Zoom Autism Magazine Issue 3 Spring 2015 | Page 52

There’s some real hope on the horizon for families living with autism. Did You Know? There are around 700,000 people with autism in the UK. Nearly two-thirds of adults with autism in England do not have enough support to meet their needs. Only 15% of adults with autism in the UK are in full-time paid employment. 51% of adults with autism in the UK have spent time with neither a job nor access to benefits; 10% of those have been in this position for a decade or more. 52 (Autism Spectrum Disorder). These two labels have caused some confusion among parents here (is it the same thing?), but we hope that in time ASC will win the race. Is there governmental support and services for autism in the UK? Austerity measures have really started to affect our services in an adverse way. With government support less forthcoming, much of the help that parents receive has come from charitable groups. These are also under pressure for funding, as grant-giving bodies struggle to keep up with demand from the growing number of groups clambering over each other in a bid to try to bridge a gap in services. What endeavours are being made to go from Autism Awareness to Acceptance in the UK? People over here are keen to hear an insider’s view on what living with autism is like, and virtually every conference aimed at parents includes a number of speakers who are themselves on the spectrum. Happily, we’re also home to a number of world-class writers and researchers on the subject. There’s a drive to understand the neurological reasons for autistic behaviour and to make life easier for people who live on the spectrum. We’ve still got our fair share of ignorance to overcome. Unfortunately, parents frequently report disgraceful behaviour from Zoom Autism Through Many Lenses