HC Deb 20 June 1973 vol 858 c154W
Mr. Tope

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans her Department has to increase the educational facilities available to autistic children.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

For the last three building programmes, ending with projects due to start in 1974–75, the Department has received from local education authorities 10 proposals for units for autistic or non-communicating children, and of these nine have been included. They will provide 109 day and 73 boarding places. Some autistic children are suitably placed in special schools for other handicaps or occasionally in an ordinary school.

Mr. Tope

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria her Department has established designed to identify the exact number of autistic children.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of Circular 6/71, which described autism and asked local education authorities for information about the number of autistic children for whose education they were responsible. The replies showed a total of about 1,470 autistic children in England and Wales; that is a ratio of 1.75 per 10,000. Because of the lack of precise criteria it is impracticable to establish exact figures.