Focus Group Report Families and Carers of Autistic People

Overall, the Families and Carers Focus group saw some good elements in the strategy, particularly if it is to represent Autistic people who have the ability to advocate themselves and achieve mainstream education and employment. However, there is significant concern that the strategy fails fundamentally to reflect the full diversity of Autistic people resulting in the strategy having a number of identified gaps. It was considered that if the National Autism Strategy is to achieve its stated goal of “ALL” Autistic people, it needs to be substantially revised to address Autistic people requiring very substantial support. This was particularly important as the National Autism Strategy will set the tone for future generations of people with autism.