Care Services for Autism in North Wales

For anyone examining the UK provision of care services for adults with autism, Wales should be looked at quite carefully, because over the last decade studies have revealed that there are more people with disabilities in Wales than in other parts of the UK. With respect to autism, Wales has a significant number of people with this condition. The typical symptoms are repetitive behaviour, communication difficulties, problems with developing social relationships and limited abstract thinking. Nevertheless, people with autism are often highly intelligent and have exceptional abilities with memory, concentration and accuracy skills, together with a considerable aptitude for music, mathematics and drawing. Autism is the main focus of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Asperger’s syndrome is very similar to it, in terms of symptoms and causes.

With regard to care services for adults with autism, Wales has had a somewhat patchy provision in the past. However, the Welsh Assembly Government put in place a Strategic Action Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder and it is injecting £5.4 million into this over a three-year period. It commenced almost two years ago and for autism, Wales has now significantly improved its provision. Educational booklets have been produced which are specific to autism and over twenty new autism projects have been initiated. To tackle the issue of autism, Wales has also put a new infrastructure in place. This deals with autism at different levels, whether local, regional or national.

To further improve care support for autism, the Welsh Assembly Government is making sure that government officials are working closely with the NHS to ensure people are assessed, diagnosed, and supported in various ways. All this means that treatment and support for autism is certainly moving in the right direction now and in many ways it is unique in the UK.  In terms of its approach to autism, Wales is being looked at as a model of best practice which should be copied by other countries. So for those with autism, Wales is clearly making genuine progress.  

As regards other care services for autism, Wales has two national bodies with branches in North Wales. The National Autistic Society provides support and offers workshops, respite care and different kinds of holidays.  Autism Initiatives UK also offer various services and these are mainly aimed at enabling people with autism to develop ways of managing their autism and arriving at appropriate solutions for them as individuals. As these, and other similar autism services are provided, we know that for people with autism, Wales now has real momentum. Through the commitment of the Welsh Assembly Government to autism, services in Wales will hopefully continue to improve.

For every adult with autism, there are many relatives and friends of these people who know they need extensive support and care. Money is now gradually improving care services but without compassion, it can only achieve so much. Many people in North Wales devote their time and energy to help, often without any pay or reward, which is why for anyone with autism, Wales has a lot to offer.  In any fair assessment of care services for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Wales is certainly above average in comparison with other nations.  

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Autism: Overcoming a Genetic Legacy

You cannot tell a person who has autism or the related disability of Asperger’s syndrome (ASD), by his appearance.  Some people who suffer from these disabilities have even gone on to achieve great success.  Jean Genet, for example, is a prominent educator who specializes in working with children who suffer from these conditions and he attributes his success to the fact that he is autistic himself.  So too, the famous actor Matthew Laborteaux and famous author and critic, Tim Page, who won a Pulitzer Prize.  The genetic disability these successful people share made it more difficult for them to succeed, but they overcame the obstacles of communicating effectively with others.

This is not a new problem.  Martin Luther described a twelve-year-old boy with severe symptoms of this disorder.  Charles XII of Sweden was among the prominent leaders of history thought to have been afflicted and so were Thomas Jefferson and the great physicist Albert Einstein.  They overcame genetic legacies that included these neural disorders. 

Many people suffer from autism, Asperger’s syndrome, or ASD as it is sometimes called.  As many as one in one hundred people may be afflicted, usually more boys than girls by a factor of almost two-to-one.  As awareness of these conditions spreads around the world, early intervention and services have been developed in most communities that can mitigate some of these problems and enhance the individual's chances of becoming a successful adult. Autism Cymru for example, illustrates how a single region can be proactive in early identification of autism, Asperger’s syndrome (ASD) by using a school-based programme that assesses students as early as possible.  It also coordinates the delivery of appropriate services that can help an afflicted youth.  There is no cure, but new programmes are being developed making it easier for those who have this disability to overcome an unfortunate genetic legacy and become successful adults.

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Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome can be Overcome

Autism and Asperger’s syndrome, a related disorder, can be overcome.  A number of famous people have done just that ranging from the lovely and talented actor, Daryl Hannah, to Pulitzer Prize winning author and critic, Tim Page.  History provides many other examples of famous people who were probably autistic or ASD (Asperger’s Syndrome Disorder) including Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.  As more is discovered about these disorders, it has become clear that they are more prevalent than was previously suspected.  Current estimates are that as many as one in one hundred people are afflicted by them to some degree.

AWARES, for example, is the All Wales Autism Resources organization which was not only associated with hosting the Third International Autism Conference there, but has been active in providing services to those afflicted by these disorders, especially children.  Early assessment and evaluation can be critical in facilitating a child's ability to mature into a successful adult.  For example, most children will babble spontaneously by the time they are about 12 months of age.  They will also gesture spontaneously by waving, for example.  Children afflicted by autism, Asperger’s syndrome (ASD), however, cannot.  They do not react to outside stimuli in a normal way.  At age sixteen months a normal baby will speak single words and by twenty-four months of age, a normal child will utter short phrases of two words or more spontaneously.   Afflicted children will not.  Although there is no cure for these disorders, there are services, medications and even special diets that can facilitate improved communication with the world around.  These disorders can be overcome even if they cannot be cured in the usual sense of the word.     

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