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Brookdale Care News
Adults with Autism Bill
Posted: 2008-06-02 | Author:
Angela Browning, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, states that “once children with autism become adolescents and then adults, they fall through the gap.” The bill is designed to ensure that this does not happen in the future and that every person with ASD receives a comprehensive care program throughout their lives.
Angela has been working closely with The National Autistic Society (NAS) to put together the 'Ten Minute Rule Bill', which is based on some of the main demands from the NAS “I Exist” campaign.
The Bill calls on the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, to provide this assistance, and to ensure that best practice is followed (and developed) locally. This includes:
+ Clarifying who is responsible for autism,
+ Taking the needs of people with autism into account when commissioning adult services,
+ Offering services such as social skills training, daily living skills and social support, which could prevent people's needs from escalating.
Angela Browning states "the experience of a lot of people, far too many people now, is that they fall between all these different silos of provision and they get nothing at all until there's a crisis," she added. "And then of course it's crisis management."
She stressed that helping autistic people live independently is "more than just providing them with a roof over their heads". "One of their biggest problems is they don't make friendships and have difficulty socialising," she said. "So what we don't want is to find that they've got the practical back-up but not the social support to go with it, because social isolation leads to a break down in mental health.
At Brookdale Care we believe that it is important to provide a holistic approach to care planning ensuring that you consider all elements of a person’s life, especially through difficult transition stages from adolescent to adulthood.
To find out how we develop a holistic approach to the care, treatment and management of our residents please contact us on 01707 646 646 or info@brookdalecare.co.uk.