'Successive governments failed to deliver real change since Autism Act'

SUCCESSIVE governments have failed to deliver real change since the passing of the Autism Act 2009, a House of Lords special inquiry committee found.

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The Autism Act says the Government must produce an autism strategy, backed up by statutory guidance for the NHS and local authorities.

But 16 years on, autistic people still face unacceptable inequalities, the report says.

This holds them back from living fulfilling lives and society from an inclusive future, it adds.

The report, titled Time To Deliver: The Autism Act 2009 And The New Autism Strategy, finds that the Autism Act was a critical step forward in the recognition of autistic people, but successive governments have failed to deliver real change.

The key conclusion from the committee is that the new autism strategy must deliver change for autistic people.

Statistics show that currently: more than 200,000 people are waiting for an autism assessment; thousands of autistic children and young people are unhappy at school or out of school altogether; only about three in 10 autistic people are in work, compared with five in 10 disabled people and eight in 10 non-disabled people; on average, autistic people live shorter lives.

The number of autistic people and families seeking assessment and support has risen rapidly, which is likely to be because of changes in the understanding of autism, because more autistic people are struggling to cope, and because thresholds for access to support from overstretched public services have risen, according to the report.