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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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