Supporting people with autism through adulthood
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability, which affects
people’s ability to:
- communicate socially, particularly using and understanding
facial expressions, tone of voice and abstract language;
- recognise, understand and express emotions and feelings, making
it more difficult to fit in socially;
- understand other people's behaviour, make sense of abstract
ideas, and imagine situations outside their immediate daily
routine.
The causes of autism are not fully understood, although there is
some evidence that genetic factors are involved. Around half
of people with autism also have a learning disability, while the
rest do not.
It is estimated that there are around 400,000 adults with autism
in England. Many of these adults may require specialist support
from health, social care, education and employment services.
Our report considers:
- strategy and planning for adults with autism, including the
availability of information to inform planning and service
delivery, the extent to which local strategies acknowledge the
needs of adults with autism, and the transition of young people
from children’s to adults’ services;
- knowledge and awareness of autism across public services,
including people and organisations providing health, social care
and benefits / employment support;
- whether adults with autism and their carers are able to access
the diagnostic and support services they need;
- the effectiveness of current health, social care and employment
support for adults with autism, and the potential costs and
benefits of making specialist services (such as adult Asperger
teams) more widely available.
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