Autistic people are still let down by public services—new government strategy must deliver change

The Autism Act 2009 is a landmark law that requires the government to produce an autism strategy for England, backed up by statutory guidance for the NHS and local authorities. Now, a House of Lords special inquiry committee—which I chaired—has published a new report examining the effectiveness of the act.1 We found that the act was a critical step forward in the recognition of autistic people, but successive governments have failed to deliver the change that autistic people need.