Hope of ‘real change’ for autism sufferers

The Autism Amendment Bill was passed on Monday night at the Assembly with unanimous, cross-party support.

Some of the changes that the bill will introduce will be the creation of an autism information service and a cross-departmental autism training strategy.

There will also be a requirement for the Department of Health to make provision for a regionally consistent adult autism service and early intervention service throughout Northern Ireland.

Its passing was welcomed by all five of the largest political parties at Stormont.

DUP MLA Diane Dodds said: “This is a wonderful piece of legislation that will strengthen and enhance provisions for our autistic community in Northern Ireland.

“It builds upon previous legislation, to ensure that adults and children with autism, get the right services, at the right time, throughout their life.”

Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew said: “I’m pleased that the Autism Bill has passed its final stage in the Assembly and is another step closer to becoming law.

“This will help deliver real and positive change for so many families, with more investment into autism services to support people.”

He added: “It will also reduce waiting lists and ensure better access to services in communities across the north.

“I would like to commend all the families and parties who have campaigned tirelessly to get this over the line.”

The chief executive of the charity Autism NI, Kerry Boyd, said: “Autism NI has worked extremely hard to ensure that the content of the bill reflected the needs of our autism community here. The last few months have been very stressful as we were unsure whether there was enough time left within this current mandate for the bill to be passed, so I am very relieved and grateful.”

Shelley Armstrong, parent to seven-year-old Hannah, also hailed the passing of the bill, saying: “As a mother of autistic children, I am hopeful that this will be the start of real change through better support services and opportunities for them.”