I just found this on my computer too, it might be the info from the NAS. Thought I'd post it separately as its so long:
Briefing on Autistic Spectrum Disorders and the Blue badge scheme
About Autistic Spectrum Disorders
An autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex and lifelong developmental disorder which affects a person?s ability to communicate and relate to people around them. The term 'autistic spectrum' is often used because the condition varies from person to person: some people with the condition may also have accompanying learning disabilities, while others have average or above average intelligence. Asperger syndrome is a form of autism used to describe people who are usually at the higher functioning end of the autistic spectrum.
People with autism generally experience three main areas of difficulty; these are known as the triad of impairments.
 Social interaction (difficulty with social relationships, for example appearing aloof and indifferent to other people)
 Social communication (difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication, for example not fully understanding the meaning of common gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice)
 Imagination (difficulty in the development of interpersonal play and imagination, for example having a limited range of imaginative activities, possibly copied and pursued rigidly and repetitively).
Why the blue badge scheme should be more accessible to people with an ASD/carers of people with an ASD
In relation to issues that might affect eligibility for a blue badge scheme, consideration should be given to the following difficulties that might affect people with an ASD:
Social interaction:
? Lack of social motivation may lead to the person with ASD behaving in socially unacceptable ways, such as sitting down in the middle of a busy road.
Imagination:
? A child or adult on the autistic spectrum can have little or no sense of danger especially when distracted by something relating to one of their interests or when affected by an irrational fear. Children with ASD more often than not will run out into traffic if they see something that takes their eye, for example, running across a busy street to get a better look at a double decker bus. This is a very serious and frequent occurrence.
Sensory perception:
? People with ASD do not perceive the world in the same way as other people, and may become transfixed by sounds and lights when on a busy road.
? Sensory sensitivities could mean that a person with an ASD is hyper sensitive to noise and some sounds might be extremely distressing, even what might appear to be quiet sounds.
? sensory difficulties may also mean that someone with an ASD cannot locate where sounds are coming from, for example traffic noise, or are hyper sensitive to noise.
Adherence to routine:
? Children and adults with an ASD may become distressed by any forced change to their routines and react impulsively without realising the danger they put themselves in.
Behaviour:
? Exhibiting challenging behaviour when outside, including:
 refusing to walk or sitting down in the street and not moving;
 ignoring instructions near busy roads/in dangerous situations; and
 walking extremely slowly and cannot be persuaded to speed up
? Anxiety may also lead to extreme challenging behaviours such as running away. Running away is a fairly common behaviour for people with autism particularly when they are placed in situations which they find stressful. Regrettably the type of situations which a person with autism tend to finds stressful tend to be the type of situations which families are least able to avoid, such as busy supermarkets and crowded streets. On top of this the communication difficulties which people with autism experience make them especially vulnerable when they are separated from those who know and care for them. So running away which is dangerous in its own right becomes a double threat.
? The behaviour patterns of people with autism can be erratic and unpredictable. They may be able to handle an activity one day and not be able to do it the next because other factors such as anxiety, stress or even panic are affecting how they are feeling.
Communication:
? If a person with ASD runs away their difficulties with communication render them particularly vulnerable.
Common physical difficulties:
? Problems of unusual gait are common in autistic spectrum disorders and may have a serious impact on mobility.
? Many people with ASD have dyspraxia which affects their motor co-ordination, causing difficulties with walking and exhaustion if they have to walk far.
Autistic spectrum disorder is a complex and subtle condition, and the impact it has on an individual?s life can be hard to predict. There is increased risk of danger to the person with ASD and to others, as drivers may become impatient in certain situations.
Case Studies:
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A mother who had been warned by her local authority they were making a point of not giving out blue badges to children with an ASD as they thought it was inappropriate as the child could normally walk
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Mother of an 8 year old boy with autism. They get high rate care DLA and low rate mobility, have tried for blue badge but was refused on grounds he does not get high rate mobility DLA.
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Mum who called her local authority to get an application for a blue badge this morning. She was warned by the lady that they were clamping down on applications from families with a child with autism as they had had a huge number recently and felt that it was not an appropriate application as normally the child could walk
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Our daughter has severe learning difficulties and asd characteristics. The main reason we needed a blue badge is her complete lack of sense of danger, and also her numerous obsessions in the street which are likely to lead her to run into the road (headlights, tail-lights, number plates, puddles, drains etc). She is also large for her age and very difficult to move if she is not cooperating. Having a blue badge just makes it so much easier to go out with D - we can park close to where we need to be and cut down drastically the delay and danger of moving slowly along the street / through the car park with her inspecting everything she needs to before she will move on.
The NAS Help! Programme:
The NAS have a Help! Programme, which is for parents of recently diagnosed children. Some of the difficulties parents frequently raise are:
? their child easily gets annoyed and will lash out if he has to walk any distance and sees too many people,
? their child will often just drop of the floor and this could be on the road as well as the pavement. For example, in the last Help! Programme one parent described how her child had laid down in the middle of the road and refused to get up and parent had described how her daughter (aged about 6) was hit by a car in a hit and run.
Issues with the Blue badge scheme as it currently operates
? it does not capture the experience of people with an ASD and is therefore not as accessible to people with an ASD as it should be
? there are considerable varieties between LAs with regard to eligibility for people with an ASD/carers of people with an ASD
? there is no set appeals process