Following on from my previous blog. The autism controvesy is still continuing. I got to listen to an hour of Joe Duffys Liveline programme today which you can listen to here.

Dr Sami Timimi was on the phone. The Tony Humphrey’s article was based on a book by Dr. Timimi. Although it appears it was taken out of context although Dr. Timimi was saying we shouldn’t ‘label’ our children. Which is all well and good but you need a diagnosis to get help for your child. Also in Jono’s case he was a teenager when he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, he said he answered a lot of questions for him and was a huge relief to him.

If Jono hadn’t got a diagnosis he wouldn’t be in the National Learning Network now and he really loves it there. It’s given him a huge amount of confidence.

All the article in the Irish Examiner has done is put the blame on parents (and I think a lot of parents feel they are to blame certainly in the early days of a diagnosis) and will just fuel the fire of people who don’t believe there is such a thing as autism.

Newstalk also covered the topic and this can be heard here.

Tony Humphreys has stayed silent in all this. It has also been bought to my attention that anyone can be a psychologist in Ireland. You don’t have to be registered….why is this allowed to continue? Surely there must be some guide lines?