There is now an official autism strategy for England, following the new Autism Act, the first ever strategy of its kind in this country.   It sets out key recommendations for central government and local authorities.  These mainly affect adults, who so far have not had a great deal of support and are often hidden members of society.  Read all about it on the National  Autistic Society website.   Or view the full version of the Autism Act 2009.

Find quality resources on Autism in Intute’s Social Welfare section.

The BBC has announced that it plans to make dramatic cuts to its services in order to reinvest savings in more original and distinctive content – “to make fewer things better”, in the words of Director General Mark Thompson.

Proposed changes – which include the closure of digital radio stations 6Music and Asian Network as well as a restructure of the website – have already provoked criticism, with campaigns on Twitter and Facebook signing up thousands and already prompting hints of a rethink.  But, unlike other public services floating the ideas of cuts, the BBC’s strong position means that, as Emily Bell writes in today’s Guardian “the BBC might look as if it’s in retreat. But its dominance remains“. Indeed set against a broader picture of declining revenues for commercial broadcasting and print media, plus the continuing inability of traditional media companies to find ways of making the web pay, these ‘cuts’ can be seen as a strategy to protect the BBC’s current significant place in the UK’s broadcasting eco-system, at the expense of others. Although ITV, News International and Channel 4 may benefit from decreased competition, there is no guarantee that they will – or can – step up to the plate and provide the (public) services the BBC is – witness Channel 4’s own retreat from its digital radio plans.