Autism Act

The Autism Act 2009 was the first ever disability-specific law in England. The Act relates only to adults with autism living in England.

The Act did two key things. It put a duty on Government to:

1. produce a strategy for adults with autism, this strategy, entitled "Fulfilling and rewarding lives: the strategy for adults with Autism in England" was published on 2 March 2010.
2. produce statutory guidance for local councils and local health bodies on implementing the adult autism strategy by the end of 2010. This guidance was published on 17 December 2010.

The latest strategy - entitled 'Think Autism' was published in 2014. This contains three new proposals:

1. Autism Aware Communities - 'Think Autism' community awareness projects will be established in local communities
2. Autism Innovation Fund - to provide funding for projects that promote innovative local services and project
3. For Better data collection and more joined up advice and information services

The 'Think Autism' strategy also reinforces the expectations and actions for local authorities and local NHS bodies, as set out in the 2010 strategy.