Mark Pawsey MP attended the first ever Understanding Autism event in Parliament on 1 May, to learn more about what autism is, get guidance on how to create autism-friendly surgeries and understand how to support autistic constituents.
There are around 700,000 autistic children and adults in the UK. The National Autistic Society believes that increasing MPs’ awareness and understanding of autism is an important step to improving their ability to support and champion the issues that matter to autistic people in their constituencies and in Parliament too. The charity was delighted that so many MPs attended and will be working with them to ensure support improves for autistic people at both local and national levels.
The sessions were run by four National Autistic Society staff, two of whom are autistic. The Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA), the Rt Hon Dame Cheryl Gillan MP, who hosted the session, noted how crucial it is for parliamentarians to be more sensitive and aware of the challenges autistic people can face. Lots of the MPs who were there agreed that with kindness, patience and sensitivity they could make a big change to the way they support their autistic constituents.
Autism is a lifelong disability that affects how someone communicates and sees, hears and feels the world around them. It is a spectrum condition. This means autistic people have their own strengths and varying and complex needs, from 24-hour care to simply needing clearer communication and a little longer to do things at work and school.
Mark said:
“I was delighted to attend the Understanding Autism session and grateful to the National Autistic Society for organising it. As Rugby’s MP I have met with a number of families who have needed additional support due to autism and it’s important that they have access to it.”
Mark continued:
“Despite nearly 1% of the UK population being diagnosed with autism, there is still a lot of misunderstanding about how it affects people. I myself found out things that I was not previously aware of in respect of engaging with autisic people and it will certainly improve the way in which I can help anyone with autism who comes to speak with me.”
Anna Bailey-Bearfield, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the National Autistic Society, added:
“We were really pleased to welcome Mark Pawsey MP to our first ever Understanding Autism session for MPs. It’s really encouraging to see MPs such as Mark want to learn more about how to support their autistic constituents, as they play a really important role in helping to create a world that works for autistic people.”