Gareth Child

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  Gareth commented on the article | over 2 years ago

  Divisions

  "There may be some general ways in which the motives of the professional, parent, and self-advocacy community line up."

  
  

  Absolutely, yes.

  
  

  I am the father of a 9-year-old with LF autism; I am a teacher of children with autism ranging from the most profound to High Functioning; I am founder and adminsitrator of a UK-based support group for 2400 parents & carers of children with autism.

  
  

  The divide is a false divide, perpetuated only because people on either side of the divide relish the division: the professional patronises the parent for not being able to maintain the high standards professionalism demands; the parent derides the professional for not comprehending the experience of relentless care; the advocate fools themself into believing that their whim encapsulates the zeitgeist.

  
  

  Communicate. Engage. Get face to face with everyone involved in your child's care. If you don't, you're as much the problem as anyone else. And this comment goes for professionals just as much as it does for parents & advocates.