Wow. I thought I was virtually alone.
My sister, Trudy, has autism (I'm still not wholly sure what it is but the experts diagnosed her just a few years ago).
In "normal" school she was abused, physically and mentally.
At the Margery Kinnon School (a "special" school near Heathrow) she was bullied appallingly.
She's been described progressively as : Mentally Handicapped; Educationally sub - normal; Special Needs; Learning Difficulties; Learning Disabilities etc. etc. and now she is a "Service User" - promotion!
She's now 58 years old and has some remarkable skills.
She can tell any British bird from its song alone. Can complete jigsaw puzzles in remarkably short time.
I was watching television with her a few weeks ago when, for first time, we saw the advert for "Little Man" (Amazon pony) and immediately said "That's Cher" (from 1966). Okay, not that special but so QUICK!
She cannot read or write (apart from her name), doesn't know the difference between £5 and £5000, has no confidence to cross the road on her own and yet has an extraordinary memory for minute details, including naming the faces from long ago who appear in films and on the tv today.
She's now in Supported Housing with two "similar" ladies in Kingsbridge, Devon.
She now really enjoys her life to the full.
I'm so grateful that our welfare system provides her with a life that allows her to feel so confident and safe in her surroundings.
I've not come across "severe global delay" - that's a new one.
The things that unite us on CBF are, it seems, so much greater than the things that divide us.
