The government has published an action plan setting out the next steps towards making the island more autism friendly.
It includes creating a pathway for adults to obtain an autism or ADHD diagnosis.
This is phase three of implementing the Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) Strategy, a 10-year plan started in 2024, that aims to improve the lives of autistic people and their families through raising awareness, reducing health inequalities, improving diagnosis and support, and making everyday life easier.
Phase three runs from this month until March 2028. It focusses on health, and reasonable adjustments – changes that make it easier for autistic people to access services, workplaces and community life.
On health, the actions include working towards a pathway for adults to get an autism or ADHD diagnosis, producing Easy Read guides so people know what to expect after diagnosis, looking at whether autistic people could get annual health checks to catch health problems earlier and more training for health staff to support autistic people well.
The reasonable adjustments actions focus on promoting autism-friendly workplaces, improving support in education settings, and making community services, groups and activities more accessible and inclusive.
You can read the full version of the Phase Three Action Plan here:
A steering group, made up of Government, Third Sector groups and members of the ASC community, will continue to monitor progress.
The full Phase 3 Action Plan is available on the ASC Strategy webpage, alongside an Easy Read version. Other accessible formats such as audio or braille are available by request to ASCstrategy@gov.im.
To find out more about what was achieved during phases one and two visit the ASC Strategy web page here.
