Almost five years after the death of autistic teen Oliver McGowan, the General Medical Council (GMC) has announced an investigation into the doctor who prescribed an antipsychotic that an inquest ruled was a “significant factor” in his death. Dr Monica...

The mum of an eight-year-old autistic boy has told of her battle to change the law so families who win tribunals get compensation. The 45-year-old single mum said disabled children are the last group left unprotected by compensation payments for...

A local authority has been told to pay compensation to a family for a delay in providing special needs education and support. The move sends a strong signal to other local authorities over meeting their special needs obligations. The compensation...

Two families are fighting to change the law so children who win special educational needs and disability tribunals get compensation. While adults who win disability discrmination claims at tribunals receive compensation, families who fight for children at the same hearings...

Waits of up to four years for an autism diagnosis in Northern Ireland are a “complete travesty”. That’s the view of Kerry Boyd, chief executive of charity Autism NI. Boyd spoke out after new official figures revealed that almost 4,500...

All long-stay mental health hospitals for people with learning disabilities and autism must close to avoid future abuse scandals. That’s the view of Sir Stephen Bubb, who wrote a landmark report on the Winterbourne View scandal, and of parent Steve...

A parent campaigner says he is “not at all hopeful” of seeing any change for autistic and learning disabled people in long-stay hospitals because discharges have been made “over-complicated”. Mark Neary’s comments come after Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee...

New research has deepened understanding of the way autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manifests in the brains of girls. It has prompted scientists to warn that conclusions drawn from studies conducted primarily in boys should not be assumed to hold true...

In a major survey of UK carers, the vast majority said they are not getting enough support from the social care system. The survey, from charity Carers Trust, claims only 12 per cent said they get enough support. Meanwhile, almost...

As nations across the globe mark ‘World Autism Awareness Month’, a UK charity says most people are “unaware” of the reality of life for people with severe autism living with chronic health conditions. Biomedical charity Thinking Autism says “strong research”...