The Child Behind the Paperwork - Finding Cooper's Voice

My son is autistic, and he is my whole world. He is beautiful, brave, loving, and so full of light. Every day, he teaches me patience, strength, and what unconditional love truly means. He deserves a life where he is supported, understood, and celebrated because he is absolutely perfect.

I find myself constantly fighting for the bare minimum from services that just don’t want to help him. Waiting lists that feel endless. Phone calls that are always unanswered. Emails that are just left unread.

It’s constantly being made to feel like I’m asking for too much, when in reality all I’m asking for is basic support for my child to give him the best chance at succeeding. No parent should have to fight this hard just to get their child help so that they can thrive in a world that is not designed to meet their individual needs.

They have let down so many children and so many families.

And it just breaks my heart.

Behind every name on a piece of paperwork that is shoved to the side is a child.

A child like mine, who smiles every time we buy his favourite ice cream.
A child who giggles every time I blow raspberries on his tummy.
A child who rests his face on mine every morning to show me how much he loves me.

He is so much more than they ever bother to see, and it makes me so fucking angry.

Behind every waiting list is a family holding on by a thread.

I personally have a friend who has been fighting just to get her child into a school that can meet his needs. A child who is so overwhelmed by mainstream education that, instead of helping him, he was reduced to two hours a day.

A child who is beautiful and funny and so unbelievably smart.
A child who could thrive in a school if he were given the aids and adaptations to help him regulate.
A child whose parents have gone above and beyond to make sure he is happy and thriving.

Behind every “we’ll get back to you” is a parent lying awake at night, worried about their child’s future. A parent constantly wondering if they are doing enough, wishing that they had the power to fix a system that is so broken.

We keep going.
We keep ringing.
We keep pushing.

Because that’s what parents do.

We show up when systems don’t. Even when we are tired, overwhelmed, and stretched beyond our limits, we show up, because they are the most important thing in our universe.

I will never stop fighting for my son.
I will never allow him to be forgotten.
I will never stay quiet while he and so many others are pushed aside.

My son is not invisible.
He is not a box to tick.

He deserves everything this world has to offer, and as his mumma, I will fight until he is given that every single day.

He is important.

Our children matter.
Neurodivergent children matter.
And we deserve so much better than this.