Life is really hard for families with autism

Tonight the telly tabloid 'A Current Affair' screened a special forum on autism. 

I didn't really want to watch it. Often I just end up feeling sad when I read or hear autism family stories, but I steeled myself and turned it on via catchup.

I have to say, it was a lot better than I thought and I do recommend people watch it. You can see it here. The highlight for me was the beautiful older sister of two brothers with autism. "I'll have to care for them one day, but I love them so I'll do it," she said. How wonderful. I have one of those daughters and she is a gift to all her siblings.

Perhaps the two most important things to come out of the show were these: Living with autism can be really, really, really, really, really hard. Impossible, in fact. But the parents do it because there is absolutely no choice.

And: Life would be a lot, lot easier if every family had access to the money for the therapy they need. No other group of 'sick' children are left isolated without adequate health care in our community. One mother likened it to locking 1 out of every 110 children in jail for the rest of their lives. Somehow, we need more funding for this major, major health problem which will end up costing the government $1 million over the life of every child with autism anyway!

Write to Jenny Macklin the minister for disability and ask her government to fund adequate autism therapy for every child.