Tony Carr

It was a normal Saturday morning.

I was preparing to drive down to the local shop with my then 16-year-old autistic son Brandon to buy the newspaper and an ice cream.

Brandon looked forward to his weekend treat from dad and I enjoyed our little outing.

But this didn't turn out to be any normal Saturday morning.

Just before we were about to head out to the car, Brandon attacked his mother Joan with such ferocity it took me completely off guard.

Madeleine Ryan

Expressing our emotional needs can be a tricky business. I’m autistic, and I know that it can take a lot of work. And, as Brisbane mother and full-time carer Magenta Quinn learned late last month, a neighbour demanding peace and quiet can be harder to help than a child on the autism spectrum.

Ms Quinn’s neighbour, who "wished to remain anonymous to avoid any conflict", threatened to call the council if something wasn't done about her autistic son, who hums, moans and yelps to soothe himself.

Tom Wildie

Three childcare workers have been stripped of their accreditation, with one convicted of assault, after a six-year-old child with autism was smacked and had soap put in their mouth as a form of punishment.

Kathleen Burton was charged with aggravated common assault after the incident on December 14 last year.

She pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated common assault in the Joondalup Magistrates Court on February 28 and was fined $700, as well as being ordered to pay court costs of $100.

Michael Richards

“He is wired differently to you and me, this child of mine. He doesn’t like loud noises, or dark spaces, or strangers touching his head”. These are the first lines from a poem a mother penned about her son 11-year-old son who has Asperger’s syndrome.

Lynn Adams

My 10-year-old son can change from an adorable, quirky little dude to an aggressive screamer in a second. He sinks so far, so fast, that I forget about his strengths and drown in his weaknesses. I wish I could make it stop.

There’s a diagnosis that explains it: autism.

Tim Williams

HE was dux of his Year 12 class, is starting a double degree in law and international relations, and wants to be a prosecutor — yet as a young boy growing up with Asperger’s, Connor Pangallo couldn’t stand school.

CONNOR Pangallo was dux of his Year 12 class, is embarking on a double degree in law and international relations, and has his sights set on becoming a prosecutor.

Campbell Gellie campbell.gellie@dailymercury.com.au

THEY’RE almost like ticking time bombs, and several Mackay mums admit they are at the end of their tether when it comes to knowing how to handle their violent autistic sons.

The Daily Mercury has spoken to three mothers who feel helpless at the hands of their sons, who are continuously being suspended from school for their bad behaviour.

HELEN SPELITIS helen.spelitis@qt.com.au

Rollout nightmare as struggling mum locked in to wrong plan

HEAR ME: Yamanto mum Rhonda Utz with her kids Hayden and Shyanne. The family has benefited from the NDIS but also faced challenges in the planning process.

MUM Rhonda Utz struggles with everyday tasks like doing the groceries.

The Yamanto mum is completely blind in one eye and has two high-needs adult children.

Jeremy Poxon, Media Officer for the Unemployed Australian Worker's Union

Record numbers of Disability Support Pension applicants are having their claims rejected, often against the explicit advice of doctors. With nothing left to lose, some are choosing to fight.

After two years of failed applications for the Disability Support Pension — as well as numerous appeals — Quang Huynh, a 30-year-old Dandenong man, decided he’d had enough.