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Introduction
In 2001, the then Public Health Institute of Scotland ( PHIS, now NHS Health Scotland) was commissioned by Scottish Ministers to carry out a needs assessment of services for people with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD) in Scotland. The report, published in February 2002, identified a patchwork of services and made 32 recommendations that set out what ideal services should look like. These were set out in the categories of standards and monitoring, matching resources to need, training, research, and diagnosis and assessment. This report describes some of the progress made in each of these categories, and suggests priorities for further action at national and local level.
Scottish Ministers accepted in principle the findings of the report and agreed that a programme of work was required to develop services for people with ASD, within the context of ongoing broader policy developments, to improve inter-agency working and service delivery. The Scottish Executive set up the national ASD Reference Group in June 2002, to agree priorities and identify action that would best support and encourage the development of good practice across a range of services.
The reference group was initially made up of members of the PHIS needs assessment group. From summer 2003, members worked in sub groups to focus on training, and assessment and diagnosis, with co-opted members with relevant knowledge and experience supporting that work. From March 2005, that work has been integrated into the work of the main reference group, which benefits from the support of the additional members. An Information sub group set up in 2004 continues to meet to support the development of the 2 Scottish Executive funded information projects 1.
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