Autism Awareness Campaign UK Humberside Tragedy

By ukautism - 2006-04-22 - Article viewed 54 times. Find more articles like this in our Disability News category.

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The Autism Awareness Campaign UK are calling on the Prime Minister Tony Blair and Her Majesty's Government to conduct a fundamental review on AUTISM AND PUBLIC SERVICES in the wake of the Humberside Tragedy when Alison Davies and 12 year old Ryan Davies took their own lives at the Humber Bridge near Hull in the UK. Coastguards  found the body of  the 12-year-old autistic boy who went missing with his mother.

The body of Ryan Davies was recovered from the River Humber at Swinefleet Haven, near Goole, East Yorkshire, after the skipper of a pleasure boat raised the alarm. The Police have CCTV pictures of two people jumping from the Humber Bridge.

'Let Ryan's death not be in vain. Let something positive come out of the Humberside tragedy,' said Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK.

According to news reports 40 year old Alison Davies, mother of Ryan Davies was allegedly given only one hour of respite care a week by the local council - this was woefully inadequate. The newspapers and television news programs are full of headline news of families with autism at breaking point without adequate access to public services especially respite care. A postcode lottery exists where public services are concerned - in many parts of the UK families with autism have hardly any services. Families with autism badly need befriending services and local support structures.

'Autism is a 24 hour job and people are still suffering. We are calling on Prime Minister Tony Blair to conduct a review on public services and autism. Some councils say they just don't have the budget to provide adequate respite care. It's all down to cost. Three weeks ago we presented Autism Awareness Ribbons to the Prime Minister and Cherie Blair and urged them to do more for families with autism.

We urge the Chancellor Gordon Brown to find funding to support families with autism. Her Majesty's Government must also launch an initiative to save marriages where there are children with disabilities - marriages are breaking down, adding to the suffering, the government and other organisations must do something to help families with autism before they reach crisis point,' said Ivan and Charika Corea.

British newspapers are full of articles of families with autism who are finding it hard to cope without respite care. There are 535,000 people with autism and many are struggling without access to public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care in the United Kingdom.

1 in every 150 babies born has Autism ( and in some reports it is even greater then that) Families with one autistic child have a 2 to 8 percent chance of having another autistic child.

Boys are three to four times more likely to be diagnosed with Autism. Mental retardation is present in 75-80% of individuals with autism.

Autism occurs more often than childhood cancer or cystic fibrosis. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability. In the U.S. alone, autism increased by 172% during the 1990s.