basic document

Autism-Europe believes that the needs of persons with autism in the field of health care are not sufficiently taken into account, and human rights violations against people with autism take place daily in this field across EU countries.

The discrimination that they suffer from in terms of accessing health care calls for active measures that will enable them to achieve the maximum of their unique potential, independence, and capacity for informed choice and self-advocacy by providing:

• Access to appropriate, early, multi-disciplinary diagnosis and assessment, in accordance with internationally accepted medical standards,
• Access to appropriate, early, multi-disciplinary and continuous treatment, including social rehabilitation, in accordance with internationally accepted medical standards,
• Access to the ordinary health services that do exist and receive the care that is appropriate to his or her health needs, in accordance with the same standards afforded to other ill persons

In this position paper, Autism-Europe sets out the measures it recommends and the results of the investigation carried out in 2002 into DISCRIMINATION IN THE FIELD OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH CARE SYSTEM OF PERSONS WITH AUTISM OR OTHER COMPLEX DEPENDENCY NEEDS DISABILITY