POSTnote on Autism: commentary

Supplementary information relating to the Action: POSTnote on autism page.

The summary of the Autism POSTnote on the POST website is:

302 – Autism
Four page Postnote, February 2008
Autism affects how a person communicates, socialises and interprets the world. This can lead to wide ranging difficulties in every day life including forming relationships and living independently. Recent evidence that autism is more prevalent than previously recognised has put pressure on service providers and highlighted the need to train professionals to improve awareness of autism. This POSTnote describes autism and autism research, and considers policy approaches.

Prior to the writing of the POSTnote, the draft summary for the forthcoming note was:

Autism spectrum disorders
Four page POSTnote, winter 2007
Autism spectrum disorders are lifelong developmental disabilities that affect the way in which a person communicates. They are often linked with learning difficulties. It is estimated that 500,000 families are affected in the UK. Some reports suggest that prevalence of the disorder may be increasing but the research evidence to support this claim is equivocal. For instance, it is not clear to what extent any apparent rise in prevalence rates is due to increasing diagnosis/awareness of the condition. This POSTnote will examine what is known about the causes and prevalence of autism in the UK. It will also include an analysis of the evidence base on which policies for diagnosis and interventions in the social, healthcare and educational systems are made, particularly since the learning needs of autistic children mean that they may require specialised teaching approaches. It will also include research into potential future treatments for autism spectrum disorders.

As part of the consultation, Autreach group members produced a hypothetical re-drafting of the original summary as follows:

Autism spectrum ‘disorders’
Four page POSTnote, winter 2007
Autism spectrum conditions are lifelong developmental differences that affect the way in which a person socializes and communicates; they may lead to disability (using the social model of disability), which may be severe. They are often linked with learning difficulties, although recent research suggests that there is no difference in “intelligence levels” between autistics and non-autistics. It has been estimated that there could be up to 500,000 individuals on the autistic spectrum in the UK; the number of families affected (with an autistic family member requiring support) may be less. Some reports suggest that prevalence of the disorder may be increasing but the research evidence to support this claim is lacking. There has been a large apparent rise in prevalence rates, but most of this is due to increasing diagnosis/awareness of the condition.

This POSTnote will examine what is known about the causes and prevalence of autism in the UK. It will also include an analysis of the evidence on which policies in the social, healthcare and educational systems are based. The need for specialised approaches and training in meeting the learning needs, treatment of associated medical conditions, and productive integration into society of all autistics will be considered. The report will also include a discussion of the implications of research into potential future treatments for autism spectrum “disorders”. Throughout the report, analysis will draw on the expertise of adults on the autistic spectrum, who will also participate in peer review of the draft.

The main changes made can be seen in the following marked-up version (replacements are italic, additions are underlined — some of these are reactions to the original wording, and might not have been included otherwise):

Autism spectrum ‘disorders’
Four page POSTnote, winter 2007
Autism spectrum disorders conditions are lifelong developmental disabilities differences that affect the way in which a person socializes and communicates; they may lead to disability (using the social model of disability), which may be severe. They are often linked with learning difficulties, although recent research suggests that there is no difference in “intelligence levels” between autistics and non-autistics. It has been estimated that there could be up to 500,000 families individuals on the autistic spectrum in the UK; the number of families affected (with an autistic family member requiring support) may be less. Some reports suggest that prevalence of the disorder may be increasing but the research evidence to support this claim is equivocal lacking. For instance, it is not clear to what extent any There has been a large apparent rise in prevalence rates, but most of this is due to increasing diagnosis/awareness of the condition.

This POSTnote will examine what is known about the causes and prevalence of autism in the UK. It will also include an analysis of the evidence on which policies for diagnosis and interventions in the social, healthcare and educational systems are based. The need for specialised approaches and training in meeting the learning needs, treatment of associated medical conditions, and productive integration into society of all children autistics will be considered. The report will also include a discussion of the implications of research into potential future treatments for autism spectrum “disorders”. Throughout the report, analysis will draw on the expertise of adults on the autistic spectrum, who will also participate in peer review of the draft.