News from the NAS

On 18 May, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was published. Join us on Tuesday 28 May for a live chat session about DSM-5 with Professor Gillian Baird OBE.

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) on 18 May. DSM-5 includes some changes which could affect the way diagnoses will be given to people on the autism spectrum.

Dr Elizabeth Laugeson will be delivering training in the use of PEERS® in June. The three-day training course will enable professionals to become one of the first certified PEERS® providers in the UK.

Join us this summer for A Curious Night at the Theatre - a fundraising event in aid of The National Autistic Society and Ambitious about Autism.

Tom Madders, Head of Campaigns, led a live chat session on Thursday 16 May 2013 to discuss your questions about the Autism Act review and our newly launched Push For Action campaign.

A report ‘Promoting Independence, Preventing Crisis’ which calls on the Government to improve adult social care services for working age disabled people was launched today Wednesday 15 May at a reception in the Houses of Parliament.

The Department for Education has approved The National Autistic Society’s bid to run two specialist free schools – one in Lambeth for 78 pupils, and one in Cheshire East for 60 pupils.

On Tuesday 14 May 2013 we launched our new campaign to push for better support for adults with autism, Push for Action. More than 50 MPs attended the event.

The Three Guineas Trust invites applications from local charities which run play schemes and activity programmes over the summer school holiday.

Three judges have ruled that the procedure currently used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to decide whether hundreds of thousands of people are eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) disadvantages people with mental health problems, learning disabilities and autism.

Last month, autism campaigner Kevin Healey launched an ambitious campaign to better protect people with autism from bullying. It is rapidly gaining traction, with celebrity support, national media coverage and masses of activity across Twitter.

Join us on Thursday 9 May for a live chat session about setting up an autism-specific free school.

Following letters from NAS Chief Executive Mark Lever and other disability campaigners about the low sentence given to Jordan Sheard for the manslaughter of a young man with autism, his sentence is to be reviewed.

An innovative autism information service has been launched by Leicestershire County Council and The National Autistic Society (NAS).

Disney’s The Lion King is set to present a dedicated autism-friendly performance this winter at Edinburgh’s Playhouse Theatre. The 3000 seat venue, owned by Ambassador Theatre Group, will host the largest dedicated autism-friendly performance ever to take place in Scotland.

Sobering new statistics released by The National Autistic Society (NAS) have revealed the devastating extent of disability hate crime on people with autism living in the UK.

The National Autistic Society Cymru has submitted a consultation response to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill, which we broadly welcome.

On Wednesday 29 May (Onesie Wednesday™) staff and volunteers of The National Autistic Society (NAS) will be wearing their onesies to work (including the commute!) to raise awareness for people with autism and to raise funds for the NAS, and we’d like you to join us.

Ten pupils at The National Autistic Society’s Radlett Lodge School in Hertfordshire have completed a media project in which they created an episode for a new soap opera called Riverscross.

Join Dr Jacqui Ashton-Smith for a live chat session on Thursday 2 May 2013 to ask your questions about women and girls on the autism spectrum and what teaching strategies can be used to support them.

Ten teenagers with autism were recently given the exciting opportunity to take part in a scuba diving ‘Try Dive’ with Newbury Sub-Aqua dive club.

Disability Living Allowance has now been replaced by the Personal Independence Payment for adults in North of England.

Researchers at The University of York are planning new research on the effectiveness of adult autism teams in delivering support for adults with autism and they need your help.

The Every Child in Need Campaign, of which the NAS is a member, has been successful in safeguarding  some of the  key rights of families with children with a disability to access help from social services.

The Scottish city of Stirling will host its first-ever autism friendly show on Thursday May 16. The relaxed performance of the National Theatre of Scotland’s The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish a first for the city will take place at the macrobert, Stirling, on Thursday 16 May.

Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex was warmly welcomed by students and staff when she visited NAS Helen Allison School in Kent.

As part of our Live Chat series, our Chief Executive Mark Lever answered your questions on the work of the NAS on World Autism Awareness Day, 2 April 2013.

We held a live chat on education and special educational needs (SEN) legislation on Thursday 18 April. Please read the live chat for more information. 

The National Autistic Society held its first Live Chat sessions this month. Live sessions allow you to ask questions to our knowledgeable and helpful staff on a range of different topics throughout the year.

Lord Ouseley visited Helen Allison School on Thursday 18 April.

A committee of MPs and peers tasked with looking at the potential impact of Government proposals for social care reform have published a report suggesting that the proposals must go further to ensure people with disabilities get the care and support they need.

Order your tickets for the NAS Spring Raffle today!

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a draft guideline for the management and support of children and young people with autism on 28 March.

This year The Autism Show will be held at the London Excel Centre June 14-15 with an additional show added at the Manchester Event City June 28-29.

We are delighted to announce the winners of our inaugural Autism Professionals Awards. The six award winners were announced at The National Autistic Society Professional Conference.

A significant new study examining some of the potential causes of autism has been published in The Lancet medical journal.

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington and Shadow Minister for Public Health, helped us launch a new campaign highlighting the obstacles that often prevent people with autism from black and ethnic minority (BME) backgrounds accessing the support they need.

Following the announcement of new rules relating to blue badges in England, The National Autistic Society is calling on the Government to listen to the voices of people with autism.

Earlier this week MPs debated the Government’s proposals for the biggest overhaul of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system for a generation.

Actor and campaigner Richard Wilson OBE helped to launch The National Autistic Society (NAS) Scotland's new campaign, Count us in, at the Scottish Parliament on 30 January.

On Wednesday 27 February 2012 in a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, a high profile committee of MPs that is responsible for monitoring Government spending, MPs urged the Government to implement commitments made in the 2010 autism strategy to improve services for adults with autism.

The Government has published the Children and Families Bill, which contains the biggest overhaul of the SEN system in thirty years. We are pleased the Government has responded to our concerns about parental rights and helping families access the  specialist support they need.

A legal challenge has been launched against the Government’s plan to reduce the amount of housing benefit families can claim if they are deemed to have a ‘spare’ bedroom, which may have implications for families of children with autism.

New guidance has been published for health services to help improve the transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services.

New research published today exposes the true scale of the Government's social care crisis for disabled people, which has left thousands without access to basic care to help them eat, wash properly and leave their homes.

In a first for London’s West End, a dedicated autism-friendly performance of Disney’s The Lion King has been announced for April 2013.