How We Started
When Pat Minshull realised that her son Peter had autism her initial concern was for his education. With a group of supporters she successfully raised funds to buy a property in Southport, where she founded Peterhouse School in 1973. Thanks to local support, and the patronage of the then Prime Minister Harold Wilson, her work continued and Peterhouse became the starting point for so much more.
As her son’s needs changed, with adulthood approaching, Pat’s vision developed and she realised there was a need for adult services for autistic people. Now called Autism Initiatives, Pat’s legacy continues in a variety of locations in the UK & Ireland providing autism specialist services from supported living to schools, from a short break service to one stop shops, from work placements to training, clubs and activities. Autism Initiatives has a wealth of resources and expertise that support autistic people to achieve their personal goals.
Peterhouse School is pleased to have achieved many accolades, awards and achievements over the years, however the achievements of our pupils both past and present is what makes us truly proud.
A Person with Autism or Autistic?
There is an ongoing debate over how people with a diagnosis of autism wish to refer to themselves and/or their diagnosis. The phrase ‘person with autism’ (person first) is used frequently in literature, but more recently, there has been a return to the use of the term ‘autistic person’ (or identity first), language driven by the autistic ‘community’. This is to recognise the fact that autism is an integral part of a person and nothing to be ashamed of. When talking to people, we will use the words preferred by the person to describe themselves. When we write, we will use both ‘person with autism’, ‘autistic person’ or ‘person on the autism spectrum’. We recognise that people can feel strongly about both terminology and language and whilst we do not wish to cause any offence to anyone, we will always prioritise the views of autistic people themselves.
