Last Thursday, the National Autistic Society (NAS) emailed about improving mental health support for autistic individuals.

They say they will “work with this parliament to strengthen the Mental Health Bill before it is passed into law to make sure we have better mental health and social services in the community to prevent autistic people from reaching crisis point in the first place.”

They have also highlighted the new Education Bill, promised in the King’s speech, and they want to emphasize that only 26% of autistic pupils feel happy at school (As well as being autistic, I have an autistic granddaughter in school). The NAS is determined to ensure that this includes comprehensive training for school and council staff, so that the needs of autistic children, who are currently not receiving enough support, can be properly addressed.

The current focus of the NAS is to actively advocate for a mental health system that ensures autistic individuals receive the vital support they require.

There’s an important survey waiting for you at the end of the letter. If you’re autistic, care for someone with autism, or have family members who are autistic, please take the time to fill it in. And if the autistic individual is finding it tough to complete the form, please lend a helping hand to ensure they can participate, while also filling it in for yourself. Every voice matters!

The email, together with the link to the form at the bottom can be found here.