Paddy McGuinness says ‘toughest’ part of being a parent to autistic children is the long wait for diagnosis
‘In some areas of the UK, the wait for a diagnosis doesn’t take weeks or months, but years. It needs to change. People need to be seen much faster,’ said presenter
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Paddy McGuinness has said that the “toughest” part of being a parent to autistic children is the long wait for an initial diagnosis.
The Top Gear star shares three autistic children with his wife, Christine.
McGuinness is set to feature in a new documentary that will detail his family’s experiences with autism.
In an interview with Radio Times, the presenter said: “One of the toughest things for parents is the wait for a diagnosis. At least then you can work out what triggers your kids.
“I don’t want to go into too much detail about my kids, but Penelope, for example, ‘masks’ – she does her best to fit into her environment and not draw attention to herself.
He said that he and his wife are “constantly on watch”, trying to ensure that their children are “calm and happy as much as possible”.
McGuinness added: “In some areas of the UK, the wait for a diagnosis doesn’t take weeks or months, but years. It needs to change. People need to be seen much faster.”
Speaking about his decision to let a documentary crew into his family home, McGuiness explained that his children’s struggles during lockdown had “made me think about families who might be in a similar, or worse, position to us”.
“I was struggling, so I thought if we did the documentary, other families might not feel so alone or isolated,” he said.
Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism airs at 9pm on BBC One on Wednesday 1 December.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments