(London, UK) It's Autism Awareness Week in the UK (running from 1st October to 7th October) and leading parliamentarian Lee Scott, MP for Ilford North and member of the House of Commons Select Committee on Health has joined forces with Ivan Corea, head of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK in a call to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take firm and decisive action on autism.

There are over 500,000 people with autism in the UK, over 90,000 children are on the autism spectrum. According to UK researchers 1 in 100 children may have autism. Even in Lee Scott's constituency in Redbridge, numbers are rising.

Scott has called on the Government to provide ring fenced funding for Autism Services undertaken by local authorities in a film 'Autism Action' directed by the renowned Ian McLeod and released by the Autism Awareness Campaign UK. Copies of the Autism Action DVD containing interviews with autism campaigner Ivan Corea and Lee Scott MP, have been sent to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Leader of the Opposition David Cameron and Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Menzies Campbell.

The Autism Action film has also been released on You Tube. Lee Scott has pledged to raise the serious issues connected with autism and Asperger's Syndrome with the Prime Minister in his interview in the Autism Action film.

Lee Scott has been championing the cause of autism in the House of Commons. Earlier this year he initiated a landmark debate on autism in Westminster Hall and quizzed the Prime Minister asking him a question on autism in Prime Minister's Questions in April.

Scott is scheduled to speak at a major autism conference in South Woodford to mark Autism Awareness Week.
ian mcleod,
To watch the Autism Action film on You Tube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPyP-slDT6M

PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN URGED TO ACT ON AUTISM

AUTISM ACTION DVD LAUNCHED IN AUTISM AWARENESS WEEK

Autism Campaigners have launched a DVD titled 'Autism Action' calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to back a national strategy on autism and a 10 year plan of action on autism and Asperger's Syndrome. The Autism DVD has been released during Autism Awareness Week which runs from 1st October - 7th October 2007.

The 'Autism Action' DVD was released by the Autism Awareness Campaign UK, the film is directed by top film maker, Ian McLeod. Over 500,000 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum, over 90,000 children have autism. According to UK researchers 1 in 100 children may have autism.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Leader of the Opposition David Cameron and Leader of the Liberal Democrats have all received copies of the Autism Action DVD.

The soundtrack of the film also contains the moving Nimal Mendis song for autism, sung by Birmingham based musician Rozagy who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. She is raising funds for Professor Simon Baron Cohen's Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University.

Ivan Corea said: 'Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Children's Secretary Ed Balls affirmed their commitment to disabled children at this year's Labour Party Conference in major speeches in Bournemouth. We now urge them to launch a national strategy, look at a building program of autism units in mainstream secondary schools, specialist autism schools and even consider turning special schools into SEN academies and even state of the art autism academies. Children with autism have tremendous potential they too deserve a world class education.'

'We also want the government to look at further education and higher education opportunities, an autism compact with employers and the debate on autism and the elderly,' said Mr.Corea.

Autism Awareness Week is being organised by the Autism Alliance.