We need to stop pretending and look intellectual disability in the eye

When will it be Christmas night? ”He looks up at me with such innocent excitement in his sapphire-blue eyes that I just have to hug him. I love his excitement, though I know it’s a symptom of his intellectual disability. He shouldn’t be that excited at 13.

I love Tom, my ASD baby. We all do . But I can’t be fit and healthy forever. If I could be, there wouldn’t be any question about Tom’s long-term care. I love him and I love having him around. We make plans about the places we’re going to travel together, with Tom favouring India because he loves curry powder.

Problem is, I’m going to get old and die. I hope I won’t die soon, but who’s to tell? What’s sure is that at some point in the next 30 years I am going to become unable to be my son’s main carer. He would still be quite young relative to the inmates of Áras Attracta in Swinford, Co. Mayo, but I was on the old side having him.