Study to assess adult autism

The government has unveiled a new initiative designed to calculate the number of adults with autism in England for the first time.

Care services minister Ivan Lewis on Thursday announced £500,000 of funding for the project, to be led by the University of Leicester.

Research suggests that around one in every 100 children suffers from the condition but very little is known about how many adults do.

Some fear that as a result, many sufferers are being wrongly diagnosed as having mental health problems or learning difficulties, while others are not acknowledged or assisted at all.

And ministers intend to use the findings of the new research to develop the first national strategy for adults with autism next year.

"We still don't know enough about autism, but we do know that left unsupported, it can have a devastating impact on those who have the condition and their families," Lewis said.

"One of the key gaps in our knowledge is simple - we don't know how many people have the condition in any given area.

"That is why I am ordering a study to address this."