On the occasion of the World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd 2009, Autism-Europe issued a statement to call on the provision for the needs of persons with autism in the field of health care, education and employment. Autism-Europe considers that those needs are not sufficiently taken into account and human rights violations against people with autism take place daily across EU countries.
Autism-Europe particularly recommends the nine following measures:
- Improving the existing indicators on specific health care services in order to be able to measure the proportion of persons with autism or a complex dependency needs disability benefiting from adequate re-habilitation programmes;
- Reinforcing the initial and continuous training of health professionals on the internationally accepted diagnostic systems and evidence based treatments and ensuring an appropriate training of professionals in charge of the education of persons with autism;
- Ensuring a partnership between parents and professionals in order to determine appropriate educational or other programmes;
- Ensuring equal enrolment and access for all to the education systems, and ensuring equal opportunities to develop individual potential in every kind and level of education, regardless of the nature or severity of disability, by means of research-sound educational strategies and individually tailored educational programmes;
- Integrating the specific behavioural and communication features and needs of persons with autism or a complex dependency needs disability into the standard education systems by means of the continuous training of parents and professionals at all levels and not only as part of specialised training;
- Reinforcing life-long education and training of persons with autism or a complex dependency needs disability, notably professional training;
- Strengthening and adapting support at the workplace to the needs of persons with autism or a complex dependency needs disability 8. Having an environment that fosters communication and is adapted to the problems of behaviour faced by persons with autism;
- Choosing a way of living either at home or in a residential setting with adequate support from health and education services;
- Having access to a good quality of life in terms of physical, emotional, social and material wellbeing.