§ 71. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many autistic children there are in Scotland; how many of them are receiving specialist treatment and teaching in autistic units; how many are in mental institutions; how many remain in their own homes without specialist treatment; and what steps he intends to take towards improving educational facilities for these children.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellInformation about the numbers of autistic children has not hitherto been collected centrally but I have asked education authorities to include it in their statistical return for 1970–71. Responsibility for identifying such children and for ensuring that they are appropriately treated rests with education authorities or, where the handicap is very severe, with the social work departments of local authorities. I have no reason to suppose that they are not carrying out this duty.