Parenting isn't easy for anyone, but for those with children on the spectrum, it often comes with extra challenges. Autism diagnoses in England have soared by 787 per cent in the past two decades, a recent study has shown. Researchers say the 'explosive' rise is likely due to increased awareness about the condition.
But as diagnoses continue to rise, there’s one issue some parents with autistic children are having to face – the condition being used as an excuse for criminality or bad behaviour.
That’s the case for Altrincham mum Renée White, who says she is sick of people using autism as a “get out of jail free card”. Renée, whose 23-year-old son Aidan has autism, thinks people using the condition as an 'excuse' reflects unfairly on the majority of people with an autistic spectrum disorder.
