Introduction

Introduction

This book grows from a need, an urgent need, to address the daily challenges facing practitioners in the field of autism. The National Autistic Society's (NAS) report Autism in Schools: Crisis or Challenge (Barnard et al., 2002) presents a picture of practitioners, in all sectors of education, addressing increasingly complex issues against a backdrop of fundamental change and reform. The lack of a national autism register and the absence of sound, large-scale epidemiological research means that reliable statistics relating to the prevalence of autism are not available, further contributing to the challenges faced by school managers and LEA officers in planning and developing appropriate provision. The difficulties faced, therefore, pervade every tier of the educational process from the chalk face to the DfES and ...