situation. One can understand the stress that that causes to those parents, and I was not surprised when I found out that 80% of mothers of children with ASD take antidepressants. Significant numbers of people in our prisons have been diagnosed with ASD. That is not to say that that is the main for their being in prison, but that condition should have been dealt with long before they reached that stage. That is all very concerning and some of the statistics are also a cause for concern. Clause 3(1) states: autism strategy must set out how the needs “The of persons with autism are to be addressed throughout their lives.” In a lifelong approach, the points of transition in an individual’s life are prioritised in all strategies and action plans. It appears that it is in the area of transition that the cross-cutting nature of services and co-operation between Departments, government agencies and voluntary and community groups becomes most important. Transitions are particularly difficult for those with ASD to manage, because routine and predictability, help them to learn, interpret and make sense of social rules and situations, are not always It is vital that services plan and work together to smooth life transitions from preschool to lifelong learning. We can debate the issue until the cows come home, but, frankly, unless we have a with ASD, none of us will fully understand the impact of the Bill on families in Northern Ireland. It is unfortunate for those families that we live in a part of the United Kingdom that discriminates against a group of individuals who fall outside the existing legislation. It is good that the Bill will rectify that situation, and I commend it to the House. Mr B McCrea: The Ulster Unionist Party welcomes the Bill and looks forward to scrutinising it during its Committee Members will be aware that the UUP has long been involved in this important issue and has taken a lead role in promoting services for who are affected by autism in the Departments that it after. The UUP is an advocate and a promoter of services for autism in Northern Ireland, and the feels that it is leading the way. My colleague from Bann mentioned the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety’s input into the strategy that he brought forward and the additional £100,000 that he
situation. One can understand the stress that that causes to those parents, and I was not surprised when I found out that 80% of mothers of children with ASD take antidepressants. Significant numbers of people in our prisons have been diagnosed with ASD. That is not to say that that is the main for their being in prison, but that condition should have been dealt with long before they reached that stage. That is all very concerning and some of the statistics are also a cause for concern. Clause 3(1) states: “The autism strategy must set out how the needs of persons with autism are to be addressed throughout their lives.” In a lifelong approach, the points of transition in an individual’s life are prioritised in all strategies and action plans. It appears that it is in the area of transition that the cross-cutting nature of services and co-operation between Departments, government agencies and voluntary and community groups becomes most important. Transitions are particularly difficult for those with ASD to manage, because routine and predictability, help them to learn, interpret and make sense of social rules and situations, are not always It is vital that services plan and work together to smooth life transitions from preschool to lifelong learning. We can debate the issue until the cows come home, but, frankly, unless we have a with ASD, none of us will fully understand the impact of the Bill on families in Northern Ireland. It is unfortunate for those families that we live in a part of the United Kingdom that discriminates against a group of individuals who fall outside the existing legislation. It is good that the Bill will rectify that situation, and I commend it to the House. Mr B McCrea: The Ulster Unionist Party welcomes the Bill and looks forward to scrutinising it during its Committee Members will be aware that the UUP has long been involved in this important issue and has taken a lead role in promoting services for who are affected by autism in the Departments that it after. The UUP is an advocate and a promoter of services for autism in Northern Ireland, and the feels that it is leading the way. My colleague from Bann mentioned the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety’s input into the strategy that he brought forward and the additional £100,000 that he
Autism%20Bill%20Second%20Reading%207%20Dec%202010.docx