Efforts to improve the lives of adults with autism are to be extended to take in children.
The moves come as part of the Government’s review of its autism strategy.
Care minister Caroline Dinenage says as we approach the tenth anniversary of the Autism Act it’s time to push hard for improvements to the lives of people on the spectrum
Care minister Caroline Dinenage says the “outcomes” for children and young people with autism are “not good enough”.
They are more likely to have mental health problems, far less likely to be employed and more likely to be excluded from school.
Earlier diagnoses and better transitions
Key elements of the review include securing earlier diagnoses and improving transitions between child and adult services.
It’s hoped this will prevent admissions to inappropriate hospital care.
Dinenage wants an end to recent high-profile cases where people with autism have been held in assessment and treatment units (ATUs) for extended periods.
Time to ‘push hard’ for children
She said next year marks a decade since the Autism Act became law. It was time to “push hard” to improve the “lives of the thousands of children, and adults on the autism spectrum”, she said.
The Government review will also aim to look at all the profiles of autism, including more recently identified types like pathological demand avoidance (PDA).
Supporting people with autism or learning disabilities is one of the four priority areas in the NHS’s long-term plan.
The government says this commitment is backed by an additional £20.5bn of funding a year by 2024.
‘Hugely welcome’
Jolanta Lasota is the chief executive of charity Ambitious about Autism. She said extending the strategy to take in children was “hugely welcome”.
Lasota said far too many children face “unacceptable delays” in getting the support they need to achieve at school. This could have a “devastating, lifelong impact on their potential”, she said.
Related:
- Thousands may gain personal budgets
- Action on the Autism Act
- Huge surge in hospitals using restraint
- Still stuck in mental health hospitals
- Spotlight on hospital care
Published: 7 December 2018
