A tsunami of need

o Accessing leisure and social activities (55%)

o Dealing with bullying and discrimination (53%)

o Accessing professional services (59%)

What is We Belong and why was the study conducted?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder characterised by difficulties with social interaction and communication. Adults living with HFA and AD have never before been given an opportunity on this scale to have their voices heard, to discover what services and support they need in order to live happy and fulfilling lives and to be contributing members of society.

In 2011, Aspect worked with people living with HFA and AD, and their families and carers to uncover the realities of their daily lives. The resulting report – We Belong – has given us qualitative and quantitative insights into the experiences, aspirations and needs ofthese adults, through topics studied including health, education, work, social life, community involvement, and daily living.

Results

We Belong highlights the lack of of any government funding for services and support for this group of people in the community and proves the vital need for this to change. The biggest challenge is that whilst these people have autism, but no intellectual disability, they do not qualify for government benefits, when this is exactly what they need. A survey participant Jenny, aged 29 from WA stated: "As I am not intellectually disabled, but someone who has the "high functioning" label, others tend to downplay my difficulties because they are not as obvious. I tend to fall between the cracks regarding services – I'm not seen as requiring assistance, when in reality, I do."

Survey results also show that educational experiences for people in this group are characterised by worrying trends including –

· social isolation

· failure to meet learning support needs

· harassment and bullying