AUTISM is something I’m familiar with, being part of an autism family.
The autism spectrum is wide and diverse.
For some people and their families, autism is a gift and a superpower. And I am happy for those people and their families. Their experiences should be celebrated.
But for others, autism can be a lot more complicated.
In our family’s case – prior to my brother’s diagnosis – we had no experience of disability. We didn’t know anyone with a disability. There was no known intergenerational experience in our extended family.
And on top of all that, we were living in the Mallee in the early 1990s, where there were next to no services.
Back then, the best support for regional families – at least as far as we were told – was at Mansfield, a six-hour drive from Mildura.
Their best advice was for a support worker to take my brother to Mansfield – on his own – for an intensive intervention program.
He was five years old and non-verbal. Mum and Dad said “no”.
My son is five. If I was in their position, I would have said the same thing.
That was 1991. Now it’s 2022.
Services are better, but still nowhere near good enough.
Recently, I was contacted by a local family who were leaving the Mallee because the services they needed for their five-year-old son were simply not available here.
That should not be happening.
It’s time we did something about it.
My autism listening tour is under way.
I am meeting with autism families, early intervention professionals, support services and schools to identify the gaps and establish some goals for autism support in the Mallee.
Thank you to those who have already participated.
If you are a person with autism or a member of an autism family and you would like to share your experiences, please contact me on 5021 2828 or ali.cupper@parliament.vic.gov.au. Your stories will inform my advocacy.
Together we can change the game.
