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Autism charities in the UK have joined forces to call on the Government to invest in a long-term strategy to reform the systems that diagnose and support autistic people. The report, A New Path Ahead: Why systemic change is the key to better lives for autistic people, sets out the case for systemic change and explains how it might be achieved.

Since the Schools White paper for England was published, there’s been growing concern from parents about the proposals and about whether their voices are being heard in the consultation process. Contact has been speaking directly to parents about their concerns and insights. They will combine this parental feedback with the data they regularly gather from their dedicated helpline and online advice service to form their response to the consultation, which closes May 18th.

The mother of an autistic child has said she was “embarrassed” into leaving a circus performance halfway through because staff did not understand her son’s behaviour. Kendra Hazlett and son Albie, who is five, were ringside at the performance on Wednesday night.

Inspectors’ visits will focus on how local area partnerships are working together to identify and respond to local needs at the earliest opportunity and commission services appropriately. This will include considering how young people and their families are involved in developing and reviewing the local offer.

New research by the charity Ambitious about Autism has found that families navigating the autism assessment and diagnosis process describe it as ‘lonely’, ‘brutal’ and ‘painful’. A third of parents and carers report that their experience of the autism assessment and diagnosis process has been negative, and nearly two thirds describe the support they received after their child’s autism diagnosis as ‘poor’ or ‘awful’.