New Autism Strategy (Autism Act 2009 Committee Report)

Lord Hope of Craighead Excerpts

Wednesday 10th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hope of Craighead (CB)]

My Lords, it was a privilege to serve on this committee under the chairmanship of the noble Baroness, Lady Rock. It was a privilege not only because of the outstanding way in which our work was guided by her and supported by our clerk, our policy analyst, and our specialist adviser, but because that team brought us into contact with so many autistic people, and others with lived experience. This, of course, was what our committee was all about.

The initiatives that were taken by our team went far beyond what normally happens in committee work. This is an important point that must be made. There will be other cases where the lived experience of those whose issues a committee is considering will matter very much, hence our invitation to the relevant committees to consider ways in which such meaningful involvement can be achieved in the future, if necessary by making changes to the current rules.

It is impossible in the few minutes I have to go over every issue that is discussed in this report. As I look back over our work, however, there are one or two points to which I would like to draw attention. The first relates to the importance of diagnosis: the benefits it may bring and the harm that may be done by a failure to diagnose before other interventions are resorted to that may be wholly unsuitable. One of our autistic witnesses spent four years in a mental hospital before a diagnosis revealed what their condition really was. For obvious reasons, we did not explore the reasons for the mistaken placement in that hospital, which was such an unsuitable place for an autistic person to be. The dramatic change that enabled them to lead as normal a life as possible following release from hospital was deeply moving. The new autism strategy to be developed by the Government must ensure that mistakes of that kind do not occur again.

The other side of the coin was revealed during a visit to a special school for children and young people. All the pupils have a diagnosis of autism, or are waiting for one, and all have complex needs and are disadvantaged academically. We met a group of parents who told us of the effect that early diagnosis had had on them and their children. As one parent put it, “Before the diagnosis, I was just talking to my son. After diagnosis, I am talking with him”. An unreachable child had become reachable once the reason for the condition was explained and understood. The new autism strategy needs to address the problem that, far too often, access to a diagnosis is not available. Early diagnosis can make all the difference, not only to the child but to their family.

I turn to the matter of employment. The Government’s new autism strategy should make it a priority objective to increase the employment rate for autistic people. Some of our witnesses drew attention to the risks that taking on an autistic person would involve: there were fears that they would be unlikely to fit in, and of the disadvantages they face in the recruitment process. There is a really positive case to be made here, however, that should point the way forward. One witness—speaking as the neurodiversity and social mobility manager at Babcock International, a major employer—told us that around 20% to 30% of its employees are neurodivergent. That is a remarkable number and includes some brilliantly talented people who, as he told us, challenge the stereotypes of autism and have been able to solve problems that no other engineer could. This positive message needs to be broadcast and built on by the Government. With the right support and in the right place, autistic people have so much good to give to this country. They are valued members of the community.

I have time to mention one other matter which relates to the understanding of autism and the fact that, of course, every autistic person is different. There is no one size that fits all. This matters very much in education, especially for those who are teaching autistic children in mainstream schools. These people may struggle if their needs and fears are not appreciated and addressed. As each case is different, the teacher must be given time to assess the child, to win their confidence and to find out what is wrong. The pressures on the curriculum too often mean that this much-needed time is simply not available. That needs to be changed and the Government need to address it in the proper way, so that teachers can give these people what they need to develop their education and move forward to employment.