Autism Eye is edited by Gillian Loughran and its publisher is Gillian’s husband, Mark Hayes. Not only are they both award-winning magazine editors and writers with years of experience in the UK publishing business, but they are also the parents of Finn, their beloved son, who has autism.

Autism Eye was borne out of the frustration that Gillian and Mark felt about the lack of useful and unbiased information for parents of children with ASD. Although the couple have tried a variety of interventions that have helped improve their son’s life, they found it harder than it should have been to make proper, informed judgements about how to treat their child’s autism. There has been little in-depth, rigorous coverage available about therapies and educational interventions.

Autism Eye aims to change that scenario by keeping parents informed about the best treatments for their child – and to help them avoid the worst.

We are entirely independent. What we write about will be 100 per cent unbiased. There is no influence from advertisers over which treatments we write about.

Like most parents of a child with autism, Gillian and Mark have their war stories. They have spent thousands of pounds on essential therapies and educational interventions for Finn that neither the UK’s National Health Service, nor their local educational authority would take responsibility for.

They have fought epic battles through Special Educational Needs Tribunals, all of which they won, and even went all the way to the High Court to obtain the appropriate education for Finn. They home-schooled their son at their own expense for nearly three years and have worked continuously to help him with his health issues, which range from food allergies to sensory difficulties.

Shamefully, all this has been without the help of the health authority, which is ignorant about how to help children with autism.

The burden is left entirely to parents, who desperately need more support. Families with an autistic child are often vulnerable to exploitation with treatments that are far too costly, inappropriate, ineffectual or sometimes even harmful.

Autism Eye will keep parents abreast of the latest
research that could have a positive impact on their children’s lives.

We will write about biomedical and educational interventions and seek to inspire parents to stay on the journey to help their child by reporting on the many success stories. Our children are so precious. They rely so much on us, their parents, to help them reach their potential and to live without pain and discomfort.  We must never give up trying to help them.