Your Voice Counts.

On this World Autism Awareness Day, Act Now for Autism would like to focus on the need to raise awareness of autism and the need for lifelong services, support, therapies and interventions for children and adults with autism. 

Autism is not something that can be cured with a block of therapy or by accessing an intervention for a short period of time. Children and adults with autism require ongoing access to the therapies and interventions that can make a huge difference to their lives. 

 If every child with autism were able to access the speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and sensory integration therapy (to name but a few) that could make a difference to their lives, we would at least be giving them the best possible chance to reach their full potential as adults.

If every adult with autism were able to access low level preventative services as and when they needed to and advocates to enable them to communicate effectively (especially when having their benefits assessed or reassessed) we would be giving them the best possible chance to live fulfilling, rewarding and independent lives.

Services and support have been removed from our children and adults already and there are more cuts to come. We are extremely concerned that things for the autism community will become much harder. Parents, carers and adults with autism are telling us they are very anxious, autism can often autism be a hidden disability so some children and adults with autism will not be deemed to be severely disabled enough to warrant support, services and provision.

Act Now for Autism is in the process of updating the Impact Assessment Report first published in 2010. We need to raise as much awareness about the impact that the cuts to services and benefits are having on our lives as possible. To enable us to do this we need our supporters to tell us how these cuts are impacting on their lives.

Sitting back and doing nothing is not an option for us, we need your support. Together we can make our voice heard. 

Please share your stories with us, about the impact of cuts upon you and your friends/family. You can comment here, on our Facebook page or via your regional Facebook group or by email mail@actnowforautism.co.uk