Adults with autism lose out on support

By Sunil Peck

Hundreds of thousands of adults with autism do not receive proper support, a report has found.

The report from the National Audit Office, the body which monitors the spending of public money, said that around 200,000 people with conditions like Asperger syndrome who do not have additional needs slip through the net because health and social care services are set up to meet the needs of people with physical or learning disabilities or mental health issues.

The report calculates that an investment of around £40 million a year by primary care trusts and local authorities into specialist health and social care teams could be outweighed by the savings in supporting people with autism in the future.

Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, called on government departments to work together to address the gaps in provision for adults with autism which he said would help them to live more independent lives.

He said: "Neither the Government, people with autism nor the taxpayer are getting value for money from existing autism services and support, leaving those affected by the condition feeling isolated, ignored and often at breaking point."

Robyn Steward has Asperger syndrome and is not eligible for specialist support.

She had to fight to gain funding for her accommodation at university. She is now self-employed but says that the staff she encountered at the job centre seemed unaware of her condition and "unfriendly".

She said: "The type of support that I need is housing support. I need someone to talk to on a daily basis who understands me. I benefit from being in a safe comfortable environment where I am not on edge about any changes that might happen."

Phil Hope, care services minister, said: "We currently do not know how many people have autism so this year we will begin a research study. We will be able to better target help when we know how many people need it."