In this deeply personal story, a parent reflects on their family’s experience of supporting a neurodivergent young person through the transition from children’s to adult services. They describe how an unplanned and difficult transition at 18 led to a loss of trusted relationships, uncertainty about support and growing concerns about their child’s future safety and independence.
The story also explores the wider impact on parents and families, including isolation, exhaustion and the feeling that their experiences are not always understood or recognised by services. Despite this, the parent continues to hope that sharing their experience will help bring about change, particularly around better planned transitions, clearer support and greater recognition of the needs of both young people and their families.