Mr David Steel: ...a word with the Secretary of State for Social Services about the important decision that he has taken to appeal against the award by a medical tribunal of a mobility allowance to the parents of an autistic child? In this International Year of Disabled People, is she aware that it would be greatly appreciated if she took a personal interest in a matter that concerns so many people?
Mr Edwin Wainwright: .... There are schools for the blind, the partially sighted, the deaf, the partially hearing, the educationally subnormal, the maladjusted, the physically handicapped and those who are epileptic, autistic or in delicate health. Rarely mentioned are those who suffer from dyslexia. Too many sections of the educational community refuse to accept that it even exists. However, the parents are...
Mr Keith Wickenden: ...as guilty as people outside the House—to treat all disabled people as though they were members of the same group, although disability can range from the loss of a finger to being severely autistic and wholly unable to communicate. Within those two extremes there is a range of disabilities and problems that make it difficult to legislate to solve the problems. We need a sense of awareness...
Mr Harry Greenway: ...I pay great tribute to the Riding for the Disabled association for the marvellous work it does for people of all ages, but especially for children, who suffer from a handicap—blindness, deafness, autism, maladjustment, educational subnormality. The chairman of the association is Mrs. Patricia Langford, who is to be congratulated on all that she and her scheme does. I have worked with...
Mr Michael Knowles: ...that will make that point clear and give the lie to the so-called justification that the decision is based on principle. Sutherland House is a privately owned non-profit making school for 28 autistic children. The fees are paid for by three education authorities, which make joint use of the school, because they do not make separate provision. That policy is correct. Nottingham county...
Mr Jack Ashley: ...of identifying those requiring help to get from A to B. It has proved to be a net with a larger holes through which deserving cases easily fall. Many mentally handicapped people—those who are autistic, hyperactive or blind or who have other handicaps such as deafness or mental handicap—are quite unable to move in any intended direction without personal care and attention which is...
Mr Jack Ashley: I am sure that the Leader of the House will help on this issue if he can. Is he aware that there are a large number of severely disabled people, such as the mentally handicapped, autistic people and those who are deaf or blind, who need the mobility allowance but are not getting it because of a perverse court ruling? Legislation is not required to give it to them., only regulations are...
Mr Jack Ashley: ...) has no strong case on that point. The Government have refused our request to extend the mobility allowance to three deserving groups. They are, first, mentally handicapped people; secondly, autistic people; and, thirdly, those who are both deaf and blind—not those who are deaf or blind. We have repeatedly put this point to the Minister. The present ruling is that if people are unable...
Mr Dave Nellist: .... Every hon. Member present in the Chamber or who reads the debate tomorrow in Hansard will know of similar cases in his or her area of children suffering from Down's syndrome, spina bifida, autism, strokes at birth or respiratory, cardiac or intestinal malfunction. I asked the Minister to give us his own assessment for today's debate of how many children under the age of two might be...
Mr Michael Forsyth: ...an inter-agency venture run by Barnardo's which has enabled some 16 people to be removed from hospital and accommodated in ordinary domestic-sized premises. Another, run by the Scottish Society for Autistic Children, is Balmyre house in Alloa — a residential hostel providing 24 places for young adults suffering from autism. I very much agree with the positive things that have been said...
Mr Harry Greenway: ...ago I founded a scheme to enable children from special schools and ordinary schools to have lessons in horse-riding and stable management. The scheme has benefited many children enormously. Many an autistic child who has found difficulty in learning to speak or accepting the need to socialise, along with all the other difficulties that such children have, has become a new being while...
Austin Mitchell: ...Lords in forcing the Government to accept this obvious and sensible concession by widening the clause to all physically and mentally handicapped people. It would have been ludicrous if videos for autistic children had not been included. It is interesting to note that the Government did not include that in the first place, but had to be forced to include it by our amendment in the House of...
Mr Jacques Arnold: ...community bus is used by old people's clubs in the area. It also takes Meopham cricket club's junior team to many away matches. Other examples abound. The Helen Allison school, which caters for autistic children, relies heavily on voluntary drivers for its minibuses. The same applies to other organisations up and down this land—parent-teacher associations, scout groups, Mencap, Cheshire...
Mr Jacques Arnold: ...by scheduled buses. They also provide services to the old people's clubs in the area. Other examples of organisations which rely on voluntary drivers are the Helen Allison school, which serves autistic children, numerous parent-teacher associations, scout groups, Mencap, Cheshire homes and PHAB —Physically Handicapped and Able-bodied groups. Who brought forward this extraordinary...
Eddie McGrady: ...grave concern of parents of children at those four schools that those decisions were taken without consultation. My area has two further difficulties in education. One is the lack of provision for autistic children. Presumably for financial reasons, the education authority has set its face against providing a modicum of specialist services in normal school provision. That could easily be...
John Battle: ...continuous physical control by another person There is no method of extraction from the OPCS tables or the data tapes that would enable the Government to distinguish between people who suffer from autism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or epilepsy. They must all be included in the 125,000 that the Minister has mentioned in an attempt to mislead us. I suggest that the OPCS...
Mr James Couchman: ..., I sympathise with his worry about people being decanted into the community for whom the community can never be a real place to live. Among the mentally handicapped it is quite clear that the autistic represent a special problem. It is most unlikely that they will ever easily be able to live in the community, and I speak with knowledge on this, as I have an autistic brother-in-law. I...
Mr Harry Greenway: ...continues. We brought riding to disabled children who had no other recreational pastime. Their education was often greatly facilitated by riding. for example, riding is often an incentive for the autistic child to increase its vocabulary to express its reaction to what is happening and to understand more in the way of instruction.
John Cummings: Will the Prime Minister find time this afternoon to consider the plight and anxiety of the many thousands of parents and carers of autistic and mentally handicapped children who are denied the mobility allowance? Does the Prime Minister understand the difficulties experienced by parents and carers when those children accompany them on public transport, given a somewhat unhappy and perhaps...
Mr Hugo Summerson: ...of disabled people and the resources that are due to them. Whitefield school in Walthamstow has acquired an excellent reputation for looking after children with all types of disability, especially autistic children. The parents of autistic children have great difficulties. I congratulate my hon. Friend. This has been a marvellous occasion to discuss the disabled and the opportunities that...