Harry and Acis like their days to be structured

A mother from south Wales is calling for more understanding of the problems of autistic children and adults.

Samantha Peters, from Cwmbran near Newport, has two boys with Aspergers Syndrome - a milder form of autism.

Her father, John, who lives with the family, also has Aspergers.

Like their grandfather, Acis, eight, and Harry, six, crave order and are locked into obsessions like wearing the same clothes endlessly - a typical character trait for those with Aspergers.

John - who was not diagnosed until his grandsons arrived - only really feels happy in his shed, where he can organise everything to his satisfaction.

In the middle of all this are Samantha and her mother, Jackie, who struggle to keep family life as normal as possible.

Samantha Peters is calling for better understanding for autism

"They are so hung up on structure," Samantha explained.

"Their whole life has to be very, very structured, and if things go wrong things fall apart and they can't function in the way you or I can adapt."

A recent report from the National Austistic Society said many families trying to cope with these children did not get nearly enough state help and benefits .

Samantha, meanwhile, wants not just more help and support, but a better understanding of the problem. She is keen that people see them not as "naughty boys", but children with extremely particular needs.

'Lack of expertise'

Research revealed in March revealed that many GPs felt unprepared to treat patients with autism.

The National Autistic Society (NAS) found 42% felt they lacked the skills or expertise to recognise signs of autism, half the number who have actually seen patients with autism in the last 12 months.

The figure was even higher amongst those GPs who said they had not seen an autism patient in the last 12 months.

Almost three-quarters said they did not feel able to make an informed assessment, leading the NAS to warn that patients who registered with these GPs are unlikely to be proactively identified.

Two thirds of the 450 GPs surveyed said the number of patients with autism on their practice lists has increased over the last four years.

Lifelong disability

Family doctors told the NAS they wanted more guidance and training in identifying signs that a patient may have autism.

In an average list size of 2,000 patient, around 18 are likely to have autism. Autism, a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them, affects around half a million people in the UK.

GPs are often the first point of contact for families who think their child may be autistic, who are then referred on to specialists.

But the NAS found one in eight did not know how or where to refer a patient and four in 10 were unaware of local support organisations.

GPs also commented that the referral process did not operate smoothly, and said it could take over a year for the patient to be finally diagnosed with autism.

Steve Broach, head of policy and campaigns at the NAS, said: "The NAS would like to see government-sponsored guidance for GPs and other primary care professionals in working with people with autism.

"Autism awareness training should be integrated into the curriculum for student doctors and become a mandatory part of GP continuing professional development.

"And Primary Care Trusts should be responsible for training all primary care professionals in autism awareness and developing better mechanisms for informing GPs about referral and local support services."