Local authorities let down young people with autism

The public spending watchdog said that while services for children with autism had "improved rapidly" in the past few years, some authorities failed to record basic information on the number of children with special educational needs in their areas.

Less than half of local authorities knew how many children with autism, with a statement of special educational needs, had a completed a transition plan for the move to adult services, the NAO said in a report today.

A "recurring theme" in the NAO's interviews with transition managers and employment support providers was a call for "more effective leadership and relationships between services".

Interviewees said there was a "lack of clarity" about the roles of health, education and social services. This often resulted in "the absence of a decision-making authority, conflicts in responsibility and lack of understanding between services".

The report also said Connexions services did not know the training, employment or education status of almost a third of clients aged 16 to 24 with a learning disability.

The watchdog said that, as part of their new role to provide Connexions services from 2008/09, local authorities should provide specific training in autism to their Connexions personal advisers.