Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people with autism aged 16 to 25 years old had (a) a statement of special needs, (b) an education, health and care plan or (c) a learning support assessment in each year since 2012.

The table attached shows learners with autism aged between 16 and 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan or Learning Support Assessment participating in further education and skills programmes in the academic year 2012/13 to 2015/16 (final year figures) and reported to date in 2016/17 (provisional full year figures).

Further education and skills data is collected via the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The ILR does not hold information on statements of special educational need, this is only collected for school pupils via the school census.

From the 2015/16 academic year a learning provider can record multiple disabilities on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) that collects this data. This has led to an increased in the number of learners being reported against certain disabilities.

Prior to 2015/16 only the primary disability was recorded, therefore comparisons of figures in 2015/16 and 2016/17 should not be made with earlier years.

Young people with special educational needs and disabilities received support through a Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA) or a statement prior to September 2014. Revision to this support is reflected in the variation between 2014/15 to 2015/16 learner numbers.