The National Autistic Society (NAS) warns that a “devastating scale” of abuse and neglect has been recorded among adults suffering from autism.
Fifty percent of the total number of 1,300 autistic adults surveyed by the NAS admit to being abused by somebody they regarded as friend, while 37 percent were manipulated by these so-called friends to do something that they did not want of doing in the first place.
The NAS explains that individuals suffering from autism find it difficult to interpret the motivations of other people, which led them to being taken advantage of or to being manipulated by others.
Meanwhile, 44 percent say they choose to not to leave their homes because of their fear of being harassed or abused. Quarter of the surveyed people reveals they experienced having their money or other possessions stolen.
The survey also shows that many of these autistic adults are being neglected. Two thirds of them say they need somebody to prod them to clean up, dress up or also feed themselves.
Seven out of 10 people with such condition admit they missed or skipped meals because of the lack of support, while 86 percent say they did not wash up.
“These alarming figures paint a depressing picture of the horrendous abuse and neglect experienced by many adults with autism. We have heard deeply distressing stories of men and women living in utterly intolerable conditions, exploited physically and financially by supposed friends or unable to care for themselves without support,” NAS chief Mark Lever says in a statement.
Lever adds that while others with autism can live independent lives, the rest need care and support for their health and safety.
The NAS is worried of the changes that may be applied to the care system, which could bring about more cases of neglect and of it becoming commonplace. Proposals from the government, according to an unnamed spokesman, recommend that people with the condition will be entitled to support and care only if they really need assistance, which may not essentially include prompting.
"The government's changes to the care system offer a chance to support these at-risk individuals. However, we are incredibly concerned that the current proposals as they stand do not recognize the basic needs of these more vulnerable people with autism,” laments Lever.
He suggests the eligibility criteria be revised in order that they recognize the support needs of people with autism and are at risk of neglect and abuse.
An unnamed spokeswoman from the Department of Health says to the Daily Mail that it has always been difficult for people in need of such care to know if they are even eligible for such support and care from their council, and the fact that it varies depending on their place of residency.
“Our national eligibility criteria will make the system fairer by clearly setting out what level of needs must be met by all local authorities, putting an end to this variation. This consultation makes it clear that people with autism, whatever their level of need, will receive help from their councils,” the spokeswoman says.
