Autism charity TreeHouse welcomes the Government’s call for evidence for SEN and Disability Green Paper out today (Friday 10 September)

Published by Nia for Tree House in Central Government and also in Communities, Education, Health

TreeHouse, the national charity for autism education, welcomes the Government's call for evidence for the Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Green Paper which has gone out today (Friday 10 September). The Green Paper will set out the Government's approach to supporting young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families – families who all too often face immense barriers when accessing services and support.

Priorities within the call for evidence include early intervention, family centered services, and parental choice – issues which have a huge impact on children with autism and their families. Currently the outlook for these families is often very bleak - In schools with pupils with autism only 22% of teachers have been trained specifically in autism (1); one in five children with autism have been excluded from school (2); and 78% of Local Authorities could not say what proportion of their SEN budget was spend on autism services (3). TreeHouse is therefore delighted that Minister of State for Children and Families, Sarah Teather, has made clear her intentions to base this Green Paper on the views and experiences of parents, professionals and young people themselves - and to build on evidence we already have rather than starting from scratch.

Jolanta Lasota, TreeHouse Chief Executive, said: “It is good to see the Government looking into the needs of young people with special educational needs and specifically those with severe and complex needs through this Green Paper. Autism is a complex, lifelong condition affecting one in 100 children, but all too often families come up against immense barriers when trying to access services and support they need. At TreeHouse we are ambitious about what young people with autism can achieve given the right support, and we are very pleased that one of the guiding principles of this review is that we should have high expectations for young people with SEN. We know from our work that early intervention makes an enormous difference to a child's progress. We will be calling for the Green Paper to set out a clear and positive approach to early intervention, so that children and young people are given the opportunity to fulfill their potential and live the life they choose.”

(1) Barnard, J et. al. (2003), Autism in Schools: Crisis or Challenge?, NAS: London

(2) Batten, A et. al. (2006), Autism and Education: The Reality for Families Today, NAS: London

(3) Clements, K & Daly, S (2009), A Snapshot of children’s autism services in the UK, TreeHouse: London