Autistic children often excluded

The report, A place in society: the importance of planning for life for people with autistic spectrum disorders, published to coincide with Autism Awareness Week (17 to 24 May), said the most common reason given for excluding children was that 'the school was unable to cope with the child'.

The report added that as a result, children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) contributed heavily to the Social Exclusion Unit's finding that children with special educational needs are seven times more likely to be excluded from school.

NAS has called for the creation of a lifelong plan to protect those with autism. In its report the charity highlighted the difficulties experienced by people with ASD and those who care for them, and said, 'Many children with ASD are only diagnosed once at school age, and adults who suspect that they are on the autistic spectrum struggle to access specialists with expertise in autism.' A 1999 study that found the average age of diagnosis was five-and-a-half for children with 'classic autism' and 11 for those with Asperger syndrome.