Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I congratulate the Member for bringing this legislation before us. We as a party have believed for some time that an autism Act could provide wide-ranging benefits for those people living with autism, certainly in terms of encouraging swift diagnosis, tackling things such as waiting times, and also providing consistency across Wales. I am also very aware that there are stakeholders who have their doubts about the value of legislation. I regularly hear what the Government says. I hear those people say, 'Well, be guarded about going down this route. There will be people with other conditions who will then want specific legislation for themselves too.' But I do look forward to seeing the work that the committee will do in this area.

I would like to know—and I will focus only on this point—what the Member’s view is on one issue that I do think needs to be challenged, namely, this idea of autism as an illness or a condition—the medical model of autism, if you like. How does he think that legislation could change and challenge that perception? Because that perception of autism misses the point rather, in my view. I think we should perhaps be thinking far more in terms of neurodiversity. We should see autism, Asperger’s and so on as different ways in which the brain works. There are plenty of examples of how organisations or companies see particular characteristics, positive characteristics, in people whose brains work in a different way. GCHQ has been recruiting people who are not neurotypical because they analyse data in a different way.

I do think that legislation could assist to change attitudes in a positive way. There will be some on the spectrum who will be considered to have a disability and will be receiving support in those circumstances, but I think what we need to do is to recognise these characteristics and I think legislation can be useful in that area. There will be some people on the spectrum, having been identified as having a disability, who will be supported through equalities legislation. But, if we were to think differently and to consider neurodiversity as a particular characteristic within the equalities sphere, then that could also be positive in terms of changing how services are planned and how services are delivered. And I’m not convinced that the social services Act and the additional learning needs Act are sufficient in themselves to change the way we think about ASD in Wales. So, I do hope that the Committee Stage will look at that area, and I would be grateful to hear the Member’s view on the potential for this legislation to deliver this.