Respite care: families at breaking point as councils slash funds | Alicia Clegg

Charities fear tsunami of disabled children being sent to residential homes without more support for parents

When 16-year-old Scott Crawford was small, a psychologist taught him two words to manage his anxieties: “First? Then?’’ Framed as a question it is his way of asking “what will happen next?” and also a barometer of his wellbeing. “If Scott is highly anxious, the ‘thens’ will go on until we’ll be discussing what will happen at Christmas,” says his mother Jane. Not once, but hundreds of times a day.

Scott’s parents try to stick to set routines. It helps them manage their son’s agitation and prevents his anxieties – which stem from his autism and learning disabilities – erupting into meltdowns and self-inflicted bites. But recently, Scott’s world has been turned upside down.

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Prz3UR