Dr. Mary Doherty:

I completely agree and, in fairness, there was movement on that a couple of years ago, just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, when some things were happening in that area. We need to pick up on those again.

It is important to be aware that the suicide data account for an awful lot of early autistic deaths. The average figures can sometimes give the impression all autistic people die young, which is not the case at all. Autistic people live long, healthy lives, and we need to think about autistic people entering elderly care and residential care services. An elderly autistic person going into a nursing home that is set up in such a way that it is sensory hell, where people are expected to join in in group activities and where they have no opportunity to engage in special interests, is very difficult. I have heard of elderly people who, for example, might have had a stroke and then had difficulty accessing or engaging with rehabilitation services. I have had psychologists say to me they think someone is autistic and ask what they can do. It makes perfect sense. If you understand autism, you will understand why it is impossible or very difficult for someone to engage with rehabilitation services coming into their home, which is their safe space. Autism-aware practitioners make such a difference across the board.