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.
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(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