Greater support for parents urged.

Parents of children with Asperger’s syndrome do not receive
sufficient support, learning difficulty campaigners have
said.

The call follows the recent suicide of a couple who said they could
“no longer cope” with their daughter who had Asperger’s, and the
case of Paul Smith, 18, who also suffers from the condition.

Smith was jailed for life last week after he was convicted of the
murder of 10-year-old Rosie May Storrie.

Learning difficulty charity Respond said parents needed more
guidance. Director Richard Curen said: “Families are not given
enough support and are often left to manage behaviour risks alone.
They need appropriate professional help.”

The National Autistic Society said families living with Asperger’s
experienced “high levels” of stress.

A spokesperson said: “Families need strong support from agencies
such as social services to enable them to cope and access day
services and short breaks. If appropriate support services are not
in place the family can be pushed to crisis point and in some cases
break down.”

Meanwhile, the mother of an autistic boy has failed in a test case
to make Leeds Council pay for a specialist boarding school.

The boy, aged under 10, was in need of constant one-to-one
supervision and prone to aggressive behaviour, the court
heard.

The High Court ruled that the education authority’s duty only
extended to normal classroom hours after which the social services
were responsible for him.

The boy’s barrister argued the child needed a “waking day
curriculum” to stop him being a danger to himself and others, as
well as other assistance.

He said the care provided to the boy outside of school hours by
social services was “below standard and inadequate” for his needs.