04/12/2020 Standing Committee
The time has come to make the world more ‘autism-friendly’, PACE’s Standing Committee has urged, calling for “person-centred and life-long support” for people with autism and their families.
In a resolution based on a report by Sevinj Fataliyeva (Azerbaijan, EC/DA), approved today during a meeting by teleconference, the committee recommended a raft of measures to ensure people with autism can reach their full potential, including:
- national strategies and action plans for autism that take a “whole government” and holistic approach
- stamping out stigma, negative stereotyping and discrimination against people with autism and their families
- including people with autism and their families in developing policies to support them
- mandatory autism training for social workers, teachers, doctors, police officers, legal professionals and others
- swift and thorough diagnosis for both children and adults
- extra support for autistic people in educational settings and at work, or when they come into contact with the police or the justice system
People with autism and their families had been “heavily and disproportionately affected” by the current pandemic, the parliamentarians pointed out, and as a result should receive special attention now.