How Many People Have an Autistic Spectrum Condition?

According to the NAS (National Autistic Society) an estimated 535,000 people in the UK have an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and of these, an estimated 192,600 people have Asperger syndrome and 160,500 have High Functioning Autism. According to statistics provided by the NAS, revised prevalence rates of individuals with an ASC are estimated to be as high as one in 86. This means that in West Yorkshire there are estimated to be up to 25,000 people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, out of which you could expect to find 9,000 people with Asperger Syndrome. In the Bradford population alone there are approximately 5,632 people with an autistic spectrum disorder, including 2,026 people with Asperger syndrome.

What Is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger Syndrome is a neuro-developmental condition on the Autistic Spectrum. It is characterised by social isolation and eccentric or anti-social behaviour. Although most sufferers have average or higher intelligence their inclusion in society is impaired by their poor social skills, poor motor co-ordination, attention deficits, immaturity, and narrow and obsessive interests.

Commonly these individuals are nervous and anxious about any changes in their routine and are afraid of quite ordinary things. The condition can be associated with, and aggravated by, additional learning disabilities and mental health problems.

The changes which occur during adolescence can be traumatic for most teenagers, but for those with Autism and Asperger syndrome, these changes can result in severe anxiety, depression and mental health problems. Many families have lived for years trying to cope with members who have not been correctly diagnosed or not referred for diagnosis at all. If a correct diagnosis has been made during childhood, these teenagers may have received some support during school years, but once they reach the age of 18 any support is often no longer available.

Although children of school age diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Conditions generally benefit from specialist support in the education environment, post-16 young adults with Autism and Asperger syndrome continue to be explicitly excluded from access to statutory health and social care as they do not "fit" the perceived remit of learning disability or mental health. The lack of awareness and knowledge about this condition often contributes to the use of inappropriate services and interventions that exacerbate rather than minimise the difficulties. A third of adults with autism are involved in no social activities whatsoever. Before attending Sacar, many of our members only left their house if accompanied by a parent or carer and even then this caused extreme anxiety. Through Sacar's support, some of our original members are now living independently in their own flats, travelling independently, involved in social activities at weekends and evenings and some are now in further education or employment. The transformation in our members soon becomes apparent as their communications skills improve, they begin to show empathy and their confidence and self-esteem increases. Social skills such as these are usually taken for granted as part of our natural development, however, they are just a few of the skills and characteristics which have to be learned by people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions. Once they have been learnt they can change lives.

The absence of basic social skills is a major barrier to education, training, employment and independent living. Our programme is innovative and provides a model for delivery of independent living skills/life skills training for young people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions.