In one of the few placements that seemed to be genuinely helpful, compassionate, and therapeutic to Alexis, there was a community-based system in place by which residents ‘had influence, and … control over how [they] lived and ran [their] community.

Former actor Laurence Fox to discover his fate today as judge rules on High Court libel battle with two. Sadly, Alexis’s experience did not end with understanding and compassion; she absconded from her care setting and sought refuge with a friend. This involves becoming more reflective practitioners, and being aware of how our own behaviour can impact the arousal levels of the people we support. The Masked Singer UK's Lorraine Kelly, 64, delighted judges guessed she was 'a wee lassie': 'I need to ring Frankie Bridge to apologise!In many cases, this was not allowed, which only led to overstimulation and what is commonly referred to as a ‘meltdown’ by the autistic community. One such individual is Robin, whom Alexis describes as ‘one of the few staff who bothered to get to know me. Not only of myself and my own dysregulation and vulnerability, but also because I was suddenly locked in with other people in conditions of such distress I had not known existed. The use of alarms to signify the beginning of a restraint in institutions only serves to insight fear amongst the staff and residents. After being wrongly diagnosed after her brother dies, Alexis struggled with care for several years before escaping to Africa.

If my behaviour was ‘difficult’ – as any autistic person’s would be in that environment – it was used as a justification for preventing me from leaving. They can look similar to a temper tantrum, with shouting, crying and physical lashing out, but are totally involuntary. My experience also tells me that once you have a functioning seclusion room, they are incredibly difficult to decommission. She was then detained under the Mental Health Act for three and half years before escaping to Africa. She does think that there is a growing swell of opinion against the use of restrictive practice and behaviourist methods of control.

I found it so overwhelming that I went from being a woman who had achieved a first class degree and taught in schools to losing most of my power of speech.

However, she says they are improving: “Just this month the CQC have reported ‘Inadequate’ ratings rising from 5% to 22% for independent autism and learning disability services.I'm a psychiatrist and there's a simple psychology behind victim blaming - it helps people make sense of the. Professionals can never help an autistic person manage themselves in an environment which is constantly changing and where a person can never gain control and autonomy. On top of all this is the amount of medication used: “All the drugs that you are forced to take – I was on 14 tablets a day. When I was finally diagnosed as autistic, my treatment and therefore my life improved considerably as staff began to understand my reactions to things.

A disabled activist has warned that proposed changes to the law that are supposed to prevent autistic people from being unfairly detained in hospital could lead to many of them ending up in prison instead. I remember that there are people like me being detained for their difference and so I thank my lucky stars that at present, I am enjoying relative freedom.

Alexis reported that, amongst many professionals who showed no compassion to her plight, there were individuals whose kindness and empathy were extremely powerful agents of change. The author is an autistic mum who experienced a mental health crisis after a poorly supported pregnancy and childbirth. Secluding individuals will nearly always involve some form of restraint to get the person into the room, and we must be careful not to view this as a separate process. Truth about Neighbours star Troy Beckwith's death at age 48 as family announce there will be no funeral: 'He fought a tough battle.