IT is very hard for us as parents of an autistic youngster to come to terms with the fact that he/she has to go to live "out of county" for their future years, ('£2m cost of care for city youngsters', August 3).

The life expectancy of autists is no different from that of anybody else. Their asocial nature makes them less likely to smoke, drink or take drugs. Parents cannot be the autist's main carer forever. My son enjoyed being schooled in a small class of autistic children in Scarborough until he was 16. When he had to leave this placement at 16 we then had to look for an "autism specific residential college".

We were told he would have to go out of county, because there are no "autism specific" placements in North Yorkshire.

We looked at various specialist colleges, some 100 miles or so from home.

After much ado our son started at the Robert Ogden school, near Barnsley, about 80 miles to travel each Monday by taxi and return home each Friday.

Our son will be 19 next February and we are now searching for a another residential 52-week placement "for the rest of his life" for which we shall have to go out of the county.

So if you were born and bred and still live in "beautiful North Yorkshire" and your child has autism - millions of pounds is being spent out of county every year.

The priority must be for North Yorkshire to have an "autism specific residential" school and college to enable these youngsters to live close to their families for the rest of their lives.

Marion Copland,

Parent of an Autistic Teenager,

Westgate, Pickering.

...WE can identify with the case of Mandy Brunskill whose autistic son, Liam, is being sent to Doncaster for residential care (Evening Press, August 3.

We are having to cope with an autistic son of a similar age to Liam but with considerably less respite care than Ms Brunskill. Our son is physically aggressive towards other members of the family and has constant screaming bouts which can last for hours.

During the last 11 years we have had only three separate nights of respite care and this only coming during the last three months.

Despite this, the notion of having our son placed in permanent residential care would not be considered.

His unpredictable tantrums mean a normal family life is impossible, but he is as much a member of the family as the rest of us.

If Ms Brunskill finds it "heartbreaking" to be separated from Liam for so long, then the solution is simple: just do the same as most parents of special needs children and care for him yourself.

If we can manage with the limited support we receive - no support from relations or friends - then surely with the support Ms Brunskill receives, as previously reported in the Evening Press, she could manage too.

If all parents of children with special needs took the easy option by palming off their handicapped children to local authorities, the burden on taxpayers wouldn't bear thinking about.

A G and D E Priestman,

Owston Avenue,

York.

Updated: 08:45 Saturday, August 07, 2004