Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011
Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly
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The Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 27 (N.I.)) is an act of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The act makes provision about the needs of adults and children who have autistic spectrum disorders including autism and Asperger syndrome.
| Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and to require an autism strategy to be prepared. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2011 c. 27 (N.I.) |
| Introduced by | Dominic Bradley |
| Territorial extent | Northern Ireland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 9 May 2011 |
| Commencement | 9 August 2011 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through the Assembly | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
Background
In 2002, the Department of Education published guidance for teachers regarding autistic spectrum disorders,[1] and an evaluation of the provision of services for autistic children in Northern Ireland.[2]
In 2007, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency published a review of early intervention provision for autism. It recommended a joint strategy, comprehensive assessment procedure with a waiting time of no more than 4 months, intervention that takes into account the needs of individual families, and more thorough training.[3]
Duties
Autism strategy publication
The act requires the publication of an autism strategy document.[4]
Several iterations of the strategy have been published.[5][6][7]
Independent reviewer
The act requires the appointment of an independent autism reviewer.[8]
Health and Social Care trusts
The act requires the Health and Social Care trusts to provide data on the prevalence of autism in their areas.[4]
Provisions
Section 5 provides that the act came into force at the end of the period of three months that began on the date on which it was passed.[4]
Reception
AutismNI has hailed the original act as "the most comprehensive and progressive legislation for autism across the UK and Ireland" and that with the amendments, the legislation has been "strengthened even more"[9]
Amendment
| Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. |
| Citation | 2022 c. 13 (N.I.) |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 26 April 2022 |
| Commencement | 27 July 2022 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
In 2022, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a private member's bill to further strengthen provision of services and to ensure that services are "person-centred".[10] The Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 13 (N.I.)) passed unanimously.[11]
The amended act requires the Department of Health to publish details of funding.[12]
The amended act requires the data published by the Department of Health to be separated into adults and children.[12]