Autism Act 2010
The Act does two key things:
- Puts a duty on the Government to produce and regularly review an autism strategy to meet the needs of autistic adults in England.
- Puts a duty on the Government to produce statutory guidance for local authorities to implement the strategy locally.
ww.autism.org.uk/about/strategy/overview.aspx
The above link from NAS describes what the NHS and your local authority should do and what processes should exist to meet your needs in the local area.
Think Autism strategy (2014) is the latest update of the a programme of action for the Department of Health and other government departments should do to improve the lives of autistic people. It is the latest implementation plan for the Autism Act.
Think Autism https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/think-autism-an-update-to-the-government-adult-autism-strategy
In 2019 the Department of Health conducted a consultation and it should result in a new update to the Autism Strategy in the near future.
The current Think Autism (2014) strategy defines 15 priorities of action. It sees its vision as follows:
‘The clear vision is that: “All adults with autism are able to live fulfilling and rewarding lives within a society that accepts and understands them. They can get a diagnosis and access support if they need it, and they can depend on mainstream public services to treat them fairly as individuals, helping them make the most of their talents.”
The priority number 7 is to ensure access to the diagnosis
7. I want a timely diagnosis from a trained professional. I want relevant information and support throughout the diagnostic process.
