NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY'S GREAT EXPECTATIONS CAMPAIGN

That this House has great expectations for the education of children with autism; notes that according to new research from the National Autistic Society (NAS), 48 per cent. of parents said they waited over a year to get the right support for their child; acknowledges the devastating impact that a lack of appropriate support has on children with autism and their families; recognises that the Government's proposed special educational needs reforms will shape the future of a generation of children with autism; welcomes the NAS's Great Expectations report, which reflects the views of thousands of children with autism and their parents in the context of these reforms; agrees that these children should expect an education that sets them up for life and that their parents should expect a system that works with, not against, them; urges the Government to listen to their views as set out in the Great Expectations report; and calls on the Government to take decisive action to improve the support available for this group through their reforms.