Domestic Laws and National Plans or Strategies for the Protection of the Rights of People with Autism: an Appraisal

The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex lifelong developmental disability which affects all aspects of individual's life and impacts on several public sectors (education, health, welfare, justice and others). Autism covers a broad group of disorders that share core deficits but with a wide range of different degrees of disabilities and impairments. ASD is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States affecting 1 in every 68 children, while in the European Union (EU) it affects 1 in every 150 children. These factors have contributed to make ASD an issue of public interest which impacted on policies and laws of several States. This essay analyzes the domestic laws and national plans or strategies adopted by the EU Member States to protect persons with autism, with a focus on the fields of education and employment, in order to assess if they conform to Articles 24 (Education) and 27 (Work and Employment) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and to evaluate the role of the CRPD in strengthening the rights of persons with autism. Relevant legislative practices on protection of persons with autism developed outside the EU are also examined.