6/ The Government must commission and evaluate mandatory, co-produced training for public-facing staff. This needs to be tailored, as @annaremington.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social noted; there is evidence that a one-size-fits-all approach does not always make much of a difference.

5/ Public places and services are hard for autistic people to use, which is lonely and stressful. There has been a “failure of society and services to adapt to a human difference that has always been there” @autismallianceuk.bsky.social

4/ Witnesses to the Select Committee said that recent comments about overdiagnosis by politicians from across the political parties have been particularly damaging for autistic people.

3/ Newspapers have been using outdated language, publishing biased stories towards tragedy, and reinforcing gender stereotypes. Social media can help the autistic community find support and services but also has the potential for misinformation.

2/ Stigma arises from “fundamental societal barriers in accepting difference, particularly when the way difference presents challenges basic assumptions and beliefs.” Tim Nicholas, NAS
However, the report acknowledges that this might be getting better for young people.

4/Throughout the report there is a call for the Govt’s 2026 autism strategy “to involve autistic people in all decisions that affect them, to enable every autistic person to receive the right support at the right time, and to help build a more inclusive and prosperous society.”

3/We are also extremely impressed with the incredible amount of work that CRAE Honorary Professor (formerly CRAE Deputy Director, now ACER Director at @unibirmingham.bsky.social) @lauramaycrane.bsky.social has put in as the Committee’s Specialist Advisor

2/ At CRAE, we are proud to have had input into the committee’s work via both written and oral evidence submissions from Director @annaremington.bsky.social and the wider CRAE team that have been included in the report.