The role of the specialist for families with autistic children.

This research article looks at the present and future needs of a group of children within one particular London borough, who were diagnosed as having autism or being on the autistic spectrum. A nurse was employed by a voluntary organisation as a family services worker, to provide support to these families and also to identify areas of unmet need for the children and their families. Of the 70 children identified as autistic, 42 of the families indicated that they wanted to make contact with the specialist worker. The author concludes that the specialist nurse has a pivotal role to play in reducing the stress experienced by these families.