References

Here we bring together the sources for various statements used within our website and publications.

91% of autistic people in the UK feel that society does not accept or only sometimes accepts them

Autistic children are 28 times more likely to consider or attempt suicide than non-autistic children

79% of autistic people experience poor mental health, compared to between 18 and 54% for other marginalised groups.

Multiple sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8992917/#:~:text=Up%20to%2079%25%20of%20autistic,some%20point%20in%20their%20life.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/mental-illhealth-in-adults-with-intellectual-disabilities-prevalence-and-associated-factors/3916426981C7C20DCC3DA87B5019C36A

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2021-to-2022

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/men-women-statistics

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20180328140249/http:/digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748

29% of autistic people are in any kind of employment, compared to more than half of disabled people

77% of unemployed autistic people want to work and half (50%) said that support, understanding or acceptance would be the single biggest thing that would help them into employment

100% increase in the number of autistic people without a learning disability confined in mental health hospitals, since 2015

5 years+ is the average length of stay in mental health hospitals for autistic people…during which time they face medication, restraint, and solitary confinement – all of which creates trauma

30% of adults in Britain being unsure whether autism can be cured

39% of adults in Britain believe autistic people lack empathy

35% of adults in Britain still believe that autism is a learning disability

Between 1% and 2% of the UK population is autistic

71% of autistic adults say they are not getting the mental health and social care support and services they need

42% of autistic children experience anxiety compared to 3% of non-autistic children

20% of autistic children achieved grades 5 or above in English and Mathematics GCSEs in 2022, compared to almost 52% of all pupils

Only 26% of autistic pupils feel happy at school