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Specialist schools would support children with autism
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Ivan Corea, head of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Secretary of State for Children Ed Balls to allow SEN schools to be transformed into academies under the Government's program.
He also called on the Government to set up state of the art specialist autism schools or academies - according to estimates there over 90,000 children in the UK who are on the autism spectrum.
Mr. Corea was addressing a conference at the International Teachers College in the University of East London complex. He spoke about the Autism Awareness Campaign and the struggle of parents, carers and people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome in the UK. There were 250 teachers and students from around the world who were present at the event.
Autism is a neuro-developental disorder - over 500,000 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum. Recently a leaked study from the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge University suggested that 1 in 58 children in the UK may have autism. If this number is confirmed it could point to a surge in autism in the UK.
The Autism Awareness Campaign UK has been appealing to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to back a national strategy for autism and a 10 year plan of action on autism in the UK - this includes building specialism autism schools open to all across the UK.
There are parents, carers and people with autism who are still struggling to access public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care.
"People are still finding that a postcode lottery to public services still exists for parents, carers and people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.
"We have urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take action to help this group, we need a long term strategy," said Ivan Corea.
There are 60 million people with autism around the world. Many international delegates at the event organised by the International Teachers College and held at the University of East London shared their views on autism, they expressed concern that Governments in Africa and Asia were not doing enough to support children and adults with autism.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged his support for the Millennium Development Goal on education for every child upto primary school level when he recently addressed a meeting at the United Nations in New York.
The Autism Awareness Campaign UK has asked the Government to give priority to the whole subject of autism in Africa and Asia and take these issues up with international leaders.
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