Louise Thompson has been blasted for her ‘non-apology’ after her ‘ableist’ comments over children being sent to school in nappies.
On Thursday, the former Made In Chelsea star, 36, and her husband Ryan Libbey, 35, with whom she shares son Leo, four, sparked backlash after appearing to ‘mock’ children who are still wearing nappies by the time they start school.
Speaking on their podcast He Said, She Said, the couple discussed the statistic that one in four children are sent to school before they are potty trained.
Louise admitted she was ‘shocked’ by the statistic before laughing when Ryan said ‘that’s a raw deal’ for teachers, leading to backlash from followers, with many pointing out reasons, including children with Special Educational Needs.
After removing the clip from Instagram, the duo were slammed for their response, in which they failed to apologise, writing: ‘In a previous clip we included a conversation around potty training based on recent stats and our own lived experience…
‘This however did not include the very important reference to SEN children and families which was an oversight so we removed the clip to avoid further offence. It’s an important topic we are very keen to learn more about.’
Louise Thompson has been blasted for her ‘non-apology’ after her ‘ableist’ comments over children being sent to school in nappies
On Thursday, the former Made In Chelsea star, 36, and her husband Ryan Libbey, 35, with whom she shares son Leo, four, sparked backlash after appearing to ‘mock’ children who are still wearing nappies by the time they start school
Louise admitted she was ‘shocked’ by the statistic before laughing when Ryan said ‘that’s a raw deal’ for teachers, leading to backlash from followers, with many pointing out reasons, including children with Special Educational Needs
In the original video, Louise said: ‘I think a basic human right is to teach your child before the age of four how to use the loo and how to wipe their bum.’
The couple laughed again as Louise said: ’28 per cent of kids are going to reception unable to eat and drink on their own. That’s like almost a third of children…
‘So, you’ve got a large number of kids in reception who have got nappies on and they can’t feed or drink themselves.’
The comments sections on the podcast’s social media accounts were flooded with criticism from parents, including accounts dedicated to SEN (Special Educational Needs) children have also reposted the clip with their own commentary.
The official account for the podcast, which is produced by Louise’s brother Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks’ company Staying Relevant Productions, removed the clip and edited the conversation out of the podcast.
Sam has spoken openly about his ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) diagnosis, and has recently written the book You, Me & ADHD.
The statement was soon flooded with comments from enraged critics, with users writing: ‘It would be much better to make a video apologising for generalised comments rather than deleting the post and hoping the backlash goes away…
Critics soon flooded the comments section to slam their ‘non-apology’
‘There are so many children who start primary school that are awaiting a diagnosis. So 1 in 4 children not being potty trained is because they are forced into a mainstream placement without the correct support…
‘Do your research first and rather than try to shame parents, consider fact checking before spewing out rubbish. The damage’s been done, shame on you both…
‘Regardless of this “oversight” you were still laughing at children that have challenges and difficulties around self care, toileting and feeding. Really nothing funny about it at all. And still no apology lol… and you probably should apologise publicly rather than state say you removed that but…
‘Do some research before opening your mouth and making such ignorant comments. You think that because either one of you don’t have children with these struggles that you’re somehow better than these families because you prioritise meal times?…
‘Implying these parents and families are lazy and not doing their absolute best. You got the luck of the draw. There are so many reasons children can be struggling with toileting and eating at school…
‘Do you think mocking and laughing at these children and families is helpful? You should be doing some deep self reflection. I see you’re an advocate for woman and birth rights. I honestly would expect more empathy….
‘This is also such a poor way to address something after so much upset caused!… The clip and conversation were rooted in ableism…
‘The opinions stated were about parents of children with toileting and feeding challenges being lazy and career driven. That’s ableism, not lived experience. The damage has been done. Don’t just remove the clip…
‘Publicly apologize and air it on your podcast… Not good enough. In any way… i see no apology, no accountability. Please do better.. are you not going to discuss the laughing at children part??… gonna have to do better than that I’m afraid…
‘Apologising in a comment section of a different post is a bit pathetic, considering the upset caused. A post on your stories (if you wanted to brush it away quickly, which is clear) would be more considerate.. but hey ho…
‘This is not an oversight its ableism at its best! Maybe an apology is in order (considering there are parents you have made cry with your words)…
‘You were laughing and judging parents of both Neurodivergent and neurotypical children regarding their children having delayed motor skills (as you spoke about feeding too) and toileting…
‘This from two people who openly admit they didnt actually toilet train their children anyway! This wont go away and is going to continue to damage your precious reputations! You have spoken so eloquently on woman’s health issues and yet here you are laughing and judging the very people who are your key audience! Do better!…
‘Maybe do a dedicated post rather than a comment. Maybe research properly before posting something so sweeping. And regardless you were still laughing…
Accounts dedicated to SEN children have also reposted the clip with their own commentary. The Instagram account autismandourworld states that ‘children with special needs deserve dignity, understanding, and compassion’
‘You were laughing! Whatever the reason might be that a child can’t use the toilet or do anything else you might deem age appropriate, why is that funny to you? What qualifies you to publicly make assumptions about other families?…
‘Poor excuse no apology in sight . Shame on you… lots of words to avoid saying sorry… so this is your apology …. Shame on you !!!! Educate yourselves !!!…
‘They are so obnoxious and uneducated about the whole situation! Do your research as to why next time, don’t just look at the stats!’
The statistics quoted by Louise and Ryan come from an annual survey of primary school staff in England by the early years charity Kindred Squared, which states that ‘teachers estimated that 26 per cent of the children in their reception class were having frequent toilet mishaps, rising to more than one in three (36 per cent) in the north-east.’
The survey also found that 28 per cent of children were unable to eat and drink independently and 25 per cent were struggling with other basic life skills.
That figure does not account for the proportion of children whose delays may be related to disabilities or special educational needs.
