Gateshead Council is set to approve a five-year autism strategy. It aims to improve support and understanding for autistic individuals.
The plan aims to help before and after diagnosis. They also want better understanding of adjustments. There are many autistic people there.
Around 1,850 kids have autism diagnoses. They are between five and eighteen years old. This is in a population of about 200,000.
The council thinks this number is too low. Some people may lack a diagnosis. Getting proper autism help can be hard. Someone said diabetes info was better. They got nothing after their autism diagnosis. It made them very frustrated.
The council will now work with autistic people. They will learn what works best for support. They hope all kids can get support. This includes those without a diagnosis.
The council will improve accessibility. Services need to be simpler for autistic people. Staff should understand neurodiversity better. They must remove barriers to accessing services. The council will check staff training. They want to see if it works well.
The health committee will review this autism report. They meet on Friday morning.