Autism campaign goes to Downing Street
Autism campaigners and policy makers have announced plans to launch a coalition aimed at co-ordinating and improving the support available for all those affected by the condition.
The plans were agreed upon at a meeting two weeks ago (11 June) at 10 Downing Street, attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah, Polly Tommey, founder of the Autism Trust, Phil Hope, minister for care services, health advisor Greg Beales, and Oliver Jones, chairman of the Autism Trust.
Ms Tommey, whose 12-year-old son is autistic, put her name and telephone number on poster sites throughout the country in April as part of an advertising campaign calling for the Prime Minister to get in touch. The Autism Trust claimed that people affected by the condition were being ignored (News, 2 April).
Ms Tommey said, 'The ministers listened to everything we said and we told them of the horror stories that people have told us. We get calls from parents whose GPs do not understand the nature of autism and blame it for causing other medical problems, when they are not connected. When children cannot speak or point to where the pain is, they need people who are tuned in to their condition. Gordon Brown was very shocked and said the situation needs to be looked at immediately.'
She added, 'The autism coalition will help all of the organisations associated with autism to come together and speak with one voice. Too often everyone is fighting for their own different things. However, it will be a difficult job trying to please everybody.'
The Autism Trust is also organising a two-day conference in October aimed at helping workers in the education and health sectors to better understand the condition.
