again. Take care Lorainex

Oh thanks guys you have really cheered me up. I am really not the sort of person to make a fuss. It took almost 3 years of nonsense before I decided enough was enough. My son deserves so much more and I now realise that to get anywhere in this world you have to make a lot of noise. I have been lied to and my son treated as an inconvenience, it is a long sorry saga. We have now been told an autistic specific day service is about to take shape and we have been invited to work on the blue print. We were promised a service over 7 years ago and will not let this go until it actually materialises. I am aware of other youngsters who are languishing at home after leaving school/college because historically the next step has been a long term care home. Local authorities and government have buried their heads firmly in the sand seemingly hoping we will all simply disappear. I take my hat off to all those of you who have fought for your childrens rights throughout education. I have been very lucky and supported and urged on by some fantastic people, many on this site. I will keep everything well and truly crossed for my meeting and let you know how it goes. cheers and thanks for the support Loraine

Just had confirmation of details regarding our complaint against Social Services about lack of services for autistic adults in our area. Its a bit of a shock to see it set out in writing and I feel as though its a court appearance. It will consist of an independant panel of 3 people and 3 from SS and yours truly. I will have my friend to support me, she is a regular on here and could argue for England. SS have gone into a bit of a spin and I now seem to have a constant stream of telephone calls and letters after years of no one giving a dam. We have been promised all sorts and I feel quite proud of myself for sticking to my guns. It does make me very angry that people only sit up and take notice if you complain and many people are unable to do that for a number of reasons. Wish me luck!!!

Hi Carrie, Sorry to hear you didnt get that appalling situation sorted for your son. I dont know wether the "freedom of information act 2000" would be useful or perhaps a formal complaint to your local council. Try www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts200. I notice you live in Scotland and things are a little different up there but I would have thought you still have the right to see the incident report. Good luck Loraine

I know how you feel, ours has fallen in twice. The dust and mess is unbelievable and you keep finding bits in the strangest places. My son is the culprit in our house he has an obsession with water and taps and Im forever moping the floor. It took us ages to get the last episode sorted, we just got used to having a hole in the ceiling. It wasnt until a friend politely pointed out that it looked dreadful that we got it sorted. Try to vaccum and sweep as much as possible before washing, it just seems to spread further when wet. Good luck.

I know how horribly hard this can be and the best way to cope is try to distance yourself emotionally. I find the quickest and easiest way to do this is whilst out and about regard yourself as his professional care not his Mum. I know it sounds bizarre but it really works.

Belated Birthday wishes Viper, Sorry I missed it. Love Loraine xxx

It is so draining, I veer between disbelief that I have had to go to these lengths and despair at the whole rotten system. I have never had so many people in suits visit my home!!

Kathryn, Is it possible to make some kind of formal complaint against the local authority? We are still battling with ours via the formal complaints system (I think we have the same LA) I get the impression that few people go down this route. We are moving onto stage 3 (a panel) After all our complaints about SS were upheld by the Independant Person (allocated to us by LA) the LA are in something of a spin and falling over themselves to get things sorted. I think they fear I will go to the Ombudsman and they will be shown in a poor light. My heart bleeds for them

Great news, well done ! Loraine x

Hi Brooke, Sorry you are having a tough time. If you go onto the General Discussion forum and put "smearing" in the search engine you will find several old posts which may hopefully be of help. love Loraine

I hope everything goes brilliantly for you. Waiting for it all to come together is the worst bit. Love Loraine

Hi Paul Having a bit of a rough time at the moment. Huge temper tantrums which result in him screaming and running around the house bashing his head on any hard object. Terrifying to be part of to be honest and we dont really know who to turn to for help. On going battle with social services (official complaint and ombudsman) So totally stressed out all round!!

Hi Paul, Long time no see, nice to see you back. I dont understand why they stopped your sons DLA. My son (22) claims DLA and incapacity benefit. The benefit system is a minefield, good luck! How is your lad doing these days?

How strange!! I ran my sister this morning and we had a long discussion (yes, we are that sad) about the sudden influx of slugs. I noticed loads this morning on my trip around the block with the dog and sis counted 48 her garden. They arnt little either, great fat slippery things. We have also had the silver trail thing in the morning and never saw hide nor hair of the little b****** just the trails.

I was just thinking the same thing. I keep logging on to see if everything is okay. Lorainex

Signed Ive never understood why disabled people dont get a Winter Fuel Allowance. Since my son left school 3 years ago we have heating on all day during winter months. Added to the fact that I have had to give up work to be his full time carer its a double financial whammy. Loraine

Did you contact Shelter for advice?

Brilliant news for you all. Im with Pearl and misread lea lady as tea lady, Boots did ring this afternoon to remind me about my eye test! Lots of love Lorainexx

Pretty rubbish day all round then! Dont bother with the ironing, just roll things individually and shove them in the case. They will be fine when you get to the other end. Try not to worry, I know thats easier said than done but its tiring and all the worrying in the world doesnt change anything except drive you slowly insane. Take care Loraine

Just found the site...www.shelter.org.uk good luck!

Hello, sorry you are having a tough time Could you get in touch with your MP? Sometimes they can make things happen quickly.Also have a look at the Shelter website, sorry not sure of the web address, I think they can be helpful and know all the relevant legislation to make council get a move on Loraine

Oh Kathryn, Im so sorry to hear about your cat. We have had 2 cats and a dog over the years and it was so upsetting when they died. I have always had a pet and when our dog died we tried hard to live without one. Lasted all of 9 months and we are now the proud owners of a lovely mini schnauzer puppy. My advice is to mourn your cat and then try and find another little pussy cat to steal your heart. love Loraine

This has become such a meaningless debate for me. I personally dont feel there is a link between the MMR and autism, but that is my opinion. The real debate should be about the future and what will happen to all these youngsters. School and education is a vital but very small part of life. The services available after education are either non existent or not fit for purpose. Autism is not "educated away" it is a life long condtion which requires well planned and funded services.