Big drop in autism-specific training

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43% of councils providing training to less than half of staff who carry out assessments despite Care Act requirement for assessors to be suitably trained.

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2019/07 ... sessments/

Thanks for posting the article. That's a very unfortunate situation, including the section "Really Worrying" that states "The Autism Act came into force 10 years ago, aiming to stop autistic adults falling between gaps in support and services. But its impact has been limited by national and local failings to invest in the specialist support autistic people need."

Here in the US there is no similar Act or other mechanism to enable support for adult autistics. There's a misperception that autism commonly just disappears when a person becomes an adult and that no support is needed. I think the designation of "HFA" promotes the idea that autistic adults function just fine. The problem there is that there's not just one dimension of functioning. For instance I've been able to hold a professional job, take care of my medical needs, file taxes, get a drivers license and car and homeowners insurance, etc. But initiating social interaction and involvement without the aid of another person is next to impossible for me. The specialist support mentioned in the article can make the difference between living a constrained half-life versus experiencing a much wider range of human fulfillment.

In the UK support for adults on the spectrum is very limited. The help I have in place , thanks to my stepdaughter, was put in place soon after moving here. It was put in place before I got my Asperger's syndrome diagnosis .

I don't think I'd have got that help if I'd still been living in Essex. ASD was mentioned several times by me only for it to fall on deaf ears. I was basically self neglecting ,but didn't see it at the time. I was the typical , middle aged person with chronic ,severe mental illness who turned up fortnightly for a depot and saw a nurse practitioner every 6 months. Apart from a time limited spell under the rehabilitation and recovery team that was the extent of the help and support.

Whether ASD or SMI it makes a big difference having a supportive relative to advocate for you.