Government strategy promises improved support for autistic children

Improving young autistic people’s transition to adulthood is another measure being put forward by ministers.

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The promises to improve support have been included in the government’s National Strategy for Autism, which is its first autism strategy to be extended to include specific measures for children and young people.

This includes £600,000 funding for autism training for staff in schools and colleges.

Ministers also want to “embed autism as a priority for educational leadership as this is important in developing autism-inclusive cultures”.

Good practice in autism support will be shared among schools, with a focus on mainstream education to improve inclusivity, says the strategy.

“This will encourage the provision of early support for autistic children and young people, setting out the benefits of this in preventing escalation of needs, sustaining school placements and ensuring more autistic children and young people can achieve their potential,” it adds.

Tackling long diagnosis waiting times for children and young people is another priority in the strategy.

Ministers have promised funding from this year “to begin innovating and improving the quality of dianostic pathways and post diagnostic support”.

This aims to look at addressing backlogs from the Covid-19 pandemic and “proactively identify” children on waiting lists at risk of crisis.

An anti-bullying programme is also to launch in September this year to help improve school life for autistic children.

Newly created mental health support teams and training for designated senior mental health leads in schools will get underway in the next academic year, to offer further support, says the strategy. It highlights how autistic pupils are more likely than their peers to experience poor mental health.

A report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health earlier this year found there had been a “dramatic increase” in mental health referrals amid the Covid-19 pandemic from children with SEND, such as autism.

Improvements to the special education needs and disabilities (SEND) system for autistic children, including earlier identification of children’s needs, will be included in the forthcoming SEND review, the strategy adds.  

The strategy has been published alongside the results of a survey of autistic people on the quality of support they have received at school.

Just under half (47 per cent) said they felt poorly support in their education and only five percent said they felt well supported.

“Some autistic respondents commented that receiving a diagnosis later in life contributed to not feeling well supported in education, while others suggested this was due to poor understanding of autism in schools or universities,” says a government report into the survey’s findings.

Today the Government has published its national autism strategy for 2021-2026. For the first time, the new strategy also covers autistic children and young people, as well as adults. Read our response here: https://t.co/F707pO2ACo

— AmbitiousAboutAutism (@AmbitiousAutism) July 21, 2021

Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of the charity Ambitious about Autism, says the measures proposed in the strategy are “desperately needed by autistic children and young people and their families” especially due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their lives.

She said: “Even before Covid-19, autistic children and young people were too often denied basic and fundamental rights, such as the right to a decent education, to high quality healthcare and the opportunity to live and work in a community of their choice.  

“For many families, the pandemic has only exacerbated this, creating further loneliness, social isolation and poor health outcomes.  

“The strategy places a key focus on changing public attitudes and perceptions to autism, including training for teachers, employers and healthcare professionals. This is a key foundation for building understanding and creating autism-friendly environments that accept autistic children and young people and allow them to thrive.  

“Early intervention and support are also critical to the success of autistic children and young people and so we’re very pleased to see investment in reducing autism diagnosis waiting times.”