Agenda item

Maria Cattelona - Disabilities Commissioning Officer for Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Autism Partnership and Patti Harrison – Wiltshire Parent Carer Council, will talk about autism, how the condition affects people and why this is important for the Malmesbury area.

The Chairman introduced Maria Cattelona from Wiltshire Council and Patti Harrison from Wiltshire Parent Carer Council. Patti and Maria gave a brief overview of Autism as a condition and talked about prevalence rates, sharing that around 4,500 people may have an autism spectrum condition in Wiltshire, with around 190 of these estimated in the Malmesbury area. It was explained that a large proportion of these people may not require social care support as many people can lead relatively independent lives however, Maria and Patti highlighted the need for community awareness and understanding to ensure those with an autism spectrum condition can access the same local services, amenities and support structures as everyone else.

Patti and Marie stated that autism is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition affects them in different ways. The three main areas of difficulty which all people with autism share are sometimes known as the 'triad of impairments'. People have difficulties with:

1. social communication (e.g. difficulty with both verbal and non-verbal language)

2. social interaction (e.g. difficulty recognising or understanding other people's emotions and feelings)

3. social imagination (e.g. difficulty understanding and predicting other people's thoughts or behaviour).

A short DVD was then shown detailing the lives of some Wiltshire residents who live with autism, and the affect the condition has on their daily lives.

Patti then gave a few examples of where autism can lead to misunderstanding of a person’s needs, or a misrepresentation of their behaviour. Patti also highlighted the need for awareness in the local community of individuals who may be autistic, and to consider their needs in managing their lives.

The chairman then asked if police or other services had been made aware of the differences in managing individuals who may be autistic in difficult situations.

Patti was able to confirm that autism alert cards are carried by some autistic individuals to alert services of their condition, whilst Mark Thompson was also able to confirm that officers had undergone some training in managing individuals in accordance with their duties.

A question was raised from the floor detailing some examples of socially unacceptable behaviour from some individuals, and asked how this could be managed.

Patti was able to respond stating that managing the needs and requirements of the individual is the same as managing the requirements of any individual, but that it must be exercised with a degree of awareness of the condition.

Councillor Killane then raised an example whereby an individual in a park who approached children could be misinterpreted, and how parents could be concerned.

It was agreed that there is likely to be confusion sometimes individuals whom are autistic, in terms of their actions and how it is viewed by society. Patti reiterated the importance of understanding autism in the local area, and raising awareness of those who are affected.

Some further information on Autism in the local area can be found on the Wiltshire Council website;

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/autism

The Chairman then thanked Patti and Maria for the presentation and for the questions from the room.

Decision

The Area Board noted the presentation