Thank you, and I’m pleased to contribute to this debate, having many constituents here today. The day that school photos come home is an annual highlight for every parent—as I’m sure you can imagine—who hand them out with pride around the family so everyone can compare the children to how they were a year ago and remark upon how much they’ve grown. So, imagine if your children’s picture comes home with a post-it note attached that reads ‘ASD’. That stands for autism spectrum disorder. Nothing wrong with the pictures; two beautiful children smiling for the camera, but accompanied by a label that says your school sees your children as autism ‘sufferers’, not promising athletes, budding artists, talented mathematicians, but children with autism. Imagine if this wasn’t the first time it had happened. In fact, it was the third, and it happened to a Port Talbot constituent of mine just a week ago.

We need to start from this kind of experience, from a realisation that when even our schools can casually stigmatise the children they are meant to be teaching, then this Assembly needs to take the lead in changing society’s attitudes so that people with autism are seen in the same complex way as we all regard one another. Before and since this debate was tabled, I’ve had not only e-mails in my inbox, but I’ve met people who have come into my office crying about their situations. During the election—Julie James will remember this, being on the panel with me—a woman said during that debate—and it will always stay with me—’I am more stressed fighting the system than I am dealing with my son and his issues every day of the week.’ In one e-mail I had from somebody else:

‘After diagnosis at four, I was told nothing could be done for autism. This is a cruel lie. There is no cure, but there are many therapies that are passed over by mainstream services.’

Another said, and I quote:

‘Our son was seven. We contacted our GP, as we were concerned he could be on the spectrum. We were met with the words, “Are you sure he’s not just a little shit? Many children are just little shits.” Obviously, we left that meeting shocked.’

Another:

‘Our practice manager assumed there were very few autistic patients. In fact, there is a similar number to dementia patients, whose literature was plastered all over the waiting rooms.’

Lastly:

‘We want him to fulfil his dream of becoming a train driver, but support to children with autism is patchy at best. Our experience should not be the norm, and currently it is. Our son wants to work when an adult. We fear, without support now, he will not be able to.’

Research from the National Autistic Society found that only two children in five are receiving all the support outlined in their statement. So, any legislation should look to deal with this problem, too. There is an additional learning needs Bill on the way, but Plaid Cymru believes this may fall short of what is required, because it offers little or no support for adults with autism while making no distinction between children with Asperger’s, who are often high academic achievers, and others on the autism spectrum. Plaid Cymru believes that any new legislation should protect and promote the rights of autistic people in Wales, their families and their carers. So, we will be supporting this motion, as a way of reminding the Welsh Government of our manifesto commitment to legislate in this area, and I would say that has to come in the form of a Bill.

Lee Waters has made many interventions here today, and what I would like to say to him is this could be an exemplar, a template, for other conditions. It does not need to be confined to autism. We have the powers here in Wales to make legislation work. If strategies are not delivering on the grounds for the people who need it, it is our duty to look and to see how we can make that situation better for them on the ground. If we have statutory legislation that will hold people to account, then they will have to act and we will have to hold them to account. So please don’t rule it out now before we’ve even got to that point in the discussion. I’ll take an intervention.