I went to the Autism Show to find out why politicians won’t talk about it

None of the major parties have mentioned disability, let alone autism, on the doorstep or in election TV debates – one show is trying to change that. James Moore investigates

Chris Bonnello, autism advocate, speaker and author of the Under Dogs series (James Moore)

“I realised everything I was doing was wrong.”

So says Laura Kerbey, an educationalist and author specialising in pathological demand avoidance (PDA), a condition that often goes hand in hand with autism.

People are different. They don’t fit into the boxes depicted on the screen at the front of a lecture hall. Kerbey, speaking at the Autism Show at London’s ExCel, had the requisite qualifications to help these children but realised she was going to have to change her approach upon encountering them. If only Britain’s sclerotic state had the same revelation.