§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government, in view of the number of autistic children who are in mental hospitals, what are the proposals to provide those children with appropriate residential schools and specialised education in those schools or elsewhere.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (LORD BELSTEAD)My Lords, under the Education (Handicapped Children) Act, my right honourable friend has appointed April 1 next as the date on which responsibility for providing appropriate education for autistic and other children in hospitals for the mentally handicapped will be transferred to local education authorities. It will be for them to decide what arrangements are made for educating these children. For those who continue to need medical or nursing care, they will no doubt establish hospital special schools; others may, after assessment, be found places in day or residential special schools.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I ask him whether he is aware that a good many of these children are not receiving the particular kind of service that they require? Is it enough to leave the matter to the local authorities? Further, may I ask whether Her Majesty's Government could encourage local authorities to take more developed action to meet the needs of these children?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, Her Majesty's Government sent out Circular 15/70 in July of this year, in which we asked for consultation. That may partly answer the noble Lord's question. In the circular we asked for proposals for special schools—that, of course, does not answer the noble Lord's question. Many autistic children appear also to be severely mentally handicapped and are at present in junior training centres or hospitals for the mentally handicapped. As these institutions have been the subject of fairly blanket condemnation in some quarters as unsuitable for autistic children, may I take this opportunity, in answer to the noble Lord's supplementary question, to correct that impression and draw attention to the devoted work that has been done in those places. I would remind the House that the changes that will take place after next April will bring people here in closer touch with those who are working in the main stream of this field.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, while fully appreciating that reply, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is aware that a good many of these children are not mentally deficient at all, but are assumed to be so, and that is where the real nub of the question lies?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, Her Majesty's Government take this matter very seriously indeed, but we are awaiting further research on it. As the noble Lord probably knows, research is going on at the moment in three different units in and near London, and we hope that the results of this research may be reported on within two years.
§ LORD SLATERMy Lords, can the noble Lord say how extensive is the accommodation that is being granted at the moment throughout the country? My question is not in regard to the three places that he has just indicated, but I should like to know how extensive it is throughout the country, North, East, South and West.
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, there are believed to be about 3,000 autistic children of school age in England and Wales. That figure was arrived at as a result of the Middlesex survey. Of those, some 600 may be in hospitals for the mentally handicapped, whose total population of mentally handicapped children 383 exceeds 7,000. I say "may be" because we are not talking about categories.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, would not the noble Lord agree that diagnosis of autism is often extremely difficult to arrive at, even by the most experienced of medical experts; and ought not the restricted availability of residential accommodation and special education to be made available also to other cases of mentally handicapped children, without giving undue priority to cases of autism?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, I very much take to heart what has been asked so far in supplementary questions, particularly by the noble Lord, Lord Segal, whose experience in this field is wide. It is because Her Majesty's Government are hesitating in this matter that it has already been said publicly that the advisory committee to my right honourable friend are constantly giving him information. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State is considering a possible circular on this subject, but we hesitate still.
§ BARONESS BROOKE OF YSTRADFELLTEMy Lords, can the noble Lord tell us whether Her Majesty's Government would be prepared to consider urging several local authorities adjacent to each other to combine together for this purpose? This is a special problem, and obviously the numbers are not sufficient to justify making each local authority responsible.
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, I thank my noble friend for that suggestion. This is admittedly not what we have done in Circular 15/70. I particularly welcome it, because it seems to me that these children—and indeed children across the whole spectrum in this field—are children who least should travel long distances. It seems to me that my noble friend's supplementary question could go some way towards putting this point right.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, would not the noble Lord agree that the segregation of autistic children from other mentally handicapped children is often considered not to be desirable? Would it not be wiser to approach the whole problem from a much wider perspective?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, I should like to study that question, if I may. I must confess that every time I 384 look at the nine points which were put forward for diagnosis—I speak entirely as a layman—by Dr. Creek in 1961, I become more bemused and worried that even the experts in this field cannot make up their minds exactly whether or not we are on the right track in trying to pinpoint autism.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, would not the noble Lord agree that perhaps it would be a little kinder to the parents if more trouble were taken by his Department to explain to them, even individually, that it is very difficult to diagnose this condition, and it is wrong for them to hope that there will be a complete recovery?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, I will certainly bear the suggestion of the noble Baroness in mind with the possibility of a forthcoming circular, and I thank her for it.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, would the noble Lord also bear in mind that in some cases a complete recovery has been achieved?