Grampian Autism Alert Card
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-04776, in the name of Mark McDonald, on Grampian launches autism alert card. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament welcomes the launch of Grampian’s new initiative, the Autism Alert card, which, it understands, is supported by Grampian Police, a range of partner organisations across the region and the National Autistic Society Scotland; believes that the card will help to ensure that those with the condition are quickly identified; notes that the card includes details of a personal contact who can take police and support organisations through the best ways to help an individual with autism, particularly in highly pressurised situations, and recognises calls for young people and adults with autism to apply for a card and for the initiative to be considered in other areas.
17:06
I thank members of parties from all around the chamber who signed my motion, which has enabled it to be debated in the chamber. I also thank the National Autistic Society Scotland, first for inviting me to the launch event for the autism alert card, and secondly for the support that it provided to me in drafting the motion and preparing for the debate.
I note that, as my debate follows Alison McInnes’s debate on Camphill yesterday and precedes Richard Baker’s debate tomorrow lunchtime, we have a hat-trick of North East Scotland members’ debates in Parliament this week. I hope that the high standard that Alison McInnes’s debate set last night will continue during this debate and tomorrow’s debate, as I have every confidence that it will.
I am holding up the autism alert card that the Grampian region launched on 12 November, one month ago today. I believe that it will make a key contribution to improving understanding of autism in the criminal justice system, and that it will have a wider application across the public and private sectors.
The card demonstrates a strong commitment from the organisations that have signed up to it, which include Grampian Police, NHS Grampian, the three north-east councils, Autism Initiatives Scotland, G4S, Grampian Autistic Society and the National Autistic Society. The input of G4S, which handles prisoner transfer, is an important facet, alongside Grampian Police’s involvement.
When I was offered the opportunity to speak at the launch event on 12 November, I said that I hoped that other organisations in the public and private sectors would look at ways in which they could buy into the process and make use of the autism alert card in order to help them and individuals with autism and Asperger’s syndrome who may use their services or frequent their premises.
The card has been launched to help to ensure that those with the condition are quickly identified and supported by Grampian Police and a range of partner organisations that I have just outlined. The National Autistic Society Scotland is heralding the card as a “breakthrough” for Grampian.
There are an estimated 50,000 Scots with autism, nearly 6,000 of whom are thought to live in the Grampian region. The card will include details of a personal contact who can lead police and other organisations through the best ways to help the individual with autism in what could be highly pressured experiences for them.
At the launch event we heard from David Silvester, a retired joiner from Moray who has Asperger’s syndrome. He said:
“On the outside I appear articulate and look like I’m functioning well. This could be a real problem if I’m a victim of crime or accident, because police will expect me to communicate and process information in the same way they do, and I can’t always do this.”
He went on to say:
“It would be great if the public could see that people with autism are not ‘weird’ or ‘odd’. We just see the world in a different way. We have support needs, but also capabilities. For example, I’m very observant, and often spot the detail in a situation or conversation that many people might miss, so I could be an excellent witness. But the police would need to know the best way to communicate with me. That’s where the Autism Alert card could be invaluable.”
Sandy Fraser, who is 18 and from New Deer, and who has Asperger’s syndrome, also attended that event. In the press release that was issued following the event, he was quoted as saying:
“I’m an observant driver, but if I come into contact with the police the flashing lights, crackling radio noises, high visibility vests and the questioning could be confusing and overwhelming. I think the Autism Alert card is going to really help police resolve these kinds of situations with less stress.”
Karen Williams, who is the director of corporate services at Grampian Police, said that the card
“will allow our officers to quickly identify a card-holder’s condition, improve understanding of their needs and offer them the best possible support.”
The crucial issue is that understanding of autism be improved. Only a minority of people with autism come into contact with the criminal justice system as victims, witnesses, suspects or offenders, but they are vulnerable because of their social and communication difficulties. Making an emergency 999 call—many of us would take that process for granted—can be very difficult for someone with autism, as can giving a statement to a police officer following a burglary. The wider implications of the situation may not be apparent to them, and they can have difficulty in understanding the subtleties of language. For example, they often interpret statements literally, so if anyone uses figures of speech, colloquialisms, sarcasm or humour, that is often not relayed by the individual, which can often lead to their displaying what could be considered to be suspicious or difficult and challenging behaviour.
The card contains enough basic information to allow a police officer or other member of the emergency services to recognise someone with autism and support them through a range of situations. Police forces are also supported to identify training for their staff to improve their knowledge of autism. Some areas have produced short films to demonstrate the alert card in use in a variety of situations, such as at airport security, with a witness to a crime, or at a home fire-safety check. It should be noted that the Grampian autism alert card stands alongside cards that have been issued in Strathclyde, Lothian and Borders, and Highlands and Islands.
Although there has been no formal evaluation of the schemes yet, the National Autistic Society Scotland has said that there is informal evidence from people that the cards are helping. Users of the card have reported that knowing that they feel safer and more confident in public spaces improves their self-confidence. They also feel more confident when they come into contact with organisations. Police officers and others have said that they are helped to support people with autism better. That has led to the avoidance of more serious situations developing and has potentially avoided more costly interventions, which are often not needed.
We should note that the recent case of Gary McKinnon, for example, has much to teach us about societal and criminal justice attitudes towards autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Much still needs to be done to educate not just the public sector, but wider society and politicians about the difficulties that can be caused when people with autism or Asperger’s syndrome come into contact with the criminal justice system or other services. As we move to having a national police force, the Government and the national police force might consider whether the scheme could be replicated on a national basis. I know that the National Autistic Society is keen on that, and I am certainly keen on it. The anecdotal evidence that has been received certainly suggests that it is of benefit. I hope that the Government will consider progressing that.
17:13
I congratulate Mark McDonald on securing the debate. I know that he takes a particularly keen interest in the issue. Across the chamber, we all want to ensure that steps are taken to support people with autism and their families, of course.
Like members from across the north-east I have, since I was elected, met a number of parents of autistic children, so I know how challenging their lives can be in caring for the children, even into their adult years. Therefore, everything that we can do to help them and their families should be done.
I very much welcome the National Autistic Society’s taking forward of the alert card initiative in Grampian. Over the years, there have been a number of debates on ensuring that we have the support services that we need for people with autism in Grampian. Mark McDonald said that there are some 6,000 people with autism in Grampian, so there is a great need there. In that regard, we had a debate over the future of St Andrew’s school in Inverurie in which MSPs from around the chamber took an active interest. There have been on-going discussions over the level and range of support services that are available to people with autism—for example, the constant need to provide more access to speech therapy and the need to recruit more speech therapists to Grampian.
Although we have been successful in a number of such campaigns and, indeed, in securing a future for St Andrew’s school, one of the challenges for debates on such issues is that they are undoubtedly about resource-intensive issues. We will and should continue to campaign and work for improved services in such areas, but we all know that these are tough times financially. It is therefore welcome that today we debate an initiative that is not simply about resources but is a step that has been taken by a charity that is supported by local agencies, including Grampian Police and the other agencies that Mark McDonald mentioned. I am sure that it will have taken a lot of work to put in place, but it comes across as a straightforward concept. However, it is one that will make a real difference to people with autism.
We want people with autism to play an active role in our communities, but of course social encounters that we might regard as being routine can be anything but for them. I hope that the introduction of the autism alert card will give people with autism greater confidence in social situations and make others more aware of the issues regarding people with autism and the fact that they find some encounters difficult to deal with, so that they can give more consideration to how to deal with such situations themselves. I am sure that the card will be broadly helpful in that regard.
It is important that we do all that we can do to promote the use of the card, whether in dealing with the emergency services in the important situations to which Mark McDonald referred, or in going to the shops, making a purchase or getting on a bus. I am sure that in all such situations the cards will help people with autism and everybody involved.
It will be important for not only Grampian Police but our councils and other local agencies to do all that they can to promote the card and awareness of the scheme to ensure that people know that the card is now being used and that we can maximise its benefits. It is therefore welcome to hear that other agencies, along with Grampian Police, have signed up to the scheme.
I agree that the card will make a positive difference for people with autism. This excellent scheme was introduced by the National Autistic Society on behalf of those for whom it works so hard to support. I congratulate the society on its initiative and Mark McDonald on giving Parliament the opportunity to raise awareness of the project, to discuss it and to welcome it today.
17:17
I, too, congratulate my friend and colleague Mark McDonald on bringing this important debate to the chamber this evening. He hit the nail on the head when he said that it is about understanding and awareness.
In my social work days I came into contact with many families that included people with autism and Asperger’s, which is a wide-ranging spectrum. I had to become aware quickly, because I had not been particularly aware of the impact and all the associated aspects of autism through the spectrum. For example, I was not aware that people with autism perhaps had less sensitivity to heat or cold, that they would perhaps not make eye contact, or that they sometimes did not realise the consequences of taking certain actions.
Such awareness is a learning curve, which is why it is essential that we have the alert card for our emergency services, particularly the police, and for our emergency services in the health sector, when people have to present themselves at accident and emergency. People with autism have difficulty in processing certain aspects of communication, so the alert card will ensure that the most appropriate member of staff can engage with them.
Having children with autism and Asperger’s can be devastating for parents, especially for those who want to demonstrate their love by giving their young children a cuddle or hug. Quite often, that demonstration of love is rebuffed, because the young child cannot process or understand what is happening to them.
In bringing the debate to the Parliament, Mark McDonald has highlighted an issue to do with raising the profile of autism and Asperger’s in the community. He said that 6,000 people are affected in Grampian—if I had been asked to guess how many people in Grampian have the condition, I would not have come up with such a number. Many more people have the condition than we realise, but perhaps that is because many people with autism and Asperger’s live normal lives.
We must raise awareness and understanding, through education. We need to ensure that teachers, general practitioners and other people in the health sector and, in particular, people in the emergency services, are aware. We need to ensure that parents and carers are given the right information, to ensure that as the children grow up and become young adults they understand the impact of autism and Asperger’s on their lives.
I congratulate Mark McDonald on securing this important debate and wish him well in raising awareness in Grampian even further.
17:21
Like other members, I welcome the debate. I pay tribute to Mark McDonald’s commitment to raising awareness of autism and to his excellent speech, in which he set out the benefits to autistic people in Grampian of the autism alert card. The focus of the debate is the launch of the card, but before I talk about that new initiative I will make a few general comments about the most challenging aspects of the serious condition that we are talking about.
In recent years, progress has been made in tackling misconceptions about autism and changing public attitudes towards people who are affected by the condition. However, we need to go further. We need to expose the ignorance and myths about autism and highlight the very real problems that people with the condition face, such as bullying at school and difficulty in obtaining full-time employment.
Is the member aware that the National Autistic Society frequently tweets autism myths and facts? I take the trouble to retweet those tweets. The charity does good work to try to dispel myths and explain facts about autism.
I am a non-tweeter, so I am interested to hear that. It sounds like a worthwhile initiative.
It is estimated that about 50,000 people in Scotland—one in every 100—have autism. Incidence is quite high in the north-east, where around 6,000 people are affected. The number is rising in Scotland as more people are recognised as having the disorder. Early diagnosis and therapeutic and educational interventions are needed to help people and their families and carers, so it is sad that there is still a lack of awareness among professionals and that services remain patchy.
As Mark McDonald just highlighted, a number of recent innovations have helped people with autism. The new transitions project, which was launched in the north-east in autumn, has the aim of supporting and preparing secondary 3 and 4 pupils with autism for moving on from secondary education. I am sure that we all acknowledge that leaving school can be difficult and traumatic for any youngster; the situation is exacerbated for a young person with autism.
The project is a joint venture between National Autistic Society Scotland and Inspire (Partnership Through Life), a local charity that works with people who have learning disabilities. It offers to young people with autism in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire specially designed modules, which focus on strategies for coping with anxiety and anger, employment options, behavioural problems and, perhaps most significant, the development of social skills, which is a challenge for a young individual with autism.
I have no doubt that the autism alert card will also help people as they move beyond school and into adult situations. I very much welcome the initiative in Grampian, which potentially will increase the safety of people with autism. The pioneering approach, which NAS Scotland described as a breakthrough for Grampian, strengthens the links between people with the condition and Grampian Police and other stakeholders. The card gives details of a personal contact in case the person encounters difficulty, for example if they become anxious on public transport or in a shop, or during sporting activities such as swimming. More important, it provides a massive degree of support for the individual with autism in that it helps the police to understand that the reason for what could be perceived as erratic behaviour is that the person has autism. That is a great step towards achieving a better understanding and awareness of the condition.
As I have done in previous debates, I pay enormous tribute to NAS Scotland as not only a leading charity in its field but one of the most vocal and active charities in Scotland. I commend the sterling work of NAS Scotland, the autism alert card initiative and the motion that Mark McDonald has brought to the chamber for debate.
17:25
I add my congratulations to Mark McDonald on bringing his motion to the chamber for debate this evening.
It might not be immediately obvious that someone has autism or an autism spectrum disorder. In fact, autism is a very underdiagnosed condition precisely because it is a spectrum disorder. We know, for example, that Asperger’s is a form of autism. People with Asperger’s are often of average or above average intelligence. They have fewer problems with speech, but they might have difficulties with understanding and processing language, and they have difficulties with social interaction, as Mark McDonald mentioned. They may appear insensitive because they have not recognised how someone else is feeling, and they may appear to behave strangely or inappropriately precisely because they do not have the mechanisms that others have in terms of social interaction. As has been mentioned, they cannot process facial expressions, tone of voice, jokes or sarcasm—things that the rest of us take for granted.
Even though not everyone who should perhaps be armed with the autism alert card has it, it is important to raise awareness of the card and of autism in general.
Mark McDonald mentioned the criminal justice system. As a former prison visiting committee member, I know that too many people who are caught up in the criminal justice system may have autism. However, even outwith prisons, when there are boyhood pranks, the person with autism is often disarmingly honest and has not got into the habit of running away as his mates might have done, so such people get caught up in the system.
It is vital that security guards in shopping centres are made aware of the card and are trained to recognise autism. I have a friend who is obsessed with watching out for shoplifters, and security guards are often a bit apprehensive about what he is doing. People who work for transport providers should also be trained to recognise the card.
It is good that the card is working well in other areas. I make the analogy with the thistle assistance card, which I had the pleasure and privilege of launching for the south east of Scotland transport partnership in my role as convener of the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee. That card, which has been well received, alerts transport providers to people who have sight, hearing, speech and mobility problems. It has special stickers that people can put on that say “Please wait for me to sit down”, “Please talk slowly and clearly” and so on. It can also be used when, for example, people with Parkinson’s need more time at the checkout in shops and so on.
The cards have tremendous benefits, but it is important that training is provided for everyone who might be presented with a card and that card holders can feel confident in presenting their card at all times so that we can break down more barriers and misconceptions or ignorance about autism.
17:29
I thank Mark McDonald for bringing the launch of Grampian’s new initiative, the autism alert card, to our attention and I thank those members who have attended and contributed to the debate.
As members might have noticed, I am not Michael Matheson. I am standing in for Michael as he is unable to attend the debate. I am very familiar with this subject from my time as Minister for Public Health and it is very dear to my heart.
I fully welcome last month’s launch of the card in Grampian. The card is supported by Grampian Police, the National Autistic Society Scotland, a range of partner organisations across the region and, of course, Mark McDonald and other local members. Those partner organisations include the charities Autism Initiatives Scotland, the Grampian Autistic Society, and G4S, Aberdeen City Council, Moray Council and Aberdeenshire Council.
I believe that the card will help ensure that people with autism are more quickly identified as being on the autism spectrum and get the assistance and understanding that they require. Members across the chamber have laid out very clearly why that is important. It will help to address the unique challenges that people with autism can face, particularly if they are victims of crime or an accident. As has been said, in such situations they may experience immense pressure and become very anxious but feel unable to explain their situation or what they are experiencing. In addition to the difficulties that they experience in the moment, they may have trouble interpreting facial expressions, not understand what it is being said to them or misinterpret others’ intentions. All those things can have very serious consequences, particularly if a person is caught up in a serious crime or medical emergency.
As has been said, there is still a challenge to help the wider public understand autism a bit more. Those without an understanding of autism may find such individuals’ behaviour or words at such times unusual, which can be difficult and stressful for both the person with autism and the person dealing with them. Public and emergency services professionals may find the person with autism’s behaviour particularly challenging in a high pressure situation.
The card will include details of a personal contact: a named representative of the individual on the spectrum who can assist and support police and ambulance, hospital and other key service professionals by taking them through how best to help the individual and providing them with a fuller understanding of the individual’s needs.
The autism alert card is for use not only in emergencies or highly pressurised situations, but in daily life—as Maureen Watt said—when someone is out shopping, using public transport, using leisure facilities or out at social events. By showing the card, a person can make another person aware of their condition, improve their understanding and help facilitate communication.
NASS, which is one of Scotland’s leading autism charities, is encouraging all affected young people and adults in the Grampian region to apply. An estimated one in 100 Scottish people are on the autism spectrum. That equates to around 50,000 people, of which almost 6,000 are believed to live in Grampian.
Autism alert card schemes have already been launched in the regions of Strathclyde, central Scotland, Lothian and Borders and the Highlands and Islands, including Orkney and the Shetland Isles. The schemes have been launched by and are available through a variety of leading autism organisations, including Scottish Autism, NASS and the autism resource centre. Mark McDonald made a very good point about the possible opportunities to take the card schemes further with the coming into being of the single police force, which I will pass on to Michael Matheson as an idea to take forward.
The Government is committed to improving the lives of people with autism and those of their families and carers. As many members will be aware, in November 2011 Michael Matheson launched “The Scottish Strategy for Autism” to ensure that people with autism and their families are supported by the widest possible range of services, including social care, education, housing and employment. That was widely welcomed. The Government is beginning to make a real difference by improving the support services that are available to people who need them. One year on we are making good progress, while acknowledging that there is always more to be done.
Alongside the strategy, the minister announced an investment of £13.4 million over four years to implement the 10-year strategy, building on improvements to autism services and access to those services. Part of that funding was the autism development fund of £1.5 million per annum, which is available to local and national organisations to enable them to deliver local services on the ground. To date, some 53 organisations across Scotland are benefiting from that.
Other initiatives that are being funded to drive forward the work of meeting the strategy’s recommendations to address gaps in services include the roll-out of six new one-stop shops throughout the country, funding for training courses and investment in a 10-month national mapping project that will provide a picture of services on the ground and gaps that need to be addressed.
In February, the roll-out of one-stop shops was announced as a spending priority by the Minister for Public Health. The one-stop shops provide local services for people with autism in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Six additional one-stop shops are being planned or are in the early stages of being established in Grampian, the Highlands, Tayside, Fife, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Those will be voluntary sector models working in partnership with local authorities, the national health service and local groups representing parents and those on the autism spectrum. Each one will be tailored to meet local needs. The one-stop shops could perhaps provide a vehicle through which people could obtain information about, and seek help in applying for, an autism alert card. A variety of research projects are also being funded through the £13.4 million that is being invested to deliver the strategy, including one that is addressing the issue of waiting times for obtaining a diagnosis.
People on the autism spectrum face a wide variety of issues in their daily lives, and no two people on the spectrum are the same—an important point that has been raised in the debate. For some, their differences may not be immediately obvious and can be easily misunderstood. The work that is being undertaken, of which I have mentioned just a few examples, will help us to realise our vision of individuals on the spectrum being respected, accepted and valued by their communities and having confidence in services that treat them fairly so that they are able to lead meaningful and satisfying lives.
I thank everyone for their contributions to the debate. I will make sure that Michael Matheson is made aware of the points that have been made during the debate.
Meeting closed at 17:37.