Cutting diagnosis waiting times and training school and college staff will be the focus of the UK Government’s new autism strategy.
The Houses of Parliament in London
Care minister Helen Whately and children’s minister Vicky Ford launched the strategy.
The ministers said this time the emphasis of the strategy would be on an “all age” approach.
Health inequalities
Whately and Ford said many continue to face “huge hurdles, with unacceptable health inequalities meaning that, on average, autistic people die approximately 16 years earlier than the general population”.
Far too many autistic people struggle in childhood, at school, and find it hard to get a job or training when they reach adulthood, said the pair.
The ministers say they are determined to build a society that understands autistic people in all aspects of life. They also said autistic people should have equal opportunities and access to the services they need.
To prevent people ending up in mental health hospitals, the government is also giving £40m through the NHS long-term plan to improve community support.
The strategy will also see the launch of an “autism public understanding initiative”.
‘True success’
Caroline Stevens is the chief executive of the National Autistic Society (NAS).
She said the “true success” of the strategy depends on the government investing in autistic people every year — not just when it launches its strategy.
In addition, prime minister Boris Johnson must honour his promise to “fix the social care crisis”, said Stevens.
The care system across the UK is under pressure. Past governments have been accused of failing to fund or reform the system properly.
Stevens said fixing the care system could be “a significant step forward in creating a society that really works for autistic children, adults and their families”.
Related:
- Autism strategy to focus on children
- ‘Travesty’ of four-year diagnosis
- Self-harm crisis of delays in diagnosis
- Discrimination in restricting diagnosis
- Test reveals anxiety as second diagnosis
- New test heralds early autism diagnosis
- Delays in diagnosis deny new therapy
- Huge increase in diagnosis in N Ireland
Published: 28 July 2021
