As we mark World Autism Awareness Day the stark reality of living with the condition in the UK has come to light, with evidence of a generation of young people written off from education and employment.
New research has revealed that young people with autism are nearly twice as likely to be classified as not in education, employment or training compared with others of their age.
Conducted by the charity Ambitious about Autism, the study comes with a warning that without urgent action to improve further education and employment opportunities, society risks ‘writing off a generation’ of young people with autism.
More than a quarter (27 per cent) of young people surveyed by the charity said they were currently not in education, employment or training compared with 14 per cent of the general population of people of a similar age.
Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of Ambitious about Autism, called for urgent action to increase access to further education and to support employers to “open up the world for young people with autism”. She said: “If this were happening to any group of young people there would rightly be a national outcry.”
Just one in four of those surveyed felt they had the support necessary to land a job and only one in ten thought employers were likely to recruit someone with autism.
The majority of the young people questioned (77 per cent) thought that increasing employers’ awareness of autism would make the biggest difference in enabling them to get a job. They also identified the need for schools and colleges to help them develop the necessary skills to gain employment.
David Nicholson, a youth patron for the charity, said employers need to be made aware that people with autism “can make great employees because we can work hard, are dedicated and want to do our very best”.
Published: 7 April 2014
