The Scottish Government

ASD Projects

• 2 pilot projects in Lothian and Greater Glasgpw to develop a 'one-stop' shop for adults with ASD. The Glasgow Autism Support Centre was opened in January 2005 and the Lothian Adults Support Centre opened in June 2005.
• An ASD co-ordinator in NHS Borders
• Funding to NHS Highland to take forward ASD service development
• The set up of the Scottish Autism Service Network through the National Centre for Autism Studies. This will allow greater exchange of information, specialist knowledge, research and good practice
• A national conference, which took place on 24 November 2005 in Aviemore, to widen the dialogue about health needs in autism in Scotland and to focus on contributing to a broader perspective on how we deliver interventions.
• Quality standard for ASD diagnostic services issued last year which offers people with ASD and family carers a clear indication of what can be expected from a diagnositc service and provides a checklist for multi-disciplinary teams providing the service. It is intended to complement the SIGN guideline currently being developed.
• Development of Autism Argyll information packs for national distribution on diagnosis
• Development of SVQ autism specific cluster through Scottish Social Services Council. These have now been adopted by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) at levels 3 and 4
• Development of awareness and information materials for GPs and primary care staff by NHS Education for Scotland
• A number of training pilot projects to train health professionals to use different ASD diagnosis tools. The pilots will be fully evaluated to inform future projects
• Project grant awards to Scottish Society for Autism, National Autistic Society, Parent 2 Parent Tayside and the University of Strathclyde in respect of ASD projects
• A retrospective case study at Yorkhill centre for autism to help inform development and assessment of new and effective interventions for those diagnosed with ASD.