This section outlines questions we are often asked by people outside the United Kingdom.

  • I suspect that my child may have an autism spectrum disorder. Would it be possible to come to Britain to have them diagnosed?
    Unfortunately it is usually difficult for parents from overseas to do this. Specialist professional knowledge of autism spectrum disorders is still not as widespread as we would like to see, one of the results being that those doctors who are reliable diagnosers of the condition tend to have extremely long waiting lists. Furthermore most of the doctors that we know of work within the National Health Service (NHS) - the state system - and may not therefore be able to accept referrals from overseas. For those parents who are willing to pay we can supply the names of a few doctors we know of who see private patients. However, these again tend to have long waiting lists.
  • Could I take my child to Britain for therapeutic treatment?
    There are very many different approaches for treating children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), so you need to know what kind of help you are looking for. To find out more about what is available see the Approaches, therapies and interventions section of this website or visit Research Autism. Where help is available through the National Health Service (NHS) it would probably be extremely difficult for parents from overseas to access this for their children. There are, however, many therapies that are available privately, therefore if you are interested in a particular approach we may be able to supply you with the details of an appropriate practitioner or treatment centre.
  • Could I send my child to a specialist school in Britain?
    There are a range of specialist schools in Britain for children with ASDs which are run either by Local Education Authorities (LEAs) (in effect, the state), or independent organisations such as ourselves. The great majority of these schools, including The National Autistic Society's, do not accept private fee-paying pupils. Instead places are funded by the LEA in which the child lives. In order to be eligible for this funding a child has to have official residential status in Britain. In other words, in most cases it would not be possible for parents to send their child to school in this country if they were not living here themselves.

    Further issues to bear in mind are that even if a child were to become resident in Britain there would be no guarantee that a LEA would agree to send them to a school with expertise in autism or, even if they did agree to this in theory, that there would be a vacancy available for them.

    It is also important to remember that all specialist schools for children with ASDs in Britain use English to teach their pupils. Therefore it would be extremely difficult for a child whose first language is not English to benefit from a school in this country.
  • Could I pay for my child to attend a specialist school in Britain?
    As explained above, most specialist schools for children with ASDs do not accept private fee paying pupils. There are a few that do though and details can be provided by the Autism Helpline.

    For those parents willing to consider non-specialist schools -  ie those not specifically for children with ASDs but nevertheless willing to consider pupils with the condition - the following two organisations may prove helpful and both produce directories of schools willing to accept children with disabilities:
    • The Independent Schools Information Service (ISIS), 56 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AG, tel.: +44 (0)20 7630 8793/4
    • Gabbitas, Truman and Thring Educational Trust, 6,7 & 8 Sackville Street, London W1X 2BR, tel.: +44 (0)20 7734 0161 / +44 (0)20 7439 2071.
  • Would it be possible for me to send my child to a specialist school in Britain for a short time only so as to learn some basic skills?
    Whilst it is certainly the case that educational approaches can reduce many of the problems associated with ASDs it is felt that this is not something that can usually be achieved in a short space of time.
  • Can The National Autistic Society advise me on the availability of specialist services in my country or my legal rights in asking for such help?
    As a national, rather than international organisation, The National Autistic Society does not have the resources to collect detailed information on the availability of specialist services for people with ASDs in other parts of the world or people's legal rights in asking for such help. (Indeed it is a very hard job just keeping up to date with such issues with regard to the situation in Britain.) However, you can refer to the list of all the other national autistic societies that we know of in other parts of the world who may be able to provide this kind of information.
  • Can I obtain general information on ASDs from The National Autistic Society?
    Yes, we are very happy to supply people in any part of the world with literature to explain more about ASDs.

    If you would like to receive further information please complete the enquiry form for the Autism Helpline. Note: if you send us an enquiry by email could you please include your surface mail address. In order to answer many of the questions put to us we need to send literature (not everything at our disposal is available on line) so including your surface mail address will save us the trouble of having to mail you back to ask for this and therefore speed up the time in which we can respond to your enquiry.

    Alternatively, those directly affected by the condition such as parents, people with an ASD or professionals could contact the Autism Helpline directly. Although we cannot advise on the availability of specialist services for people with ASDs in other parts of the world or their legal rights in asking for such help we will do our best to answer any more general questions on autism and methods of helping people with the condition.

    Our shop contains details of a range of useful titles that can be ordered directly from us. Some people may also find it useful to join the NAS which will entitle them to receive our journal Communication, a useful means of keeping in touch with what is going on in the world of autism.

Quick link to this page: www.autism.org.uk/23611