Speaking at today’s third North Wales Annual Autism Conference, Chair of the Assembly Cross Party Group on Autism, Mark Isherwood AM, provided an update on progress on the proposed Autism (Wales) Bill and spoke about how the legislation would benefit people with autism and those around them.
Mr Isherwood also spoke about the need for service providers to give careful consideration to the communication needs of autistic people.
He said:
“On 18th July my colleague, Paul Davies AM, gave a Statement in the Assembly introducing his Member Proposed Autism (Wales) Bill.
“As he said “This is primary legislation to help improve the lives of people living with autism across Wales, and those people are all around us: colleagues, friends, family. We need to meet their needs, we need to protect their rights, we need to realise their potential. In two consultation exercises and numerous meetings, the autism community has overwhelmingly made it clear that they favour primary legislation, expressing goodwill and support for a Bill”.
“I referred to evidence ‘that people felt let down and angry that they'd had to fight so hard to get the support they need, and it was important that people with autism were no longer invisible to services’ – and to the Judicial Review proceedings relating to the failure to assess and then meet the needs of a young autistic adult in May of this year, which resulted in Flintshire County Council agreeing to provide a formal apology, make a damages award and provide the care and support required.
“In his response, however, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething AM, said that the Welsh Government would need to ask themselves “whether this legislation at this time will further improve services and outcomes and experience for people”.
He added:
“At the moment, the proposed Autism (Wales) Bill is being scrutinised by the Assembly’s committees, which is known as Stage 1 of the legislative process. The next evidence session on the Bill will be held on the 7th November in front of the Health and Social Care Committee.
“Following this, there will be a debate in Plenary on the general principles of the Bill and a vote will take place. If the vote allows, the Bill can then proceed to the next stage.
“There will be a vote - and it’s crucial that we do everything to ensure that all AMs are aware of the important impact the Bill will have on people living with autism in their constituencies.
“Therefore, any and all support from you to encourage every AM to vote for the Bill is very welcome – and may be essential.”
Mr Isherwood also referred to last month’s meeting of the Assembly Cross Party Autism Group in North Wales, which he Chaired, at which attendees emphasised that failure by those providing public services for autistic people to first give careful consideration to the communication environment and the autistic person’s communication needs can cause confusion for the autistic person and escalate their anxiety.
He said: “Responding in the Assembly Chamber to last month’s Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, on ‘The Autism Updated Delivery Plan and Autism Code of Practice’, I highlighted the need to establish the communication needs of autistic people first.
“When dealing with an autistic person, the onus is on the service provider to give careful consideration to the autistic person’s communication needs. A failure to do so can escalate the autistic person’s anxiety.
“In order for people with autism to communicate effectively, there must be: early identification of their needs; the acquisition of comprehensive background information about the individual; careful consideration given to the communication environment; appropriate preparation of the individual for what is expected, and a planned and flexible approach taken.
“Consideration must be given not just to the types of questions asked, but also to the manner of how this is done. Timings of information-giving, changes to scheduling and environmental factors (such as busy buildings) are all likely to affect the overall quality of the information a person provides.
He added: “As the title of today’s conference states, we must embrace the Autistic Voice to Transform Attitudes.”