Katie Hopkins reveals daughter is on the autistic spectrum months after being challenged over offensive tweets about autistic child
The controversial TV personality prompted a national outcry with her derogatory comments about a young autistic girl
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Your support makes all the difference.Katie Hopkins, the woman who infuriated thousands with her comments about an autistic child, has disclosed that her own daughter has been diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum.
Hopkins provoked an outcry with remarks she made relating to a nine-year-old child who was filmed for a Channel 4 Documentary, Born Naughty. In a series of tweets, the TV personality compared her to a farm animal, made comments about her weight and said she was unable to complete an autism assessment because she was “too busy being a complete t**t”.
Her remarks incensed the National Autistic Society, who condemned it as a “new low” for the divisive columnist and invited her to meet members of the society in order to better understand the struggles they face. The tweets also ensured Hopkins' decision to discuss her daughter’s diagnosis for the first time came as something of a surprise to the public.
Speaking to the Guardian, Hopkins was asked if she thought she might be on the autistic spectrum over her lack of empathy for desperate migrants fleeing conflict zones for Europe's shores.
She replied: “One of my daughters is diagnosed as being on the spectrum. It’s an awesome thing, to live with a child who can memorise a times table in two minutes. They don’t get things emotionally.
“Like, when I fell off my bike, and I was lying on the floor, she was asking what was for tea. But they do connect brilliantly with facts and details. I consider it a kind of gift, because you can see the world differently.”
In one of the most telling parts of the interview, Hopkins admitted to playing up to the ruthless image that was quickly built up in the media after she rose to fame in The Apprentice. “I didn’t have a job,” she explained, “so my best route was to learn to be good at this next thing.” When asked if this involved presenting herself in the way other people defined her, she replied: “Yes.”
Carol Povey, the Director of the Centre for Autism at the National Autistic Society (NAS), said the organisation welcomed Hopkin’s decision to share the fact that her daughter is on the autistic spectrum.
"After her offensive tweet about a child on the spectrum featured on the TV documentary 'Born Naughty?', the NAS responded that aiming to shock was what Katie did, so rather than expecting her to change, we invited her to visit one of our branches to find out more,” she said in a statement.
"Clearly, as the mother of an autistic child, she already knows about the rewards and challenges this brings. But our invitation stands, if she would like to share her experiences with any of the autistic adults and families running hundreds of support groups across the UK."
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