What is it like to be a parent of a child with autism? UK Column member Dr Sinead Murphy, a former academic, left her university career to raise her two boys. One has autism, and one does not. Sinéad spoke to Diane Rasmussen McAdie about her experiences raising them so far. She loves her life with them, but there are of course challenges that are unique to autistic children. One example they discussed was the challenge of helping her son deal with the closed shops during the Covid-era shutdowns.
Her PhD is in philosophy, but since leaving academia, she has redirected her research efforts toward understanding autism. She has written a book, ASD: Autistic Society Disorder, which explored the recent rise in the diagnosis of autism, and its relationship to society and societal institutions. Her current work involves a developing classification for possible origins of autism, which she believes might differ among children with autism. Some are diagnosed with it when they are very young, such as in her son’s case, and others develop it later in childhood, but why is this happening? Sinéad shared her thoughts on what might be possible answers to this question.
This interview will be of interest to anyone who wishes to learn about the diagnosis itself, and the personal experiences of living with it from an educated and highly dedicated mother’s perspective. Many of us may know more people living with autism now than in the past, so it is becoming a topic in need of more attention and awareness. Fortunately, for UK Column’s audience, Sinéad has a brave, strong voice that advocates for all children with autism and their families.
Sinéad has written several articles on other topics for Brownstone Institute.