Britain to conduct census of adults with autism

The British government will try for the first time to calculate the number of adults with autism in the country, the BBC reported May 8.

In his announcement of the £500,000 ($1 million) project, Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis said autistic adults are too often forgotten by health and social services. The statistics will be used to create a national strategy for Britain in assisting people with autism.

The National Autistic Society is delighted by the project and hopes it will lead to the needs of adults with autism being met.

Lewis said, "We still don't know enough about autism, but we do know that left unsupported, it can have a devastating impact on those who have the condition and their families. One of the key gaps in our knowledge is simple - we don't know how many people have the condition in any given area. That is why I am ordering a study to address this."