Mum and daughter step up their game to help people with autism

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A little girl and her mum are stepping out to help raise money to better support people with autism.Ellie-Summer Baird (10) and mum Debra, from Livingston are taking part in the Walk for Autism challenge 2023 that raises funds to support autism projects across the UK and Ireland,.Debra explained they had been inspired to take up the challenge as it was a cause “close to their hearts.”In May Ellie, a pupil at Peel Primary, was assessed to see if she is on the autistic spectrum and since then her family has received support from various professionals, referrals to occupational health, CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and the Communication and Speech Clinic.But Debra said it has not been easy and there were many hurdles before her daughter was diagnosed and received help.She said: “Since Ellie’s journey started she has deteriorated a lot in many aspects that affect her daily life – school being her biggest hurdle with suffering from a lot of burn-outs and not being able to cope due to anxiety being too high and sensory issues impairing and affecting her normal daily life.“My biggest concern as a parent is the lack of help and support you receive during this challenging time.

The waiting lists are endless however most schools aren’t equipped to deal with more and more children being on the spectrum and sadly not many people understand the whole being on the autistic spectrum.“Their needs and their brains function differently to ours and they often pass these children off and they slip through the system and don’t get the opportunities everyone else may have down to sheer ignorance or lack of knowledge and autism awareness.